Design&Integrate
in virtual reality
HOW do you connect your designers with your end users? CAD software? Anthropometry? Ergonomic analysis? These are all great tools, but all leave a divide between our 3D models and how our designs function and embody space in the real world. This is where virtual reality (VR) comes in. VR allows us to upload our designs into a game engine, put on a headset and be completely immersed in our designs.
IN VIRTUAL REALITY
IN REALITY
general Design
Listed below are a few design projects I have worked on alongside my engineering team. The designs have ranged from fully integrated (turn-key) systems to detailed components or tool fixturing. Each design starts out as a hand-drawn sketch and then gets converted to a 2D model for kinematic analysis. Finally, a 3D model is created and analyzed using FEA. During this process, we would inspect for potential material failure, electrical overloads, and/or desirable flow-rate and pressure. Finally, the design phase would end with a detailed drawing using geometric dimensioning and tolerancing standards (GD&T).
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Furniture Design and fabrication
Generative design
A generative design table This was created in CAD simulator software. The method of design was accomplished by creating fictitious forces applied onto the top of a cylindrical body (torsion). The software then does an FEA simulation and traces the stress lines throughout the mesh. Finally, the software can be used to remove excess material. Leaving only material under stress. This results in a beautiful organic style design. The model was then modified for PLM production and uploaded to a 3D printer. After printing the table underwent various coatings and annealings to strengthen the product for final use.
Jurassic table
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The Proposal Box
In the spring of 2019, I decided to propose to my now-wife. Once I had the ring, I knew a standard box wouldn’t suffice. I wanted to build something unique. What started as a few sketches quickly evolved into a delightfully over-engineered mechanical marvel.
I designed the box in CAD as a 4-inch hemisphere featuring an iris-style opening. It consists of four interlocking doors that retract as the base rotates. To make the build efficient, I engineered the components to snap together, allowing the entire unit to be 3D printed without supports.
The mechanics are driven by a small 9V geared motor that actuates a cammed arm on each door, following an ACME-threaded track. As the doors clear the opening, a second motor, utilizing a linear screw drive elevates the ring tray from the center of the box for the final reveal.
Once the mechanics were finalized, I shifted my focus to the electronics. I wanted the proposal to be interactive, so I integrated an Arduino microcontroller to manage the sequence.
I installed two distinct buttons on the box to let the user "choose their fate":
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The "No" Button: Programmed for a bit of humor, this button triggered a speaker to play the iconic "Wilhelm Scream."
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The "Yes" Button: This triggered the actual proposal sequence. It would play "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest while the Arduino simultaneously engaged the motors to open the doors, lift the ring, and initiate a custom LED lighting program to illuminate the ring.
