PhillipDaniel_Full_Portfolio

Phillip H. Daniel

Design Portfolio

[email protected]

857-247-6890

Phillip H. Daniel Spring 2012, 2014, 2015

Inverted Pendulum

Overview

The goal is to build a self-balancing device using loop shaping design methods with contactless

position sensor feedback. The device is an inverted pendulum that uses the torque from a

reaction wheel for control effort. The system was linearized about its marginally stable

equilibrium point, and a lead controller was implemented. Efforts are now being made to

configure a reliable power supply/electrical system that is capable of absorbing the energy from

regenerative braking.

Responsibility

I modeled the system analytically, simulated the system and controller to observe the effect of

nonlinearities such as motor saturation, and designed and built the project’s hardware and

software architecture.

I modeled the nonlinearities of my plant

and controller in Simulink with Sim-

mechanics.

I designed and implemented a complementary filter for a low noise position

measurement. To do this, I used Labview to interface an I2C device with my MyRio.

I designed and implemented a low/high

speed digital tachometer for velocity

control.

*Up to 2 amps absorbed by the supply

I observed the effect of fly-back on a linear

power amplifier with a DC power supply.

Power supply current limiting plus the

boost converter behavior of regenerative

breaking led to reverse biased, electrolytic

filter capacitors that exploded.

-30*

Lmotor Rmotor

Bemf

Csupply +30

Phillip H. Daniel Spring 2012

Branch

Overview

I worked in a small team to design and build a medium-duty desk with an easy to adjust

position and orientation. The primary goal was to rigidly support the weight of a laptop and

forces from user interaction, such as leaning and typing, while remaining continuously

repositionable in a plane.

Skills Learned

I learned how to design and document tests, operate an Instron force testing machine,

fabricate parts to within specified tolerances, model the stiffness of assemblies, trouble

shoot mechanical assemblies, and model the interactions between deformable bodies in

matlab/use numerical analysis to inform design desisions.

It was concluded that

the stiffness could be

significantly increased

by using CNC

machining for

fabrication of the joint

elements instead of

water-jetting.

I designed the

mechanism that

rigidly locked the

stand’s position and

was easily released

for re-positioning. I

fabricated this design

using a water-jet.

I tested the strength and

stiffness of the joint

design. Each joint can

hold a 56.5N*m load with

a stiffness of

7.8N*m/degree. The

assembled stand can

support a maximum load

of 111N during normal

operation.

Phillip H. Daniel Fall 2013

Overview

I designed and built a setup to could find the resonant frequency of an arbitrary spring-mass

system by measuring it’s frequency response. This system was powered from the wall through a

step down transformer, and it was controlled with a PSOC 4. Both the power electronics and

logic for the setup were custom.

Outcome

The system consisted of a buck converter, two full wave rectifiers and a digital H-bridge

controlled by a PSOC microcontroller. The final version was able to successfully locate the

resonant frequency of the test spring-mass system.

Skills Learned

I learned how to design, build and troubleshoot a buck converter, boost converter, buck-boost

converter, fly-back converter, full wave rectifier, digital H-bridge, and analog low-pass filter. I also

learned how to measure and process signals, and command actuators projects with a PSOC.

Finally, I learned how to drive induction, brushed and brushless motors using discrete

components and chip level logic.

Mechanical Resonance Tracking

The wall transformer stepped the wall voltage down to 23 VAC (nominal) and

the full wave rectifier converted this to 20 VDC. The buck converter stepped

the 20 VDC down to 1.5 VDC to drive the H-Bridge, there was high frequency

noise that was low-passed by the mechanical system. The linear regulator

stepped the 20 Volts down to a smooth 5 volts to power the logic chips, such

as the mosfet gate drivers on the H-bridge. The signal rectifier filtered the

velocity sensor’s measurement so that a DC voltage could be processed by the

PSOC.

Block diagram of the system

Wall Transformer

H-Bridge Spring-Mass system

Velocity Sensor

PSOC

Buck Converter

Power Rectifier

Logic

Linear Regulator

Signal Rectifier

Laptop USB

Diagram of the modules used on

the PSOC. The ADC is reading

the rectified signal from the

velocity sensor, the upper PWM is

switching the buck converter and

the lower PWM is switching the

H-bridge.

Schematic of the full wave

rectifiers used.

Overview

I worked with Professor Sangbae Kim to design a modular foot with an integrated pressure

sensor, for the lab's biomimetic cheetah robot. The phase of the robot's running gate is

determined by torque feedback from the joint motors. However, this data has noise in it

because of the joint inertia. To allow for an accurate determination of running phase, the

sensor told the controller if a leg was in contact with the ground.

Outcome

A foot was successfully integrated into the robot and allowed for the gate phase to be more

accurately determined. The high viscosity of one of the compliant polymers in the foot lead

to a contact measurement that was true after the foot left the ground, for a fraction of a

second. The next step is to change the design of the sensor so that the foot keeps the desired

compliance without a detrimental time delay of the measurement, which leads to a limited

bandwidth of the controller.

Compliant Force Sensor

Phillip H. Daniel MIT, Spring 2011

Image by: The MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab

To enable a rapid response, I executed the sensor logic with analog components.

I designed a comparator circuit to convert the pressure measurement to a

binary signal, which indicated contact. Then I tested the circuit, potted it in hot

glue, and cast it into the multi-material foot.

I redesigned the foot from an existing model, in order to be able to cast the

pressure sensor in place. My changes also allowed the foot to be easily replaced.

For manufacturing, I also redesigned the Solid Deposition Manufacturing process

Overview

As a Moore Foundation MURF Fellow, I worked with Dr. Aaron Parness at NASA JPL to

design and fabricate an end effector that enables the omnidirectional gripping of smooth,

curved surfaces in space. To design the gripper, I used a unidirectional, biomimetic, dry

adhesive that imitates the characteristics of gecko skin. This material was developed by Dr.

Parness as part of his PhD thesis.

Outcome

The mechanism that I designed was the first to grip curved, smooth surfaces. The next step

is to further improve the design to increase the maximum force that the gripper can

support. As a result of my work, I am a co-author of the paper that Dr. Parness published

through IEEE. I also wrote a paper summarizing my work, which was published in the winter

edition of the California Institute of Technology’s undergraduate research journal (CURJ).

Finally, my research presentation was accepted at the Southern California Conference for

Undergraduate Research (SCCUR), where I presented it in November of 2012.

Bio-Inspired Omnidirectional Gripper

Phillip H. Daniel NASA JPL, Summer 2012

Image by: NASA JPL

This allowed me to achieve omnidirectional gripping on smooth

surfaces. Also, by incorporating a compliant layer of material

(developed by Dr. Parness) between the adhesive and its rigid backing,

I was able to achieve adhesion on curved surfaces.

I redesigned existing vertical

climbing ankles and arranged

them concentrically. This mimics

the orientation that geckos

arrange their feet in when

attempting to grip non-vertical

surfaces.

Phillip H. Daniel MIT, Fall 2012

Overview

In the Junior Level design course 2.008, student teams were tasked to design a three part yo-

yo toy for mass production. They were also told to produce 100 of the toys. To fully complete

this assignment, my team had to repeatedly produce un-warped parts within a tolerance tight

enough to facility a press fit of the thermoformed components.

Outcome

The mold that I produced was used to successfully thermoform 100 press fit inserts, and the

process parameters were optimized to yield a quick and efficient production run. My team

went on to assemble 100 replicas of our design.

Skills Learned

Through this project I learned the importance of proper tolerances, how to design for

manufacturing, how thermoforming process parameters affect part quality qualitatively and

quantitatively, and how to coordinate small engineering teams in the completion and

presentation of assembled products.

Yo-Yo Manufacturing

Photo By: Stephen Bathurst

I was also responsible for coordinating the completion

of one of the teams progress reports, where each

member reported on the status of their component.

My responsibility was to design

the mold for the thermoformed

insert of the toy, and to ensure

that the thermoforming process

parameters were tweaked to

maximize the production rate

while keeping the part quality

acceptable.


Overview

I investigated the speed of a taekwondo kick in comparison with the speed of a block. The goal

was to quantitatively answer whether or not a kick can hit an opponent faster than an

opponent can recognize and block the attack.

Outcome

After analyzing the data, I was able to conclude that a Taekwondo kick by a practitioner is

faster than a block by both the general population and another Taekwondo practitioner.

Skills Learned

I learned how to design an experiment, use a data acquisition system (NI MyDaq) to measure

and analyze results, use MathCad for analysis, and design a presentation poster to share my

results.

Measurement and Instrumentation

Photo By: Barbara Hughey

15 16 17 18 19

10

0

10

20

30

Blocking Arm Acceleration

Where Acceleration Changes Sign

End of Block

Time (Sec)

Blo

ck

Accele

rati

onAfter the completion of numerous trials, I

was responsible for analyzing the results

and reaching a conclusion.

In order to answer the question that I posed,

I designed an experiment, rented

accelerometers, and ran multiple trials on

members of MIT’s Sport Taekwondo team

and the general population.

Phillip H. Daniel Fall 2013

Overview

I designed and built a coil winding machine to expedite the process of wrapping simple

geometries of coils for my research lab. This project was also an introduction to Labview, as

this was the software used to create the user interface and control the machine.

Skills Learned

I learned to write Labview code to interface a CopactRIO with a stepper motor driver and to

implement position control on a brushed DC motor with encoder feedback. I also gained

experience designing rigid structures, identifying critical modules, and rapid prototyping. I used

rapid prototyping to discover unforeseen complications early in my design process.

Coil Winder

Each stage of the hardware and software was critiqued by

the members of my research group, and their feedback was

used to inform improvements.

Multiple hardware and software iterations where prototyped.

The software improved as

my understanding of

Labview grew.

Phillip H. Daniel Spring 2012, 2014, 2015

Momentum TA

Overview

I was a recurring TA for the MIT course, Momentum. This course offers students an

interdisciplinary perspective on solving challenges. Each year, students worked in small teams and

had the opportunity to apply deterministic design principles to build devices that accomplished

various tasks. The tasks varied from designing a cable management system for Ford (2012), to

modifying Flying Robots to have Increased Range, Endurance and Sensors (2014), to robot control

based on EMG sensor feedback and Inverse Kinematics (2015).

Skills Learned

I gained practiced managing teams and improved my communication skills, through lecturing and

hosting office hours.

Photo By: MIT Office Of Minority Education

I helped design, build and host the

course’s first and second final

competitions.

I mentored MIT undergraduates and

lectured on inverse kinematics.

I taught mechanical design, CAD

modeling, advanced fabrication

techniques, team management skills

and presentation skills.

I taught microcontroller

electronics, inverse kinematics, and

how to interface with various

sensors.

Overview

I worked with Dr. Alexander Mitsos to design a low-cost heliostat kit for schools to use to

expose their students to engineering. Each heliostat costs $120 in parts, if purchased online, and

there is a one-time cost of $80 to purchase tools. The parts cost decreases if the components

are purchased in bulk. Projects such as these, which introduce young students to engineering,

are key to increasing the diversity of students in engineering programs

Outcome

An assembly document was written to explain the motivation for the project, the steps to

assemble the kit, and where to buy all of the components.*


Heliostat Kit Design

*(Available upon request)

The structure was designed to take advantage of the component's strength

in tension and compression. Also, the rotating shaft is powered through a

timing belt to forgive misalignments. These, and other considerations, make

this kit a suitable introduction to engineering

To ensure that the heliostat was both affordable and robust, it was

designed with foam core as its structural material. Also, a majority of the

joints were secured using Super Glue. These materials are also easy to

acquire, safe and easy to work with.


Overview

I designed a low cost Heliostat as part of an earlier project, but I later found myself on a team of

students planning to cycle across the country and teach engineering along the way. I used this trip

as motivation to finish the software for the heliostat, write an assembly manual, develop and test a

curriculum, and raise funds through a Kickstarter campaign to teach four classes across the

country.

Outcome

I recruited a team member, Netia McCray, to help me build the Kickstarter campaign and edit the

assembly manual*. Together we raised $3000 via Kickstarter to fund the classes. The publicity and

success of the campaign resulted in a later donation of $1000 from the Maine School of Science

and Math and $500 from Draper Laboratories. These additional funds made it possible for me to

teach a pilot class to middle school students at MIT, where I polished my curriculum. During the

bike tour, I taught four classes in Colorado, Kansas, and Kentucky to ~20 students. I also wrote a

project log that I posted to Instructables.com. This project log was later featured on the website’s

homepage and was runner up in a site-wide contest.

Heliostat Dissemination

*(Available upon request)

I also gained experience in user testing (for the device

and lesson plan), curriculum design, and customer

service/product fulfillment (as I had to ship heliostats

to various locations world-wide and provide technical

support for the users).

I learned how to run a

fundraising campaign, specifically

how to build a successful

Kickstarter campaign. Through

this campaign I learned graphic

design and improved my

proficiency with Arduino’s

programming language.

Finally, I was blessed to interact with and teach a diverse

set of students from the most advantaged to the most

disadvantaged. This enlarged my perspective and taught me

to respect the struggles that individuals have to go through

to succeed, whatever succeed means for them.

Phillip H. Daniel Summer 2013

Cross Country Bike Tour

Overview

Me and 7 of my peers rode bicycles from San Francisco, California to Washington, DC. The trip

was personally enriching, as I met interesting individuals along the way. I also taught classes to

students at various schools and homes across the country. (The Helios project mentioned earlier)

Outcome

The team completed the trip across the country in 79 days. During the trip, I taught 5 classes and

met a multitude of different people both through our work teaching and through our day to day

interactions. The amount of kindness we encountered is inspiring.

Skills Learned

I practiced working in a team, I learned how to fundraise for an independent

project, I lived a fit and healthy lifestyle and I learned how to constructively

work through team conflicts. Of all the tangible and intangible lessons I learned

from the endeavor, I believe the greatest one is how to ask for help. I also

learned that there are people willing to help with almost anything, if you know

how to ask.


Pelican Pulse Oximeter

Overview

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of infant mortality world-wide, but it is easy to detect

with current Pulse Oximetry technology. Unfortunately, the technology is designed for developed

countries and not appropriate in a third world context, in places such as Vietnam. To help reduce

the prevalence of preventable deaths in babies world-wide, I worked with a team of MBA

students and designers, in partnership with Design that Matters, to design a Pulse Oximeter for

the third world.

Skills Learned

Through working with the team, I have learned and implemented an effective product

development process that is generalizable to any product/product opportunity. I also learned how

to work in an interdisciplinary team, which includes skills such as efficient time management and

meeting planning and how to productively deliver criticism. Finally, I learned how to use TX/RX

serial communication with an Arduino to communicate with Nonin’s OEM Pulse Oximeter circuit

board.

I designed and built the electronics for my team’s functional prototype and completed a

competitive analysis of other pulse Oximeters on the market. Additionally, I was

responsible for enforcing my team’s adherence to a well-defined product development

cycle. Our prototype was used to raise $22,767 in an online fundraising campaign hosted

by Indiegogo.com, and it was soon after user tested in Vietnam by Design That Matters.


Overview

This extracurricular project began as a birthday gift for a friend. I asked her to tell me about some

of the places she has been to in the world and decided that I would surprise her with a map of

her undergraduate institution, the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences in Ogaki, Japan.

To date, I have created maps of IAMAS in Japan, Norfolk State University, Virginia Tech University,

NC State University, MIT, Harvard and Cambridge.

Outcome

I recruited two team members and we have built an online store. We have refined a medium

volume manufacturing process and are piloting the sale of art online to gauge the commercial

feasibility. The maps are high quality, easily personalized, and comfortably manufactured in volumes

of ten 12”x12” frames per week.

Engineered Art

The maps are made in a multi-step process whereby I obtain geographic vector files of a

location, modify said files into a laser-cutter friendly format, precision cut and stain

multiple layers of thin wood, and adhere the pieces together.

I’ve rented retail space to get customer feedback and sell artwork, presented my work at

an art show, and my team members and I have setup an online store and began accepting

custom map orders.

Phillip H. Daniel Summer 2014

Overview

Living in Cambridge near the iconic Charles River, I wanted interact with the natural structure on

my own terms without being limited by rental equipment. I wanted to build a boat, but I didn't

know the best way to get started. Soon thereafter, I received an email from somebody who

wanted to get rid of a derelict, wooden kayak frame that they no longer had time to repair. After

inspecting the frame, I decided to repair it.

Outcome

After removing the cracked skin, repairing the broken and rotted lengths of the frame, and

stitching and sealing a canvas skin on the boat I was left with a beautiful sea worthy vessel that

glided over the salty waters of the Charles River with ease. I also wrote a project log that I

posted to Instructables.com. This project log was later featured on the website’s homepage

Skin on Frame Kayak

This project brought me many hours

of peaceful introspection. More

tangibly, I learned how to apply carbon

fiber twine to wood to reinforce it,

how to strip poly-urethane off of

wood and re-coat it, how to stitch a

canvas skin onto a frame and stretch it

tight, and how to make canvass

waterproof with poly-urethane.

Overview

I designed and built a hammock frame to gain experience in wood working and get acquainted

with one of the machine shops on campus. The design had to be affordable, compact enough

to fit in my room and made with components that I could carry to and from the machine shop.

Outcome

The structure was built for $30, and can support the swinging bodyweight of two adults.

Hammock Stand



Overview

I set out to create a piece that captures the beauty of the human form with near to life

accuracy.

Responsibility

I cast a negative mold of my hand using dental alginate, because of its small grain size and

flexibility. I then filled this mold with plaster and delicately removed the solidified alginate to

reveal the casting..

Skills Learned

I learned how to create a mold of a complex geometry and replicate details as fine as

fingerprints.

Sculpture


The Urban Hunt

Overview

I created an experimental film to illustrate, in an exaggerated way, the parallels between how

people and wild animals acquire food, from the realization of hunger, to the hunt, to the feast. This

work is meant to point out the humorous ways that the carnal act of hunting has been reduced

to foraging, where aggressive vigor is no longer acceptable.

Skills Learned

I learned and made extensive use of Final Cut Pro. I also learned how to create a storyboard to

clarify a film concept and share it with others.

Documents

PhillipDaniel_Full_Portfolio