PARIS

Precise Air-Sealing Robot for Inaccessible Spaces

Affiliation:

Northeastern University: RIVeR Lab

Role:

Time Range:

Design Lead, Primary Mechanical Design Engineer

2021-2024

Skills:

Mechanical Design, CAD (Solidworks), Complex Assembly, Machining, Sheet Metal, Funding Proposal, Technical Communication, Commercial Communication, Mobile Robotic Systems, Environmental Engineering, Full System Design, Integration, Rapid Prototyping, Custom Gearboxes, Treads, Belts, Fluid Transport, Aesthetic Design, Electrical Integration, BLDC Motors

Background:

This project was Northeastern University's submission for the Department of Energy's E-ROBOT challenge, a competition to encourage the development of technologies that would improve the energy efficiency of US civilian infrastructure. Our team, a collaboration between Professor Taskin Padir's RIVeR Lab (with which I am affiliated), and several other academic labs aimed to develop a mobile robot capable of applying spray foam to attics and crawlspaces to retrofit aging homes to improve their energy efficiency. My PI came to me and another undergrad with this problem statement, and we developed a concept CAD model with renders for a flipper-treaded mobile robot with an arm to apply spray foam. This concept turned into a funding proposal which won a $200,000 DoE grant which allowed for the development of a physical prototype and simulated attic test bed. I was tasked with leading the design for a fully custom mobile base for commercial development, while another team used an OTS mobile base to start developing the spray system and software platform.

Images:

PARIS Full System Render

PARIS Competition Presentation

PARIS Gearbox Assembly GIF

PARIS Full System Render

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My Contributions:

• Conceptualized flipper treaded mobile robot to perform air sealing in attics and crawlspaces to improve the energy efficiency of aging homes
• Created renders and technical details for a funding proposal that ended up winning $200,000 DoE prize
• Designed complex custom concentric gearbox to drive tread rotation and flipper articulation through the same axis. Learned to work with worm and bevel gears
• Worked with suppliers to source custom gears, treads, and other components
• Designed chassis and enclosure for a mobile robotic base
• Helped prepare deliverables for E-ROBOT phase 2 competition
• Delivered market presentation and demo for competition
• Wrote retrospective paper for IEEE SSRR 2024

Outcomes:

PARIS won the first phase of the DoE E-ROBOT competition, providing a budget for construction of our prototype. We were not able to secure additional funding for the project after phase one, but we produced a number of deliverables for the competition. PARIS has gone on to inform and inspire a number of other research projects.