Larry the Hexapod

Beginning as a project with some friends "Larry" was a hexapod robot that would consist of 12 motors controlling a 6-legged robot. Designed mechanically to require minimal 3D printer filament to make the design is very simplistic and based on a spider.

The first version of Larry (shown above) had issues with how the servo motors were mounted so further versions were designed to more securely mount the hip motors.

After the first design I worked on a staged stepping system that would allow the robot to walk around. I then looked at gaussian profiles to match combined and organic motions to allow Larry to walk more like a spider than a jerky robot.

Once the stepping system seemed to work on disconnected servo motors I began to build out the functionality writing functions that let the robot turn, reset the position of its legs, bow, and shake itself from side to side. Unfortunately this was as far as the project got as school left not enough time to continue.

UWaterloo Engineering Pin

Likely my biggest lasting impact on my university is my design of the Uwaterloo Engineering Pin. An open call was put out for submissions for the design of a new engineering pin that all incoming engineering students would recieve similar to the iron rings that we recieve upon graduation.

My design (shown above) was selected by a vote of the student body as the new design and I worked with the dean and department on the creation of the pin. I was later given the honor of receiving the first iron pin given out.

Later I was contacted and I talked with the machinists when the creation of multiple larger versions of the pin were designed. First a 6-inch version was made for the Dean of Engineering, a 2-foot diameter pin (shown below) was made to be hung on the wall of an engineering building and there was talk of a 1-foot version to be made in the future. With the larger format I was able to reintroduce the chamfers of the iron ring that were unable to be manufactured for the iron pins.