Akshay Sonandkar Email & Phone Number

Singapore

Singapore

• Leading the development of fast data acquisition system for single-axis inertial sensing for Quantum Gravimeter.
• Implementing complex geometries to optimize flow of Rubidium atoms using Monte-Carlo simulations.
• Enhancing DAQ chain (filters, amplifiers and high-resolution analog to digital converters) to increase the dynamic range of the sensor and include data from auxiliary sensors for implementing sensor-fusion.
• Developing dynamic techniques for fast drift correction and motion resilience while tracing gravity signature.
• Improving performance of Gimbal (2-DOF tilt stabilization platform) by using DGPS and aiding signal from quantum accelerometer.

Singapore

• Lead designer for the mobile quantum gravimeter. My responsibility was system level design for miniaturization of a lab-sized instrument into a 16x smaller rugged, portable sensor. Played a pivotal role in finalizing.
• Selection and hardware integration of low-noise, broadband accelerometer, micro-radian tilt sensors and low-noise photodiodes.
• Decreased Quantum-Projection-Noise by implementing alternate technologies to increase and stabilize atom numbers at 5uK. (Patent-pending on one of the approach)
• Built active vibration-isolation-platform using voice coil actuators and custom 2-dof springs. It provides 100x attenuation at specific frequencies.
• Designed custom optics, micro-machined in-vacuum fixture, for Rb dispensers, NEG elements and microwave antenna for making a compact yet robust sensor.

Singapore

• Atom Interferometry: Joined as a founding engineer and started the mechanical department. Built a fabrication lab from scratch to develop wide range of subsystems for cold atom experiments. Built a team of multiple.
• Designed Ultra-High-Vacuum chambers with inbuilt optical components for 3-Dimentional Atom Interferometry.
• Developed high speed electro-mechanical shutters to regulate beam-path on the optical test bench. The shutter films had greater tolerance to fatigue and higher intensities of 780nm laser.
• Design of 2-DOF single body Titanium laser periscope with fine adjustment resolution up to 2 microns. Used DetasFlex for simulation of butterfly hinges.
• Built integrated structure for vacuum cell, retroreflectors and seismometers and laser collimators (Main assembly)
• Handled end-to-end production and quality assurance of 500+ unique parts. Including vendors from 5 different countries.

Bangalore

• Worked as a founding engineer to build AI-enabled, high throughput microscope slide scanner. Today, hundreds of Morphle scanners are deployed worldwide generating more than 5 millions scans till date. I handled design.
• Devised new manufacturing techniques for glass stages, sheet metal case and kinematic mounts.
• Handled end-to-end procurement and quality assurance of 100+ electromechanical parts.
• Implemented micron-precise motion control with PID feedback using linear glass scale encoders.
• Designed and fabricated main motherboard of the machine, successfully deployed in 7 on-site installation. (Eagle)
• Developed mechanism for multiple slide loader which increased the capacity from 6 to 48 slides at once.

Goa

• Launched an "Air tag*" five years before Apple. Designed and built the core architecture of Hitch Proximity tag. Lead a team of 10 engineers for the development of the consumer electronics product. Received multiple.
• Designed and manufactured bluetooth 4.0 enabled anti-theft tags tokeep track of personal valuables from an android application.
• Designed press-fit interlocking mechanism and low cost injection mold.
• Devised a method to know exact location of the lost item without evenusing a GPS chip in the tag.
• Won 2 most prestigious awards of BITS Pilani and incubator space.Offersky
• Used a network of Bluetooth 4.0 beacons for indoor positioning ofcrowd inside a mall. This system enabled users to know best offers instores around them without entering the store.

Hosur Area, India

- Successfully increased 5.44 % packing efficiency of Grinding Media in KILN (Furnace) cart. - The inspiration was drawn from Hexagonal Closed Packing (HCP) of atoms in dense solid state. - This project saved more than Rs 5 Lakhs worth of superior kerosene oil every month.

B.E (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Activities and Societies: - Final year thesis on "Proximity estimation of wireless beacon using Kalman filters and received signal.

Class 1St -12Th, 9.8/10

Activities and Societies: School Vice Captain in year 2011