Ethan Wood-Thomas | Mechanical Engineering

Worked on a classified robotics project for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Designed numerous components to withstand high-static loads using a combination of finite element analysis and rigorous hand calculations. Optimized the PID control loop and testing procedure of a hydraulic friction test bed. Using this test bed, measured and analyzed the coefficients of friction of various wheel materials and geometries for different surfaces the robot would travel over.