Well, you're here! This was a much-needed facelift for my portfolio. I wanted to use Next.js as well as a CMS for this personal project. One of the most challenging aspects of this was the highlighting on the project category links and the header items. There were a lot of edge cases to account for on top of having to manage centralized state for the location of the mouse click. For this feature, I used React's Context API to store information about the circle position and the current page.

I created this Swiss-style, clip-on key organizer for ME203, Stanford's design and manufacturing class. Features include swivel-out access to keys, adjustable height, and a bottle opener. Inspired by an S-carabiner I was using, I set out to create a solution to the loud jangling mess of keys while maintaining easy access. The main challenge was fixturing the small aluminum pieces to the rotary table. I screwed the workpieces to the polycarbonate sheet using the existing holes in the design. A second issue arose when I attempted to refixture the pieces to the rotary table and discovered how difficult it was to recenter the holes. In order to circumvent this, I completed the entire project in a single shop session by refining the milling processes and stacking both of the workpieces. The product was then finished and then anodized.

A strange affliction enshrouds society in our year-long film project. Jack Virnich and I set out to create our first horror film, along with our phenomenally talented cast and crew. Costumes were a hugely fun part of this project, and working with the production designers added a whole new set of learnings for us.

PRLCNC centralizes the information about machine speeds and integrates it into a calculator. Users can also create setup sheets with the job information as well as the tool order. The relevant information for checkoff is also displayed. All of this ensures that any process outside of the programming can be addressed within a single web app. The project is currently on its first version, and I will be working with students in the Product Realization Lab to further refine this tool.

Tools are loaded manually into a changer like this. You would confirm the order with that on your setup sheet.

During ME318, the CAM (computer-aided machining) class at Stanford, I encountered a few issues in setting up my programs. I created PRLCNC in order to address two problems. The first is that the course information about which to calculate speeds for the machine is scattered throughout slidedecks and spreadsheets. The second problem is that once you are done making your program, you have to fill out a tool setup sheet to present to a TA; the paperwork is important, but it can also get tedious and messy. An error could lead to destroying your workpiece, breaking a tool, and damaging the machine. PRLCNC simplifies the process of setting up and documenting cutting programs.

Adjusting the shot size on the injection molding machine

After initially being tasked with creating a link that fit with others'  in our injection molding course, I thought about ways to incorporate functionality. The two holes then reminded me of Keyp, a keyholder project I made for a manual machining class. By considering the flexibility of HDPE, I developed the idea of having the link bend on itself. This produced a keyring that didn’t jangle. I had to make the “spine” thin enough to achieve a good amount of flexibility. Upon reviewing the design with the teaching team, I also introduced internal fillets to improve material flow.

Hydromag with accompanying hose clamp and steel cylinder

The machining process involved multiple coordinate systems to account for the facing and machining operation on both sides of the stock. The part flip introduced a lot of complexity into the CAM program. Since the part had no suitable surfaces to clamp onto, I used wax work holding to fixture the workpiece after cutting the backside. 

For ME318, Stanford's CNC course, I designed a product that would make it easy to access my water bottle from my backpack while on-the-go. The contouring capabilities of CNC machining enabled an elegant adaptation of the V block in holding round objects. The magnet attaches to the steel cylinder strapped to the bottle, and it can be easily removed by simply twisting. The shape of the Hydromag enables the turning motion to be much easier than pulling straight out. The clip (taken from a tape measure) enables the holder to be placed on a belt or backpack, and the hose clamp adjusts to various sizes of water bottles. The geometry of the aluminum piece worked out really well in demonstrating the motion of detaching the bottle, and I really want to get a handle on the magnetic holding for future iterations of the Hydromag.

A pyromaniac falls in love with a firefighter in our movie for the 2019 Sandbox 48 Hour Film Fest. Based on the quote "Love is friendship set on fire" and a picture of a woman in long flowing dress, we wrote the entire script on our way to Monterey, where we also shot the entire film.

Erika Depalatis, Katiana Uyemura, Robert Muni, Winston Liao

Valdera is a chemical sourcing startup, and I was the first engineer to work on the project. I created both the static marketing website as well as the internal dashboards for the initial demo of the product. This was my first large-scale solo project, and choosing particular technologies and libraries was one of the most important tasks. Two of the biggest investigations were centered around form handling and interactive data tables. From the outset, I had to be strict about organizing components, data flows, and styling conventions in order to keep such a complex project manageable for myself as well as the next engineers who would be joining the company.

For the Winter 2020 Sandbox 48 Hour Film Fest, we shot a relationship story through the perspective of a phone. This concept was conceived by Michael who thought about the interestingly intimate view these devices have of our lives, and this idea was further cemented by our two prompts, a painting of two lovers shrouded in cloth, and the song Le Fleurs by Minnie Riperton. The plot revolves around the progression of love, and how reality can outstrip the imagination, bringing the end to a relationship.

Michael Bereket, Robert Muni, Winston Liao

Food was the defining element of my study abroad quarter in Berlin, as well as that of others in the program. The prospect of new culinary experiences motivated us to explore the city. The jokes are inspired by our own stories there and are intended to represent the ironic irreverence of Berlin.

Manny's is a community-focused events space with a non-profit restaurant, political bookshop, and civic gathering area. For their grand-reopening, they wanted to update their template Wordpress site. Hillary Hermawan, a long-time friend and full-time designer, created the website layout and interactions from the ground-up. I implemented custom CSS to supplement the Semplice site builder, added Javascript animations, as well as PHP scripts to automatically update the events sections of the website by interfacing with the Eventbrite API.

I like to say that I was raised by TV, in the most positive senses (if any) of that phrase. These stories and characters mean a lot to me, and this is how I translate that love through my work. The designs revolve around core symbols and scenes, and I then flesh out the rest of the shows' moods as represented by this imagery. The art begins as pencil sketches on paper. That gets scanned in and traced out into Adobe Illustrator. The rest of the inking and coloring is done there. I finally apply gradients, textures, borders, and text in Photoshop. I now sell prints in my Etsy shop linked below. The focus of this project has shifted from solely design and illustration to business, customer service, and accounting.

The A side formed the outer surface of the part while the B side molds were the same except for the three shutoff surfaces for creating the windows. Because this project had multiple highly dependent components, I used master modeling as a framework for my CAD process. This was my first time using this technique extensively, and it was quite vital in my ability to manage changes to the design.

This pillbox concept for my final injection molding project was originally inspired by a plastic endmill container. I wanted a small, portable pill container with multiple compartments that would store easily in my pocket. In an effort to reduce the number of parts, I switched over to using steel tubing as the outer casing, which then enabled the rotational and axial translation for different pills to be selected. Other hardware included plastic screw covers to act as end caps. The next major shift was splitting the part into two similar halves. This eliminated two major pain points in machining: sizing the shutoff surfaces to interface with a core and requiring a 1/16” endmill with a 1/2” length of cut for the inner walls.

CAD, CAM, CNC Machining, Injection Molding

For the Cardinal Studios 48-Hour Film Festival, we wrote, shot, and edited this movie inspired by the two prompts "Atlantis" and "The Stranger", which were randomly assigned to us. This was my first time working on a live-action short, and I learned so much over those 2 days about working on a creative team. After a 12-hour script-writing session, we recruited a stellar acting team and locked down locations at a couple hours notice. Despite the time crunch, we iterated rapidly throughout the shooting and editing process, which heavily altered the mood and pacing of the story. It was an immense experience working with such talented people, and I'm excited for what comes next.

Jack Virnich, Jason Mcruer, Ashwin Agarwal, Winston Liao

Starting from one of the disconnected paths (separate from the section within the same quadrant), you have to make it to the other one on the bottom side. Each section has two gates, and the key idea is that you have access to all other gates on the same radii on either side. It takes a minimum of four gates to finish the maze.

The inclusion of specific hardware increased the complexity of the design immensely but also greatly improved the tactility of the maze. There are four magnets on the back of each half of the maze so that they “click” in place after each quarter turn. The steel dowel pin and the nylon bushing ensure smooth rotation.

For ME318, the CNC machining class at Stanford, we were tasked with creating a maze from a block of aluminum. I wanted to create puzzle that felt more like a video game, rather than simply replicating the equivalent of a pen and paper maze. After considering physics ideas ranging from filling the maze with water to using magnets, I went with adding another rotational degree of freedom. This supported the realization of the video game concept in multiple ways. By giving users a physical interface, there exists more tangible control. Forcing players to flip the maze over models the concept of “dungeons” that are rendered on screen every time the character passes through a door. Pacman was a huge inspiration for the maze concept.

Stock 5-dart cylinder vs. 8-dart cylinder

The goal for this project was to expand the dart capacity of the Nerf Hammershot and implement interchangeable cylinders for quicker reloads. I started off with 7-dart cylinders but soon increased to 8-darts after seeing similar models popping up in the community. In terms of aesthetics, I aimed to replicate the look of the stock blaster. The current set of models allows users to choose between modifying the Hammershot shell to accommodate interchangeable cylinders or simply inserting the new 3D-printed components without altering the blaster. Neodymium magnets in the rotation mechanism and the cylinder ensure a good seal between the blaster body and the dart ports in the cylinder.

Injectable wax duplicates of the pangolin figures sprued to the wax tree

In Stanford's silversmithing course, ME298, we learned the whole process from wax carving to casting to eventually finishing. Our first project was a simple ring to learn the ins and outs of working with silver. The earrings were created for the prompt "duality". To create these duplicates, I 3D printed the earrings in Formlabs' castable wax. For the pangolin figures, I cast the original carved wax version in silicone and then used injectable wax to form the copies.

CAD, 3D Printing, Wax Injection Molding, Silver Casting

A collection of portraits from past photoshoots

We brought the Drip Drop team together along with some new faces for our spring film for the Sandbox 48 Hour Film Fest. With a picture of a soapy waffle and the line "If you love a flower, don't pick it", we created a story centered around geocaching and friendship. The sheer variety and number of locations made the shoot ambitious, but we were able to do a full circle around the southern half of the Bay in the course of a single day. I'm especially proud of the level of production value we achieved in highlighting this area's beauty.

Facing off against another robot in competition

Decorative LED cover, a tribute to Bonchon, our team's favorite fried chicken place 

For ME218B, Stanford's second-level mechatronics course, our team had to design and build a machine to autonomously navigate a field on Mars in order to mine resources from permitted regions. To mine resources and collect points, our machine locates and captures MINERS (the cylindrical beacons) before transporting them to a square that our team is permitted to mine from dictated by a main game state controller. Botchon finds the location of the MINERS by detecting the unique IR frequency that each one emits. The robot also has a rough sense of location by sensing the color of the square underneath it. A radio module receives information about which areas can be mined. Botchon faced off against four other teams  in the class tournament and was ultimately crowned champion!

CAD, Lasercutting, 3D Printing, Embedded C, Circuits

Yunsang Choi, Lisa Ishigame He, Tita Kanjanapas, Winston Liao

For ME218A, the first course in mechatronics sequence Stanford, our team had to create an arcade machine. When a coin is inserted, Floofy the Alien invites people to come learn its cultural dance.  Each arm is controlled by an independent servo, and a soundboard stores and outputs the signal for the song. The player then selects a difficulty level on the game play potentiometer and presses start. Floofy signals the dance by putting its arms up, and the player must then follow by swiping their hand on the correct side, which are detected by IR beam break sensors.

The Sandbox 48 Hour Film Fest is an event that I helped found while at Stanford in which students create a film in 48 hours based on three randomly-assigned prompts. In addition to organizing, I also created this website to inform people about the event and showcase all the past work. The interaction I'm most proud of here is the scrolling list of the movies that underlines the corresponding year for which it was made. For this, I used the Intersection Observer API and CSS animations to detect the movie in the viewport and animate the underline, respectively.