Rob Fitzpatrick Email & Phone Number

Orlando, Florida, United States

Reviewed and edited manuscripts by others. Honed and polished tact for effective feedback on authors’ work. Comfortably rephrased my feedback in discussions until my notes and comments were understood.Wrote, proofread, edited, and polished text for self-produced novels, short stories, plays, graphic novels, and dark ride scripts.

Orlando, Florida, United States

Managed four vendor contracts 16 animatronics and 16 static characters for the How to Train Your Dragon land. Performed gate design reviews for all scopes, ensuring all work met company and safety requirements— including guest, technician, and performer safety.Reviewed and redlined mechanical, electrical, control logic, and facility drawings throughout design and fabrication phases to ensure all vendors delivered and installed successful scopes of work.Worked with subject matter engineers to ensure all static and animated figures, which were outdoors, could withstand steady and gusting high speed winds per Florida building code.Reviewed maintenance access for all assigned scopes. Spearheaded investigations with interfacing ride, scenic, show action equipment, facility and maintenance shareholders to correct access concerns.Contracted and managed 3rd party engineering firm to perform sun exposure studies on animatronic skins, costumes, hair, and furs to verify all materials could withstand exposure to the Florida sun.

Orlando, Florida, United States

Managed two vendor contracts for 6 animatronics and 2 puppets for Hollywood and Transformers lands. Performed gate design reviews for all scopes, ensuring all work met company and safety requirements—including guest, technician, and performer safety.Reviewed and redlined mechanical, electrical, control logic, and facility drawings throughout design and fabrication phases to ensure all vendors delivered and installed successful scopes of work.Inspected and troubleshot animatronics, puppets, winches, deck tracks, fly bars, fly tracks, and moving LED walls for Untrainable theater show from installation through commissioning.Worked side-by-side with creative and technical directors, producers, actors, wardrobe, choreographers, stagehands, stage managers, and other interfacing engineers to mount musical in 1,500 seat theater.Managed project team of animation and engineering subject matter experts to identify and correct jerk-inducing motion profiles created by Maya when exporting data to vendor’s PLC. Resulting profiles delivered smooth, quick motions on 15-foot-tall dancing animatronic.Reviewed maintenance access for all assigned scopes. Spearheaded investigations with interfacing ride, scenic, show action equipment, facility, and maintenance shareholders to correct access concerns.Contracted and managed 3rd party engineering firms to conduct modal analysis, geartrain longevity analysis, and FEA and fatigue analyses verification for safety-critical and overhead animatronics.

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Designed mobile and modular 240 square foot 1.9mm resolution video wall for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, performed installation, and interfaced with client to confirm design requirements were met.Designed and engineered rigging and structure for flying 900 square foot, 8mm resolution triangle video wall for The Killers Wonderful Wonderful Tour.Project managed, designed, installed, and commissioned permanent video walls for corporate office.Designed and assembled pneumatic brake systems for automotive trade show turntables.

Lititz, Pa

Performed a variety of mechanical design, engineering, and troubleshooting tasks on 72 permanent and touring shows, which required adapting to frequently changing situations to deliver quality stage lifts, deck tracks, performer flying systems, animatronics, structures, scenic, and lighting.Collaborated on a six-person multidisciplinary team to design and engineer a 15-foot-tall, 15-axis animatronic for theme park client to meet specific manufacturing and operational requirements. Designed innovative lift system for 6-axis Jack-in-the-box animatronic that bounces Jack around in three dimensions as if on a spring. Used half the actuators proposed, which led to cost savings.Invented, 3D printed, and built miniature robot arm puppet that controlled a life-sized robot arm.Completed feasibility study and concept design for high-speed, automated special-effect-filled car show action equipment. Performed dynamic force calculations to prove design viability to client.Generated drivetrain component sizing spreadsheets and performed drivetrain calculations on machinery employing electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic actuation.

Waltham, Ma

Designed and machined roll cage and compliant feet prototypes for AlphaDog robot.Inspected parts received from machine shop vendors and verified dimensions against part drawings.Drafted request-for-quote packages, interviewed potential vendors, and placed purchase orders.Performed weight reduction for hydraulic manifold designs on existing robot prototype.Assisted in testing new sensor design for BigDog robot.

Glens Falls, Ny

Authored Engineering Change Requests, Test Methods, Operational Procedures, and Manufacturing Procedures.Completed data analyses using Statgraphics to demonstrate product and process capability.Authored and Executed Installation and Operational Qualification Protocols and Reports.

M.S., Robotics Engineering

Bs, Mechanical Engineering

Activities and Societies: Community Advisor, Peddler Yearbook (President, Co-Editor-in-Chief), Social Committee