Academic Projects

This project explored the feasibility of creating low-cost capacitors using flexible fabric materials. The primary challenge was depositing conductive metal layers onto fabric while maintaining a controlled, consistent separation between the capacitor plates. Using a Tollens' reagent reaction, I coated strips of repurposed face mask fabric—readily available at the time—with a thin silver layer to act as the conductive surface.

To form the dielectric layer, a thin spacer sheet was placed between two coated fabric strips, which were then bonded with adhesive. By varying the thickness of the spacer, I was able to study how plate separation affected overall capacitance. As expected, test results showed that capacitance increased as the distance between plates decreased, and vice versa.

To evaluate the capacitors under mechanical strain, I tested them using an Instron machine. The results confirmed that the fabric capacitors maintained measurable changes in capacitance even when subjected to tensile forces, suggesting potential for use in stretchable or wearable electronics. While the absolute capacitance values were low, the consistency of trends across multiple samples supported the validity of the approach and laid the groundwork for possible future exploration of flexible, low-cost electronic components.

Under the mentorship of Justin Werfel, research fellow at Harvard SEAS and lead of the Designing Emergence Laboratory, I worked on the construction and refinement of a Pheeno robot—a versatile, low-cost mobile platform designed for multi-agent research. The robot was designed to communicate using color-coded LEDs and collaborate with other units using a rotating claw to complete tasks collectively.

My responsibilities included sourcing, assembling, and 3D printing components, verifying their mechanical functionality, and iterating on the design based on performance issues. A major focus of my work involved CAD modeling. Because many parts and files were inherited from previous iterations, I spent significant time correcting dimensional mismatches, modifying bolt hole locations, and adjusting for clearances to ensure mechanical compatibility. The project combined hands-on fabrication with detailed mechanical design to prepare the platform for swarm behavior experimentation.

In collaboration with the Harvard Art Museums, our student team addressed structural degradation in the museum’s historic glass flower collection. Despite controlled humidity, temperature stability, and prior conservation efforts, many of Leopold Blaschka’s preserved specimens continued to exhibit signs of cracking and delamination.

Our objective was to propose simple, cost-effective solutions to prevent further deterioration. Using computer-aided design and finite element analysis, we modeled the layered structure of the glass specimens to simulate stress concentrations and identify failure points. The analysis revealed that the current display supports contributed to uneven mechanical loads, particularly under long-term environmental fluctuations. Based on these findings, we recommended redesigned support structures tailored to each flower’s geometry, helping to relieve stress and preserve the integrity of these delicate artifacts.