Work Experience

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - Rehab Technologies Lab

Mechanical and Robotics Engineer

Lead mechanical engineer commercialising a robotic prosthetic hand and developing a robotic prosthetic wrist and elbow system for the Italian National Health Service.

• • Part of team that received the Compasso d’Oro for the Hannes Prosthetic Hand, the most prestigious industrial design award in Italy

  • Extensive experience of working within ISO13485, led all mechanical design optimisations during the successful medical device approval process and subsequent clinical trial for Hannes

  • Listed as co-inventor on 2 pending patents related to improvements in underactuated prosthetic hands, and 2 pending patents related to improvements in high-performance robotic actuators

Contributed to the design of an upper-limb exoskeleton for shoulder rehabilitation

• Co-creator of a MATLAB algorithm to compare the workspace of theoretical exoskeleton designs, using inverse kinematics and collision estimation

• Lead designer of an innovative virtual 4-bar mechanism that minimises patient’s shoulder discomfort and greatly reduces device cost

Possess very strong experience in designing robotic actuators using first principles and mathematical analysis

• Extensive knowledge in designing and manufacturing highly effective and completely custom planetary, cycloid, worm-gear & friction-drive reduction mechanisms

• As lead mechanical engineer have designed and overseen manufacturing of several hollow-shaft robotic actuators that combine strain-wave reducers and high-performance BLDC motors

• Designed multiple test-benches to characterise robotic actuators for peak performance, efficiency and durability during long-term operation

• Possess strong MATLAB and Simulink skills, including;

• Using simulated trajectory planning to analyse and optimise mechanical robotic actuators

o Analysing power-train efficiencies via theoretical equations and test-bench data

o Calculating optimum cycloidal gear profiles for use in high-performance gearboxes

o Using the Robotics Toolbox Inverse Kinematics functions to define and optimise the DH-parameters of an upper-limb exoskeleton

• Work extensively with patients and focus-groups in a clinical setting to analyse customer needs and create design specifications

BMW Group UK

Launch and Change Co-ordinator

• Lead co-ordinator for a large product end-of-life project. Reduced the initial £3.5 million cost estimate by one-third by careful co-ordination of several departments and analysing alternative business scenarios

• Led the co-ordination of all series-vehicle design changes for engines assembled at BMW Hams Hall. In addition, I was the project lead for the launch of a new engine for the BMW i8 hybrid sports car

• My main tasks involved the creation of project timing and budget plans, co-ordinating changes to assembly-line capabilities, liaising with customers and suppliers, and attending product improvement meetings