As a Design Lead, I successfully proposed a foam-insulation robot awarded $200,000 by the U.S. D.O.E.
35% of CO2 emissions in the United States are from buildings. Retrofitting more than 125,000,000 residential and commercial buildings poses challenges of scale and safety. We aspire to solve that with PARIS, the Precise Air-sealing Robot for Inaccessible Spaces.
Using fold-out tread flippers, PARIS can traverse the rafters of cramped attics and tight crawl spaces. A sensor-fusion of the RGB-D camera and impulse radar will map the terrain and scan for potential causes of heat loss. A foam spray arm will seal gaps, increasing energy efficiency and reducing heating and cooling waste.
Serving as one of two designers on the initial proposal, my team is now one of 10 Finalists awarded $200,000 in the national E- ROBOT Hero-X Competition. We are currently validating our design proposal in rigorous testbeds and real-world scenarios. A successful Phase Two demonstration will net us an additional $500,000 towards product commercialization.
Build Progress:
I was solely responsible for the tread system, chronicled below. I engineered the flippers to feature track tensioning, roller guides, and double-bracing while minimizing cost, weight (<1.5kg/flipper), and disassembly procedure (5 screws). As of March 2022, the mobility system is now fully assembled.
