Portfolio

RAMPEY - rampey.com.au

CEO and Founder

Rampey is a mobile robot designed to improve the independent accessibility and safety of public transport. Railways will operate faster and more efficiently, whilst saving on costly infrastructure upgrades

Rampey is a robotic ramp that automatically aligns to train doors before they open for passengers. It utilizes a mobile base, cameras, lidars, bump sensors, a motorized ramp, and computers to quickly and safely provide ramps to everyone who uses PT.  Rampey allows governments and railways to automate the covering of gaps and steps, with no disruptions to services, and no high upfront costs.

AUTONOMOUS AG

Technology specialist

I've been helping Autonomous Ag design a new stainless steel safety bumper system to respond to low speed autonomous tractor collisions. I modelled the linkage system in Onshape (3D CAD) to help show the mechanism's motion.  The system integrated radar sensors, proximity sensors, a low voltage junction box, cable and harness routing.  The system required a lot of local part sourcing and fabrication and assembly. It's been fun participating in the field installations and testing of autonomous driving retrofit kits as well as Field Days for Fendt tractor distributors (Wimmera Field Days, Horsham, VIC).

ROBUST AI - Carter

Principal Mechatronic Engineer

Lead Mechatronic Design Engineer for Carter, the world’s first truly collaborative autonomous mobile robot. Key contributions:

• Designed force-sensitive handlebars enabling users to physically steer and override motion, allowing Carter to function as both an assistive cart and an autonomous robot.

• Prototyped and built two novel holonomic drivetrains for the next-gen model.

• Managed contractors and direct reports across mechanical, electrical, simulation, and control subsystems.

• Hackathon winner.

US Patent No. 12,204,350 B1 for "Autonomous Robot Double Drive Assembly" (Inventor: Jay S Davey, et al).

ZYMERGEN (now Ginkgo Bioworks)

Staff Mechatronic Engineer

Reconfigurable Automation CartsAt Zymergen, I designed and built Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs), pioneering a flexible, modular, and scalable factory system still in use today. As the lead engineer, I pioneered the electro-mechanical design, prototyped the first units, and pitched the system to stakeholders and investors.

RACs are smart enclosures linked by a magnetic conveyor for microplate transport, integrating robotics and lab instrumentation (liquid handlers, plate readers, centrifuges, etc.). I programmed PLCs for robust automation, taught 6-axis robots, and designed custom end effectors and mechanical features like interlocked doors and instrument drawers.

As a mentor and tech lead, I grew a team of five Mechatronic engineers, expanding RAC capabilities. I managed timelines, product specs, and factory layouts, relocating the system seven times across five buildings in Emeryville, CA.

RACs have gone on to win design awards based on the architecture I originally created. These include:

International Design Award (IDA) 2024 https://www.idesignawards.com/winners/zoom.php?eid=9-54506-24 

Good Design: Medical 2024

https://gooddesignawards.org/project/ginkgo-bioworks-racs-system-2022/