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║ ChIDEO's Pintwood Derby is an annual competition similar to ║▐
║ Pinewood Derby, but with more lenient rules. The Cheetah ║▐
║ Car was a clever miniature car designed to skirt the rules ║▐
║ and try a new approach to the race. In addition to being ║▐
║ fast, the car had two motorized wings that could be ║▐
║ triggered to swing out and stop a competitor from passing. ║▐
║ An iPhone app disguised to look like the stock iOS camera ║▐
║ app was used to trigger the wings via Bluetooth mid-race. ║▐
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║ Cars needed to be within the dimensions of 3" x 7" x 2.75", ║▐
║ and they could not weigh more than 10.0 ounces. We were ║▐
║ also required to use all four of the wheels and axel pins ║▐
║ given to us (aka we could not create custom wheels with ║▐
║ bearings). Finally, we could not modify our vehicles in the ║▐
║ following ways: ║▐
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║ - Starting or finish line devices ║▐
║ - Glass or extremely fragile parts ║▐
║ - Paint that is wet or sticky ║▐
║ - Sharp objects ║▐
║ - Propellants ║▐
║ - Mechanically altered rotation of axles and/or wheels ║▐
║ ║▐
║ This is where we had some fun! There was no rule about ║▐
║ affecting other racers. The rules talk about starting and ║▐
║ finishing devices, but nothing about a device that operates ║▐
║ mid-race. Additionally, it sounds like the car only has to ║▐
║ pass the dimensions and weight check pre-race, so what if ║▐
║ the car was capable of transforming itself after it was ║▐
║ checked in? Lastly, motors are not explicitly banned, just ║▐
║ using them to propel or alter wheel rotation is. Playing by ║▐
║ these 'rules' and assumptions, we created the Cheetah car ║▐
║ to push the bounds (and likely create new bounds for future ║▐
║ events) of pintwood derby racing. ║▐
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║ The brains of the Cheetah car is a Bluetooth enabled ║▐
║ microcontroller (Simblee), and it connects to two separate ║▐
║ H-bridge drivers that control the wings' motors, allowing ║▐
║ the wings to open and close. The wings were machined on a ║▐
║ slight opening angle to make sure they catch the front of a ║▐
║ competitor's car. The iPhone app sends messages to the ║▐
║ car's microcontroller to select which wing(s) to control ║▐
║ (left, right, or both) and what direction to move them (in ║▐
║ or out). The car's weight was maximized (staying within the ║▐
║ limit) with a lead weight in the very rear. ║▐
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╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ Part hardware hacker, part creative technologist, and part ║▐
║ human-centered designer thriving at the cross-section of ║▐
║ engineering and design. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Led to engineering through my love for music, art, and ║▐
║ math, I hold degrees in electrical, computer, and music ║▐
║ engineering. Following a stint in academia, I joined IDEO ║▐
║ as a senior electrical engineer where I contributed ║▐
║ creative problem solving and prototyping fluency to a ║▐
║ breadth of projects ranging from vehicles of the future, to ║▐
║ life-changing medical equipment, to innovative children's ║▐
║ toys. Most recently, I was at Delve and now Sundberg-Ferar, ║▐
║ diving deeper into engineering for production, and working ║▐
║ on bringing ideas and prototypes to reality. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Outside of work, I enjoy creating rotoscopes and ║▐
║ illustrations, reverse engineering electronic toys, and ║▐
║ taking a break from screens by running, biking, and camping ║▐
║ in the great outdoors. ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2012 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ BEE in Electrical Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2011 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior II Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Bresslergroup / Delve, Philadelphia, PA ║▐
║ Key roles . Developed embedded hardware for diagnostic devices ║▐
║ . Developed embedded firmware with precision-timing ║▐
║ . Designed for manufacturing ║▐
║ Years ..... Nov '20 - Apr '22 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... IDEO, Chicago, IL ║▐
║ Key roles . Specialized in rapid hardware prototyping ║▐
║ . Developed embedded and front-end software ║▐
║ . Designed human-centered solutions for clients ║▐
║ Years ..... Sep '14 - Oct '20 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ User Experience Intern ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Shure, Niles, IL ║▐
║ Years ..... Summer '13 & Summer '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Graduate Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Miami, Music Eng Dept, Miami, FL ║▐
║ Years ..... Aug '12 - May '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Co-Founder and Shop Manager ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Newark Bike Project, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Oct '11 - Aug '12 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Undergrad/Grad Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Delaware, Elec/Comp Eng Dept, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Feb '09 & Aug '12 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Languages ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ C, C++, Obj-C HTML, CSS Spanish (int) ║▐
║ Basic Assembly Javascript Japanese (beg) ║▐
║ Matlab Python ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Software ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Adobe CC Autodesk Fusion Microsoft 365 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Other ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Screen Printing Bike Mechanic Furby Technician ║▐
║ Sketching Illustrating ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
