Principle Investigator on SBIR Navy/Marine Corps Systems Command N232-080 "Self-driving Convoy Operations" for NMESIS program

Hard Platooning Technology(1) Research & development of alternative commercial vehicle platooning methods for class 8 trucks, transit buses and military vehicles. The focus is on rapid integration by circumventing the typical risks of autonomy.(2) Project lead with a team of 7 engineering graduates, part-time undergraduate technicians and undergraduate researchers. Direct sub-projects and full-scale class 8 truck and transit bus platooning system stand-up and technology demonstrations.(3) Controls & integration engineer - System modeling, simulation, dynamic control, network control & system state management development.

Instructed 2 lab sections (3 sections fall 21) of the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate course Dynamic Systems and Control with a total of 43 students (62 students fall 21).

Hard Platooning - Personal research in commercial vehicle platooning (trucks and transit buses)(1) Project lead with 2 part-time undergraduates and 6 capstone students in the full-scale 2 truck platooning system stand-up and technology demonstration(2) Leading a group of mechanical engineering capstone students in the development and testing of the next generation prototypesArmy Futures Command (AFC) - Autonomous coordination of air & ground (AGC) vehicles (1) Designing, simulating and testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) landing & securing platforms mounted on top of a autonomous ground vehicles(2) Leading a group of mechanical engineering capstone students in the development and testing of the next generation UAS platform(3) Support AERO and ground teams in component design(4) Coordinate with machine shop and technicians to fabricate components

Wheel Loader Product Support TeamDeveloped and maintained software algorithms to autonomously process machine operation data streamed to cloud servers for cycle time, productivity, fuel burn, operator efficiency, machine abuse, and component reliability. Used machine data to classify machine and operator state. (More details in projects section)

Outdoor Variable Speed Team:Assisted in heat pump new product developments by monitoring lab tests and working with model/machine shop members on developmental prototypes. Designed and performed experiments on existing components in variable speed products for value added, cost reduction, and to address field problems. Assisted in vibration testing for improving refrigerant tubing designs. Installed new compressor drives in local field test locations and coordinated with nationwide test sites to install latest components. Flashed new and old versions of software to communicating units to check system operation, backwards compatibility and cross compatibility per specifications. Wrote software malfunction reports and worked with team in India to replicate and resolve software issues. Used complete system set-ups in psychometric testing facilities to replicate issues. Monitored test units in internal extreme environment facilities and external test locations. Collected, analyzed and organized test data with Excel and Python libraries. Presented test reports to senior engineers and directors in team meetings and design reviews. Provided internal specialist teams in China with empirical data for FEA and simulated test correlations. Wrote engineering change notices and assisted manufacturing with variable speed manufacturing problems.

CAST-IEA - Designed and built experiment equipment for the Connected Autonomous and Safe Transportation - Infrastructure Enabled Autonomy team. Used Soldiworks to model components and perform basic FEA analysis, before constructing them in the Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering Machine Shop. Used CNC plasma cutter, gas arc welder, mill, lathe, and other shop tools to build equipment. Moved trailers from warehouses to test locations at Texas A&M Rellis campus (an old military air base with long open runways). Set up experiments by powering computers, cameras, and DSRC equipment.Truck Platooning – Operated class 8 truck for data collection and sensor calibration. Acted as a safety driver when the truck was in platooning mode. Performed basic inspection on truck to ensure safety during testing. Hitched and unhitched trailers for different testing methods. Provided driver input to research questions.

Maintained fertilizer equipment including: hydraulic pull type spreaders, class 8 spreader trucks, class 8 haul trucks, liquid and irrigation pumps, Killebrew fertilizer trailers, dry bulkhead trailers, and other misalliances equipment. Maintenance included daily greasing, fluid and filter changing, chain and belt tensioning, air brake adjustments and hydraulic brake replacement. Repairs included solving gas, diesel and LPG no start, no run, rough running, ignition, fuel, compression, carburetor, electrical charging, and many other equipment related issues. Truck Operation – Loaded commercial trucks and secured loads for transportation. Hauled cotton from cotton gins to warehouses. Hauled various fertilizers from plant rail stations to farm and ranch job locations. Operated class A and class B trucks with 9 and 10 speed low-high range transmissions.

Many of the projects I worked on were time sensitive so I was unable to get pictures. However, I have uploaded pictures that still show my broad range of mechanical skill and understanding.