RON ROSENBERGENGINEERING

PORTFOLIO2015

ABOUT01

HEY THERE,

I’M RON

A hybrid mechanical engineer, materials scientist and designer, looking to join an exciting

product design engineering team. My nonlinear path - from solar engineering in research labs to conducting design interviews in rural India - has

led me to discover my purpose: engineering products that transform markets and lives.

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FERNO02

MOTIVATION: Recreational camping stoves are

heavy and unwieldy.

SOLUTION: Ferno is a sleek, lightweight, and com-

pact outdoor with dual burners for recreational

campers. Its low profile design makes it not only 29%

lighter and 50% smaller than its closest competitor -

but also easily carried in a common backpack.

CONSUMER: Recreational backpackers

COLLABORATORS: Nathan Robert, Anna Chris-

tensen, Kelsey Brigance, Katie Inman, Ryan Madson,

Bethany Lemanski, Sara Comis

Fall 2012

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appalachian t

FERNO02

IDEATION & NEED FINDING

Researching the outdoor stove market, we discovered a gap: avid backpackers own the Jetboil (a high-end single burner stove) while recreational backpackers own the Coleman (a cheaper multiburner stove)...but for users in the middle, there is a need for a compact and cost effective multi burner stove. Ferno aimed to be that product.

compact camping stoveSKETCH MODELS

Our first sketch model of Ferno was dedicated to prototyping our most critical module: the compacting mechanism. We settled on a scissor mechanism and prototyped various cardboard designs.

appalachian trail casual picnics

the user

appalachian trail casual picnics

the user

HEX-FERNO

In the end we decided our other compaction mechanism, a hexagonal roll up iteration lovingly dubbed "Hex-Ferno", was best due to ease of compaction, lack of pinch points and mechanical robustness.

STAX-FERNO

Stax-Ferno was based on segments that slide and overlap each other. The prototype test revealed that the overlapping parts created pinching points that were hazardous while opening and closing.

ALPHA PROTOTYPE

The final solution focused on simplicity of use, reducing size, and saftey. The waterjetted stovetop folds out from the silicon base. Piezo buttons ignite the flames which emanate from venturi valves molded into the base. Side levers control heating and color-responsive stickers let the user know when the stove is cool to touch. The graphic design logo is incorporated as a physical motif as well.

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VIVIFY03

MOTIVATION: Ironing, steaming, and dry cleaning

soil garments are time, labor, and cost intensive.

SOLUTION: Vivify is a low-profile, passive, and fast

garment refreshing solution. Vivify steams, cleans,

and sanitizes soiled garments in less than five min-

utes with minimal user interaction - thus freeing our

users to wear what they want, when they want it.

CONSUMER: Young professionals and businessmen/-

women, households looking for a quick laundry regi-

ment

COLLABORATORS: Andrew Kriebel, Ankita Kaul,

Armen Nalbrand, Jasmine Florentine, Paolo Passeri,

Naomi Arnold

Spring 2015

VIVIFY03

fast garment refresher

MOCKUPS

ALPHA PROTOTYPE

Vivify is low-profile so it can fit easily in a user's closet. It’s designed for a simple user experience: just push open the door, place the garment, close the door, and press start. In only five minutes, Vivify steams, cleans, and refreshes garments to their fresh, "out the dryer" feel.

Preliminary interviews exposed three main laundry issues: transport, wearability, and time. From there, we defined our project objectives: a passive, fast garment refreshing device that alleviates the time, cost & effort of dry cleaning, washing, or ironing.

IDEATION & NEED FINDING

We considered different automated scrubbing mechanisms and surfaces to clean the clothes - as well as a “burrito-like” compact washer. In the end, we realized designing an all-in-one compact washer drier would be too complex and out of scope.

‘WORKS’ LIKE, ‘EXPERIENCES’ LIKE MODELS

We used the advantages of steam combined with natural scents and alcohols to simultaneously de-wrinkle, sanitize & freshen up garments. Next, was making a dynamic, modular ‘experiences-like’ model to test in users homes to see how and where they preferred interacting with the device.

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MASTERS RESEARCH04

MOTIVATION: Rural Indian farmers lack actionable

information about their soil health, leading to low

crop yields and limited profitability.

SOLUTION: My master's research is dedicated to

developing a new type of soil diagnostic device. My

sensor comprises of disposable strips with four chan-

nels corresponding to the main macronutrients in soil

(N, P, K, Ph) as well as a fixed reader device that con-

verts signals in each channel to a Low, Medium, High

measurement. Coupled with a mobile-phone based

input and output system, the farmer will receive both

their soil test result as well as actionable information

as to how to improve their soil health with irrigaiton

and fertilization.

CONSUMER: Small landholding farmers in rural India

COLLABORATORS: Soumya Braganza

2014-2016

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MASTERS RESEARCH04

low cost soil diagnosticsRESEARCH LIKE A DESIGNER

Research and design are analogous, starting with searching for inspiration from divergent fields. While butterflies (SEM below) have nothing to do with soil health, the fact that the irridesent color of their wings results from their microstructure, inspired me to think of nano-imprinted surfaces for soil diagnostics.

INKJET PRINTING DEVICES

I settled on ion selective electrodes as the main approach. Screen printing ended up being messy and wasteful, so a more preceise and accurate process was needed. With a simple desktop inkjet printer, I can accurately print my electrodes and my ion selective inks with just a click!

ELECTROCHEMICAL CHALLENGES

The biggest challenge I have had is in achieving low limits of detection (I need ppm resolution) for my devices. I use electro- chemical methods to trouble shoot and characterize my devices.

A paper based electronic device shows dummy values for soil chemistry concentrations. Users got to “experience” what it would be like to use the device before its final completion.

USER EXPERIENCEMOCKUPS

PAPER MODELS

Thinking about coloriometric strips, we designed looks like prototypes where shades of color correspond to different ion levels. While we were attracted by the low cost and simplicity of these prototypes, the farmers found them confusing to read.

Every Jan/Aug we conduct design workshops with our users. In the workshops we organize activities to answer critical questions, i.e. “do they find the user experience intuitive?” or “do they value soil testing at all?” We also interview stakeholders involved to understand the whole ecosystem.

ITERATING WITH THE CONSUMER

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AMIGO05

MOTIVATION: Dog wheel chairs are rigid, uncom-

fortable, and don't let the dog sit down to rest while

wearing them.

SOLUTION: Amigo is designed to foster a more com-

fortable wheel chair experiences for elderly and dis-

abled dogs. With a spring loaded four bar mechanism

attached to a harness via an adjustable connector

pieces, Amigo not only offers optimal adjustability,

but also supports the dog from the sitting to the

standing position. The dog is therefore free to run,

sit, play, and relax.

CONSUMER: Elderly and disabled dogs

COLLABORATORS: Nir Shalom, Naor Brown

Sep 2013 - Mar 2014

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AMIGO05

comfortable dog wheelchairMOCKUPS (FABRIC & METAL)

In the alpha prototype we focused on building a functional version of the back-end of the wheel

chair. Most of the parts were machined in house with the engineering team, as well as a 3D printed

ratchet-like brake. I made a paper mockup of the harness as well to test on dogs.

There were two options for the alpha prototype: a sandwhich structure or a plastic extrusion. We chose the sandwich structure in the end because it was cheapest and easiest to prototpye without investing in a mold (photo cred: Nir Shalom)

EXTRUSIONS OR SHEETS?

My original objective was to design the connector piece that connects the harness at the front to the four bar mechanism in the back. Different products - from body armor to flexible rulers - inspired a variety of design iterations.

THE FRAMING PHASE

SIDE

TOP

INSPIRATION

ARMADILLO PEFORATED CORRUGATED THIN SHEET

1. PULL

2. ADJUST

3. LOCK

MAGNET BRACKET

FLIPPED

TELESCOPEMECH. + SPRING PIN

MAGNET SNAPS

PLASTIC EXTRUSION WATERJETTED ALUMINUM

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36

LEFTSHARK DRILL06

MOTIVATION: Brain surgeons performing surgery on

the skull use primitive solutions to test depth drilled

through the skull.

SOLUTION: The Leftshark Drill is a smart drill that

can measure real-time drill depth, determine the

material family being drilled, and simultaneously

optimize drill feeds and speeds for optimal drilling. It

operates via stochastically perturbing the material by

randomly dithering the voltage supplied to the drill.

CONSUMER: Brain surgeons, DIY and home improve-

ment consumers

COLLABORATORS: Taylor Farnham, Jeff Clayton,

Allie Yost, Megan Roberts, Morris Vanegas

Spring 2015

LEFTSHARK DRILL06

smart power drillling

TIME OF FLIGHT PROTOTYPE

We prototyped a time-of-flight approach: a laser beams light, reflects off a surface and returns back to a photodiode. With a high precision quartz crystal clock, we got the time delay and measured the distance the drill was from the surface.

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

Left to right: (1) Computer with dithering code (random PWM of voltage input); (2) Scope connected to voltmeter and current to voltage converter, monitoring current and voltage; (3) The arduino; (4) The drill; (5) 80-20 rails with our material of interest bolted in and connected to a set of constant force springs sliding the material into the drill bit; (6) A webcam connected to MATLAB monitoring the speed of the advancing material.

The final version of "Leftshark" drill (named after the dance in Katy Perry's superbowl show). An arduino and potentiometer control the frequency of the stochastic perturbation, allowing us to characterize a wide range of materials.

FINAL DRILL

CHARACTERIZINGMATERIALS

Our drill utilizes a Toeplitz matrix inversion method to calculate impulse responses from the stochastic binary voltage input. We then FFT those responses to get the natural frequency and gain of each material, allowing us to identify materials in real time, then optimize the feeds and speeds of the drill bit to accommodate a more efficient drilling operation.

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4S CRUTCH0

7MOTIVATION: Traditional underarm crutches are

painful and energy intensive.

SOLUTION: The "S" crutch combines material and

geometric properties to provide a far more com-

fortable crutch experience. The "S" shape affords

just the right amount of compliance and elasticity

to return energy to the user, while the curved

bottom guides the user throughout the gait cycle,

providing stability and reduced impact force. The

crutch is made of a glass-fiber polymer composite

around a foam mold for optimal strength and mini-

mal weight.

CONSUMER: Injured adults

COLLABORATORS: Vivian Dien, Will Taschman, Fei

Pu, Anne Juan

Spring 2013

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S CRUTCH07

comfortable composite crutchesPOGO STICK INSPIRATION?

We explored a variety of crutch types - from rocker to canadian styles. We also took

inspiration from other products which communicate sturdiness - like machine tools or

wheel chairs. We chose to base our prototype on a combination of the spring and rocker

mechanism; providing elastcity and reducing the peak shock force.

MODELING & ITERATION

One thing that we wanted to do was design for safety. Assuming the worst possible situation: a 95th percentile male falling off a step, we did a back of the envelope calculation and input that into our FEA software. We noticed that our first designs failed at the bend, so we iterated through our CAD model until we arrived at a safety factor of 2 compared to the ultimate yield strength of our composite.

POGO STICK INSPIRATION?

The principle behind the "S" crutch was to leverage both geometrical and

material properties to make the ultimate crutch. An optimal crutch

springs back slightly to return energy to the user, absorbs shock to minimize

force on sensitive limbs, provides stability throughout the gait cycle, and

is lightweight and slim. The S shape, along with the specific strength of glass

fiber composites, provided all these attributes elegantly and simply.

RESULTS

We tested the final prototype vs the rocker-spring and traditional underarm crutches - via instron, user testing, and force plate testing. The final prototype achieved a 29% reduction in peak shock force and 33% reduction in energy intensity!

SHOCKBOX JUKEBOX08

MOTIVATION: : What if you could stream a real-time hologram of an

object shocked to your favorite song, and view it on your smartphone?

The Shockbox combines electrophotography, holography, and music to

create a magical experience with friends. With the Shockbox, users

choose an object to be shocked and a song input. The song signal goes

through a driver circuit, which shocks the object at 30,000 volts (using

a car ignition coil) according to the song frequency. A webcam inside

takes real time video, and a computer streams that video in the form of

four images rotated 90 degress to one another. When users connect to

the server with their smartphones and view the video with a transpar-

ent pyramid on top, the four images reflect off the pyramid to create

the illusion of a floating object in the center. Hence, a“hologram” of the

object, with sparks emanating from it in accord to the beat of the song.

This project was done for the Media Lab course: “How to Make (Al-

most) Anything”. Each week, we learned a different mechanical or elec-

trical manufacturing technique and the final project was intended to

combine these techniques into one unified work.

Fall 2015

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SHOCKBOX08

musical holographic video streamer

RHINO BRAINSTORMING

In the brainstorming phase, I used Rhino to render a physical model of the Shockbox shocking a leaf.

THE ELECTRODE

CUSTOM MILLED ELECTRONICS

The main driver circuit uses the frequency of the audio input to turn on and off 12V to an ignition coil. In return, the coil generates upwards of 30,000V! All boards were designed in Eagle and milled in house from a copper board.

PSYCHADELIC SOFTWARE

The python code takes real time webcam video, processes it into four images rotated 90 degrees form one another, and then streams that video in JPEG chunks to a local server. Users can connect to the server with their cell phone and see the real time procssed webcam video.

THE ELECTRODE

VIEWING PYRAMIDS

To create the hologram, transparent pyramids are placed atop the phone. Light from the images on the screen reflects into the pyramid and the appears “floating” inside. The same floating image can be viewed from any angle. The pyramids are made of a 3D printed base and transparent polycarbonate sides.

HOLOGRAM JAM

Left: hologram of a butterfly flapping it’s wings, Right: key “floating” inside the pyramid, with it’s sparked corona ebbing and flowing with the beat of the song, “Finale” by Madeon.

The transparent electrode inside Shockbox connects to the driver circuit which shocks the object in accord to the song input. It consists of a one-sided conductive Indium Tin Oxide coating, copper tape outline, transparent acetate sheets and high voltage wire.

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2.007 ROBOT09MOTIVATION: The robot that I completed for the 2.007 Intro

to Manufacturing and Robotics competition. Each student was

tasked to create a robot that would be able to complete a few

tasks inspired by the game of "Operation" board game.

Spring 2013

2.007 ROBOT09an intro to manufacturing & robotics

QUICK AND DIRTY MODELS

Quick prototypes in the beginning - from heat-bent plastic chassis to foam prototypes of the magnetic arm - were critical in understanding how to build the robot.

STEP BY STEPNOW

For my most critical module, I chose the rubber arm extender. I tried to break down the action into its most basic constituent steps, so I could better understand potential hurdles to overcome during the full action.

CAD MODEL

The 3D exploration was very helpful in identifying potential problems & highlighting manufacturing complications that could result. In this case, I realized that I would need to have two dowels connected to the slider so that I would lose an unwanted rotational degree of freedom.

FINAL VERSION

The robot completed two of the tasks on the board: the "wrenched ankle", where students had to pick up a wrench from a hole without hitting the metallic sides, and "hip replacement" where students had to pull rubber bands between two posts...the unique aspect of this robot's design was that it did both tasks together using a single wench mechanism.

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SANO 10

MOTIVATION: A collection of short-term mechani-

cal engineering projects I was tasked with creating

for a fast-paced startup, focused on making a com-

mercial non-invasive glucometer.

Most of the activities took place in the San Francis-

co Techshop. There, I was able to learn and become

proficient on the laser cutter, lathe, and CNC mill.

The tech shop was a fascinating place, full of ma-

chines, dreams, and makers with boundless creativi-

ty. Quite the inspiring environment to walk into

every morning.

Summer 2014

SANO10non-invasive glucometer

HAND APPLICATOR PROJECT

The task: design a hand applicator for testing, one which could provide enough force to insert the glucometer onto the skin. Using the laser cutter, lathe, and drill press, I designed and manufactured this spring-loaded hand applicator for the sano glucometer.

100ML DISPENSOR

The chemistry team identified a need to build a automatic, handheld 100mL dispenser for chemistry experiments. The dispensor has two states - one in which the spring is uncompressed and the top hole was open to be filled from a jar above, and the second when the user compressed the spring, releasing the o-ring seal at the bottom and dispensing water through the hollow tube.

SHOTBOTTING

I was in charge of using the CNC-shotbot to 2D-carve out our electrochemical testing setup for chronoamperometry, as well as voltammetry of the glucometer. This setup had to accommodate two chassis of sensors (the working electrodes), the platinum auxiliary electrode and a graphite counter electrode.

RON ROSENBERGronrose@mit.edu ronyrose.com 617.894.7556