Andrew Galassi Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Berkeley, California, United States

Working on ice climbing robots for Enceladus and Europa in Hannah Stuart's Embodied Dexterity Group in collaboration with NASA JPL.

Seattle, Washington, United States

- Redesigned an acceptance testing station for the largest mechanism on the Starlink v2-mini vehicle- Successfully implemented a custom bearing system with 30 ft of travel, <1 N of friction, and no seams- Integrated a force profile measurement system to prove force capability of each mechanism before flight- Wrote Python code with SQL integration to analyze each force profile result in comparison to force profile bounds and energy bounds- Qualified the mechanism for flight by… Show more - Redesigned an acceptance testing station for the largest mechanism on the Starlink v2-mini vehicle- Successfully implemented a custom bearing system with 30 ft of travel, <1 N of friction, and no seams- Integrated a force profile measurement system to prove force capability of each mechanism before flight- Wrote Python code with SQL integration to analyze each force profile result in comparison to force profile bounds and energy bounds- Qualified the mechanism for flight by conducting Instron testing, thermal testing, and associated analysis on the mechanism's sprung and passive hinges- Conducted life testing to quantify degradation of the solar panel deployment mechanism over time- Completed a trade study for potential future solid lubrication options for the mechanism hinges Show less

Greater Los Angeles Area

Fall 2021- Identified parameters of a reduced-order dynamic model of a prototype Venus balloon system in MATLAB using field test data- Developed Simulink model for the system, designed candidate altitude controllers using frequency domain techniquesFall 2020 - Summer 2021- Responsible for the design of a novel low-TRL anchoring science payload for deployment onto vertical natural surfaces by an aerial vehicle (UAV) toward future access of extreme terrains on Mars-… Show more Fall 2021- Identified parameters of a reduced-order dynamic model of a prototype Venus balloon system in MATLAB using field test data- Developed Simulink model for the system, designed candidate altitude controllers using frequency domain techniquesFall 2020 - Summer 2021- Responsible for the design of a novel low-TRL anchoring science payload for deployment onto vertical natural surfaces by an aerial vehicle (UAV) toward future access of extreme terrains on Mars- Constructed first functioning 1.2 kg mechatronic system, demonstrated deployment with linear actuators and servos operated with Python scripts on a Raspberry Pi- Designed new UAV end effector mechanism for payload reattachment with relative misalignment- Determined actuator backdrive force required for payload retention with no power draw- Presented work with a poster at the 18th Interplanetary Probe WorkshopSummer 2020- Used rigid-body dynamics to design science payload transfer interface between robotic vehicles- Developed high-level sample return capsule point design for Ceres Sample Return mission concept study in 2023 Planetary Decadal Survey- Designed and calibrated testbed for robotic gripper fingers with integrated (strain gauge) force sensing, for manipulation of Mars Sample Return tubesFall 2019- Responsible for mechanical and electrical design of dust-protected, 90°F-tolerant rover masthead- Created, documented, and improved new process to simulate Mars dust adhesion- Developed visual storyboards for Mars lander arm, utilized in JPL mission architecture review- Researched plastic snap fit design to produce robust annular joints for robot desktop models- Designed adjustable MGSE to support conformal coating of 8 different flight electronics boards Show less

- Led 15-student recitation section for Differential Equations, a 4-credit hour core math course- Developed solutions, explanations, and exercises for one-hour recitation sections twice a week- Proctored and graded quizzes and exams, held weekly office hours and exam review sessions

Pasadena, California

2019: Returning for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to design inverted pendulum testbed for experimental nonlinear controls research.2018: Responsible for rapid prototyping in support of UAV development at the AMBER Lab, a nonlinear control and robotics group at Caltech.- Designed and prototyped novel 3D-printed structure and suspension for rolling, bouncing UAV- Optimized UAV structure for repeated 6 ft drop impact and maximized coefficient of restitution-… Show more 2019: Returning for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to design inverted pendulum testbed for experimental nonlinear controls research.2018: Responsible for rapid prototyping in support of UAV development at the AMBER Lab, a nonlinear control and robotics group at Caltech.- Designed and prototyped novel 3D-printed structure and suspension for rolling, bouncing UAV- Optimized UAV structure for repeated 6 ft drop impact and maximized coefficient of restitution- Programmed MATLAB script for propellor thrust testbed, including calibration process- Designed and fabricated configurable vision tracking mount for quadcopter testing- Programmed Arduino PD controller for three-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator- Responsible for setting up and calibrating new Raise3D Printer to print PLA, ABS, PETG, Polycarbonate, Nylon, and HIPS Show less

Atlanta, Georgia

Structures group member and program manager for the RECONSO CubeSat mission, part of the Georgia Tech Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL), and sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab.Structures Group- Developed SolidWorks parts, engineering drawings, and 400+ component spacecraft assembly- Performed classical structural analysis to ensure positive margin of safety for payload bolts- Designed candidate optical payload mount to satisfy Air Force Research Lab flight… Show more Structures group member and program manager for the RECONSO CubeSat mission, part of the Georgia Tech Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL), and sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab.Structures Group- Developed SolidWorks parts, engineering drawings, and 400+ component spacecraft assembly- Performed classical structural analysis to ensure positive margin of safety for payload bolts- Designed candidate optical payload mount to satisfy Air Force Research Lab flight requirements- Manufactured flight payload mounts using waterjet, manual mill, pneumatic tapping arm- Responsible for 12 kg satellite mass budget, computed expected weight and mass center- Assembled hardware in SSDL cleanroom, developed assembly procedure documentationProgram Manager- Managed team-wide personnel budget and email communication for team of 35 students- Responsible for team member ITAR certification, network drive access, and room access- Presented at Undergraduate Research Symposium, recruited new project members Show less

Atlanta, Georgia

- Responsible for low-level control of linear actuator for robotic human finger/hand- Determined necessary electrical components, boards, power supply based on actuator specs- Implemented and tuned Arduino-based PID controller for linear actuator position control- Wrote Python computer vision code using OpenCV for hand recognition with Raspberry Pi- Designed and presented live, interactive demonstration for National Robotics Week tour groups

San Luis Obispo, California

-Summer intern for robotic 3D-printed hand project: text to sign language translator-Conducted analysis of human hand motion, identified necessary degrees of freedom-Developed CAD models and assemblies of lower hand components in SolidWorks-Responsible for early versions of thumb housing, palm hinge, lower hand assembly

Master Of Science - Ms, Mechanical Engineering

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Mechanical Engineering