Akshat Kumar

FRC 6908 2018 Robot

This robot was the first large project I created with a total of 1282 parts and components. A majority of the design was created through reverse engineering, by measuring parts that were already created nd assembling them into the CAD model for reference. Info about this robot can be found at here.

GrabCAD Link

Luxray: F4 CADathon

Luxray was designed for the 7th Bi-Annual F4 CADathon Game: Finite Charge within 3 days. With over X components and sketches needed to construct it, it's the first technically complex and complete robot that I designed from the ground-up.

GrabCAD Link

FRC 900 2020 Robot

This is my latest robot creation for the 2020 FRC Season: Infinite Recharge. In collaboration with students in FRC 900, we designed and constructed this robot in 8 weeks for the competition (although it never competed due to COVID-19). This is by far the most complex and detailed robot design I have worked on. Created in Onshape.

Gravity Vehicle: Science Olympiad

A ramp and vehicle combination created for the event, Gravity Vehicle in the 2020/2021 Science Olympiad seasons. This design was our second version of the device before development was cut short due to COVID-19.

Custom Walkera MX400 Drone

Reverse engineered and designed parts for use on the Walkera MX400 drone as part of the SRSP program at NC Central University. Model was used to create an autonomous drone capable of delivering cargo to a specified target on the ground. Completely designed in Solidworks 2019.

Final Presentation

iPhone X

The first CAD model I ever made was of my iPhone 5S based on the drawings in the Apple Accessory Guidelines. In 2020, I took on the challenge again, this time with the iPhone X learning how to use decals and rendering for the first time. Furthermore, I dedicated myself to outline the internal components of the iPhone purely from iFixit teardowns. Perhaps this was foreshadowing to eventually be working on the iPhone 14/15 as an intern at Apple...

A360 Link

ROBOTICON CAD Challenge

Designed and fully animated FRC game for use in the ROBOTICON CAD Challenge, held in November of 2020. Designed in Autodesk Inventor 2020.

Game Manual

FRC 900: Game Design Challenge 2021

Designed and animated and edited a 2 and a half minute game introduction video for the 2021 FIRST Robotics Competition Game Design Challenge in March 2021. Created in Blender and Onshape.

InspireNC CAD Challenge

Founded and organized the InspireNC CAD Challenge, held in July and late November 2020. Over 200+ students competed in the competition and was sponsored by large robotics supply companies. Designed in OnShape.

Game Manual

FEB - 2023 Pedal Box

Designed and manufactured a regenerative-enabled pedal box for the 2022-2023 Formula Electric at Berkeley (FEB) racecar. The assembly consisted of a 3 bar linkage that allowed for adjustable regen capability, adjustable to have 0%, 50%, and 66% regen braking travel. The goal of the assembly was to reduce cost, reduce weight, and increase manufacturability compared to the 2021-2022 pedal box. Compared to the previous pedal box, the weight decreased by 40% while stiffness and functionality was added.

The entire assembly was designed to a factor of safety of >1.5 in both the mechanical and hydraulic aspects. By varying the master cylinder bore, I was able to vary the braking balance between the front and rear for maximum grip at 1G of braking.

FSAE - 2024 Pedal Box

As chassis and brakes lead for 2023-2024, I led a major pedal box redesign after some napkin sketches in early August. The 2022-2023 pedal box was our first working brakes system; however, there was a lot to optimize. Adjustment was close to impossible, it was unnecessarily overweight, and ergonomic comfort was severly lacking. With a new design below the heel, I projected a weight loss of over 4kg on spaceframe length and pedal box weight. Initially with a "mini-pedal" concept and later on with a more simplified design, the pedal box redesigned acheived all of our goals and looked good while doing it.

The entire assembly was designed to a SF of 1.3 to a driver force of 2000 N. The complex geometry required a complex base plate design, one of the first parts we CNC'd in house as a team. Pedal box adjustibility was a highlight of the design, with infinite range between the 99% male to the 2% female, going beyond the minimum requirements of the rulebook. With a screw stackup front and back, it created a 1 handed operation that could be done in less than a minute, compared to the 15 minute ordeal the year before.

FSAE - 2024 Spaceframe

As chassis lead of Formula Electric at Berkeley (FEB) I led spaceframe design for the car. With a primary goal of packaging optimization and weight reduction, I served as the integration engineer for the entire car, working with every subteam to fit every component while making compromises to lower weight and welding effort. Despite challenges imposed by our workspace operations and usage hours, I created a team of TIG welders for the first time for our club, with members switching on and off the car everyday from 8-6. We jigged and welded the entire car in less than 2 weeks, less than half the time from our previous year. After 100+ hours of welding time myself, we sent out the car for powder coating as well.

This year was the first year we built and ran a torsion test on our chassis as well. A torsion test measures the torsional stiffness of the chassis, a major factor in the handling characteristics of the car. Over the course of the year, we design an modular system, manufactured it in house, and tested our car, correlating to within 10% of our simulation. With more simulation iterations upcoming, we hope to refine this number further and develop this process for the future of the club.

Apple - AppleCare Engineering Intern

From June 2022 to June 2023, I was interning at Apple under the AppleCare Engineering Team. As part of this internship, I got the oppurtunity to work on various parts of the iPhone 14 and 15, especially on the repair tool and process side. My primary project at Apple was prototyping, designing, and manufacturing of the Apple Presto fixture, an in-store tool used to update and charge iPhones in-box. As an intern, I led all mechanical and electrical design for Presto as well as worked on other various projects used for Apple Self Service Repair.

9to5mac: Apple Presto - iPhone Update System

Tesla - Integration Intern

Between June 2023 and August 2023, I interned at Tesla under the Vehicle Integration handling new car design and product development. In my 3 months there, I worked with every team involved with the vehicle and led negotiations on part maturity and compatibilty throughout the car. Part of these negotiations involved part by part checks of the vehicle, resolving clashes and design deviations while still accounting for vehicle quality, servicabilty, and impact requirements. This role taught me vital technical communication skills both within the company and with external suppliers.

SpaceX - Dragon Manufacturing Intern

From May 2024 to August 2024, I interned at SpaceX under the Dragon Production team. As a manufacturing intern, my primary focus was on improving the process flow and time associated with the bespoke manufacturing of Dragon thermal protection systems (TPS). With a need to work with technicians, vendors, and engineers, I was a part of the full stack development from design to launch. I also delved deeper into flight-level engineering, defining and optimizing for mission margins, qualifying parts and processes for flight, as well as the design and manufacturing of carbon fiber composite structural members.

HOPE Decal - IoT Speaker Amplifier

As part of the HOPE Decal at UC Berkeley, I designed a speaker amplifier circuit that could take various audio inputs and output those waveforms to a 2.1 sorround sound system. Through the course of spring semester, I learned everything needed to go from an idea to a completed board.

After deciding on the chips and communication modes needed to get from input to output, I created the schematic to design all the connections and passives needed to operate the class D amplifiers for the speaker output. Afterwards, I laid out all the components on the PCB and soldered all the components. The board was partially operational, with the ESP32 communicating and triggering status LEDs. However, I was unable to communicate to PCM and TAS chips, possibly due to errors in soldering.