Flight Controller Validation
via SIL — Senior Design
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Validated custom flight controller software for a novel thrust-vectoring quadcopter using a Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation framework. Collaborated closely with the electrical engineering team to support development of a custom control architecture, as no existing controller could support independent thrust magnitude and 2-DoF vectoring across four propulsion units. Worked with a modified ArduPilot-based control pipeline, extending the mixer logic to map desired roll, pitch, yaw, and thrust commands into coordinated throttle and vectoring angles for each arm. Integrated control logic with a simulated dynamic model to test system behavior under varying flight conditions, enabling early identification of instability, control limitations, and integration issues. The SIL environment supported iterative debugging and validation of a multi-controller architecture, ensuring reliable coordination between propulsion units prior to full system deployment.
Spring Network Optimization via
Custom MATLAB FEA Algorithm
Computational Designer
Developed a MATLAB-based finite element optimization tool for a loaded structural spring network, representative of simplified mechanical systems such as supports, mounts, frames, or compliant structures where stiffness must be distributed efficiently. The model is fixed at both ends with loads applied at interior nodes, creating a practical design question: where should stiffness be added so the structure deforms less without exceeding resource or displacement limits? The tool calculates nodal displacements and reaction forces, then optimizes each spring stiffness to reduce compliance, a measure of flexibility under load. In the benchmark case, compliance decreased from 928.69 to 646.21, an improvement of about 30.4%, while using the allowable stiffness budget of 31 and keeping maximum displacement within the required limit of 12.
Screw-Driven Wheel-Linkage
Motion Simulator
Mechanical Simulation & MATLAB GUI Developer
Developed a MATLAB-based simulation tool for a screw-driven wheel-linkage mechanism that translates a CAD concept into an interactive kinematic model. The simulator allows users to define key parameters such as wheel radius, screw radius, screw pitch, actuator velocity, initial position, and simulation time, then computes and visualizes the resulting motion of critical points in the assembly. It tracks 3D trajectory, vertical displacement, orbit and self-angular velocity, slider position, and actuator response, while a companion ODE-based model supports deeper analysis of position, velocity, acceleration, and joint-force behavior. This project demonstrates CAD-informed mechanical modeling, screw-motion kinematics, MATLAB GUI development, numerical simulation, and engineering visualization.
