Background:
Hello, my name is Gabe, I wanted to create a brief website where I can document some of the projects I have worked on. My passion is robotic systems, I've mainly worked on the software and hardware integration aspects of robotics. I obtained my bachelor's in mechanical engineering in 2014 and my master's in mechanical engineering, with a specialization in mechatronic systems and robotics, in 2018. My most recent work has been at Cruise where I work on autonomous robo taxis for GM as an autonomous behavioral analyst. Before that I worked at Sandia National Labs under their autonomous robotics team, working on the aerial, ground, and low earth orbit unmanned systems. Before that, I worked at Torc Robotics, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucking, on autonomous semi-trucks
Projects
Robotic Hand Prototype:
2-week long project in which a team member and I worked together to create a robotic hand that was controlled by sensors on the contralateral arm of the user.
The main goal was to be able to perform 3 tasks:
Move ping pong balls between containers
Move a washer across a wire
Pick up a shot of water without spilling any water
Delta Arm Robot Prototype:
Capstone project for undergrad in which a delta arm was designed and constructed for use on drones to be able to do health monitoring on wind turbine blades. Elementary movement patterns were developed for simple movements of end effector tools, such as drill bits and sanding power tools. The main design requirements were size and weight as it had to be fitted to an octocopter with a payload of 10 Kg.
UR5e Inspection of Containers:
Research was done on the application of a robotic arm (Universal Robots UR5) for the automated inspection of contaminated containers through cameras, to maintain distance and record data as well as inverse and forward kinematics for proper sweeping motions.
Distinguished damaged containers by using image processing techniques on images from video and thermal cameras at the end effector.
Image Processing Techniques on Solar Panels
I am very interested in image processing techniques and have worked on small projects that have introduced me to this type of work.
In this specific project, I created an algorithm that could identify when a solar panel was dirty, and inform the user of the type of occlusion and its location. I wrote an IEEE Paper on this small project of mine that goes into more detail, but some of the pictures from it are below.
3D Printing Glasses Frames:
I accidentally broke a pair of glasses and thought it would be great if I could 3D print new frames, especially since the lenses were still reusable. I designed the frames in SolidWorks, going through several iterations to fine-tune the fit. The final product worked well and was compatible with the lenses from the broken glasses.
Torc
After being 1 of the first 3 people in the ABQ office I was the engineer that assisted the first autonomous round trip between Albuquerque NM to Amarillo Texas. This would then become an established route for testing.
Visualization of sensor data through ROS nodes , messages, and topics on RVIZ.
Was recognized by the company twice for my good work. One was being the best new employee and the other was a year later for contributions to the system integration team in identifying substantial safety issues.
Sandia
Worked on a wide range of robotic systems, both manned and unmanned. In this specific case developed a script to interface with the 6DOF motion platform machine to be more easily maneuverable through a hand held controller.