Projects
Drone Frame Redesign for Search & Rescue Swarms
PROBLEM
Orynth is a startup building autonomous drone swarms for search-and-rescue operations. The frame needed to be light enough for long flight times, tough enough to survive field deployment, and buildable fast enough to keep pace with a startup's iteration speed.
VERSION 1 — PROOF OF CONCEPT
Designed and modeled the first working frame in SolidWorks: a three-layer square body 3D-printed in PLA, weighing roughly 10 lb. The hardest part wasn't the mechanical design — it was getting the frame to actually cooperate with the flight-control software stack once assembled. Reached a flying prototype after three physical iterations.
VERSION 2 — AERO & WEIGHT REDESIGN
Redesigned the body from a three-layer square stack down to a single-layer rectangular structure, cutting material out of the top plates to reduce mass while keeping structural stiffness where it mattered. Switched material from PLA to PETG for better outdoor durability in field conditions. Two rounds of physical testing brought the frame down to about 9 lb — roughly a 10% weight cut — with a shape better suited to efficient, long-running flight.
LOCKSTAR — Passive Capture Tool Dock
PROBLEM
During 8-hour spacewalks, astronauts have to fight the pressure of their own suit every time they detach a tool from its dock using a dedicated actuation mechanism. NASA's Micro-g NExT challenge called for a stowage system that could be operated single-handed and blind — without adding batteries, motors, or gears.
OUR SOLUTION — LOCKSTAR
LOCKSTAR (Locking, Single-Touch, Auto-Retention) lets an astronaut fasten a tool by simply sliding it into a funnel-shaped housing — no dedicated action required. A spring-loaded rod snaps into place automatically. Release requires pressing two independent buttons simultaneously, which satisfies NASA's single-fault-tolerance requirement while keeping the whole mechanism spring-driven, with zero batteries or motors.
MY CONTRIBUTION
I worked on the CAD modeling for the housing and mechanism components in SolidWorks, helping refine the internal geometry that guides the tool during blind insertion and houses the dual-button locking arms.
VALIDATION
| Envelope | 2.95 × 1.97 × 3.29 in (limit 5×5×5 in) |
| Mass | < 2 lb |
| Latch pin shear FoS | ≈ 440 |
| Housing bearing FoS | ≈ 140 |
| Materials | Aluminum 6061-T6, Tough PLA (≥75% infill) |
