The Piccolo micro kitchen has many mechanisms that allow for cabinets to be hidden or brought forward to give the feel of a full sized kitchen in a reduced space. I focus on a platform that slides over the sink and stove to create more space for food preparation as well as a space to be used as a desk.
To create the bowl above, I experimented with dissolving scraps of styrofoam in acetone. Styrofoam is not recyclable but is often used in packaging and modeling. This bowl was created by pouring a mixture of styrofoam and acetone on top of a balloon and waiting for the acetone to try in an dripped pattern.
This screen was created out of styrofoam cut with a hot wire. It was made out of hexagons with a slight taper to create a wave effect across the facade. Cutouts were made in the hexagons to create a sense of orientation.
This crown was my final project for my metalsmithing class. I drew inspiration from ancient Celtic diadems. It is designed to look like a golden rose with metallic vines. The rose was created through lost wax casting and the rest of the crown's pieces were soldered to the nickel silver base.
This enameled bowl was created by cutting out the shape of a flower on a bandsaw. It was created through repetitively annealing and hammering the flower into a circular groove. Once the shape was created, I enameled a gradient pattern onto the inside and a solid blue exterior.
This link was created to be added to a chain made by many years of metalsmithing students. I created the rose by soldering many circular plates together and bending them up at angles. The leaves were made with a jeweler's saw. The pattern was created by a hammer and chisel. The entire flower was then soldered onto a braid of nickel silver wire.
2.007 is a class centered around a competition where robots have to partake in different tasks to earn points. I created 2 robots (one remote controlled and one autonomous) to collaborate with each other and gain a higher cumulative score.
WaterMaster is an accelerometer triggred water gun connected to a backpack to store water. By storing water in a backpack, kids could spend more time playing and less time having to refill their guns. This also allowed for a more natural movement as the kids simply had to punch and the ultra-light arm band would detect their movement and shoot out water.
I created modules as well as the joint mechanism for the I/O shape display. We published a paper in the TEI 2020 conference proceedings.
This project was a research project I worked on as part of the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab. The goal of the project was to create magnetically variable particles that could interact with each other.
Consumer products should be functional and elegant. Since I entered the world of 3-dimensional design, I have strived to create this balance in my research and coursework. I am currently double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Art and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My path has exposed me to multiple types of design and processes that allow me the flexibility to reach beyond the scope of traditional design while applying engineering fundamentals. I have learned how to create a designs in Solidworks or Rhino, prototype with 3D printers and laser cutters and create final products with heavier machinery such as mills, lathes or injection molders. These skills have led me to become a published researcher and successful student as well as aided me in my endeavor to merge mechanical and aesthetic design.
Beyond research and courses, I have also learned how to create ancient Damascus steel and learned how to forge from a Japanese master smith. I am always interested in learning new ways to create as well as sharing my knowledge with others. Whether it is in a group project creating toys, or teaching STEM enrichment to faculty and students in Boston and Miami, I believe the sharing of knowledge is a worthwhile endeavor.