Projects
Over the years I've been involved in the design, prototyping and fabrication of scientific equipment, medical devices, consumer products and museum exhibitry. Below are some examples of things I've worked on in the course of employment and while pursuing various hobbies. For more info see my resume.
Mechanical Design
While employed at Onda I helped design a Radiation Force Balance system for taking power measurements of ultrasound medical devices, developing a manufacturable design from a working prototype. Modeled in SolidWorks.
While working at the design consulting firm MOTO I designed a system of interlocking modular plastic dividers, sheet-metal parts and light-pipes that fit within an automated Medication Dispensing Cabinet (see Matrix Drawer and Locking Drawer). I also designed an enclosure for a Phone Router [pdf], integrating plastic injection molded parts, a printed circuit board, connectors & LED indicators into an assembly View 2 [pdf]. Modeled in Pro-E.
At Wyatt Technology I re-designed a liquid Laser Flow Cell [pdf] manifold system used in laser light scattering equipment (patent # 5,404,217 issued).
At Vistek I was responsible for the mechanical design of a Surgical Video Camera used in arthroscopic surgical procedures. This involved repackaging a CCD video camera into a hand-held device and control box, integrating electronic & optical assemblies. Drawings [pdf] modeled in AutoCad.
Interactive Exhibits
From June 1999 – January 2003 I was employed at the Exploratorium as an exhibit developer, designing and building exhibits for the Traits of Life project. Responsibilities included researching phenomena, cultivating organisms, conceptualization, CAD design, fabrication, assembly and installation. Here are some exhibits I was responsible for:
Energy From Light
An exhibit measuring CO2 uptake in photosynthesizing grass, the visitor turns off a light and observes CO2 levels increasing in realtime.
Telltale Breath
An exhibit measuring the CO2 content in a person's exhaled breath
Trading Materials
Interdependence between plants & animals; grass converts CO2 into Oxygen, Termites convert Oxygen into CO2. Termites and Grass are enclosed in separate chambers, CO2 levels are monitored and displayed in real-time.
Termitarium
A termite colony in thin cross section, with lighted magnifiers. A white LED on the underside of the magnifier illuminates the field of view.
Oxygen Bubbles
Photosynthetic production of oxygen illustrated via bubbles of oxygen streaming from aquatic plants.
Mutant Flies
Life support and display pods for various strains of mutant Drosophila.
Furniture
I've always enjoyed building physical objects (mostly metal & wood) and working with my hands. I'm also very interested in simple, space-efficient solutions to basic living needs. Here are some pieces of furniture I've made.
Box Filing Stack
Shelving for bigso boxes - pine planks sawn diagonally with dowel supports.
Clothing Rack
A clothing rack in the form of a rope ladder for space efficient storage. Easy to install - 2 screws provide secure attachment to solid and hollow core doors. Made of sustainably harvested maple and braided hemp rope.
Bed Platform
Hand-cut pine, bronze screws, hemp rope & milk paint. Sized to fit eight TT-4 storage boxes underneath.
Miscellaneous
"Mixed; mingled; consisting of several things; of diverse sorts..."
Phoneme Cards
A deck of cards displaying each of the phonemes that comprise spoken English.
Earth Sun Moon Time
A pocket astronomical reference book with a 20 year calendar of lunar & solar cycles, including tables, descriptive text and illustrations.
Locator
JavaScript calculator for calculating the directions and distances to other places on Earth.