FarmBot Spring 2011 to present
ABOUT |
FarmBot is humanity's open-source automated precision farming machine. The vision is to create an open and accessible technology aiding everyone to grow food and to grow food for everyone. The mission is to grow a community that produces free and open-source hardware plans, software, data, and documentation enabling everyone to build and operate a farming machine. Currently FarmBot Genesis, the first complete FarmBot, is being designed and prototyped and is set to complete two operations by the end of 2013: seed injecting and watering.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Architecting solutions to global challenges
• Self-publishing and promotion
• Technical documentation on a project wiki
• Ideation and prototyping of machine designs for DIY manufacturability
• Social media and email newsletter campaigning
• Organizing and leading a team of 25+ volunteer software developers, mechanical engineers, and designers
• Grant writing
• UI/UX design of web applications
|
DOCUMENTS |
• FarmBot white paper
|
WEBSITES |
• Homepage
• Blog
• Wiki
• Web Application |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• YouTube
|
PRESS |
• WIRED
• 3D Printing Industry
• MOTHERBOARD
• 3DPrint.com
• opensource.com
• Inhabitat
|
OpenFarm Summer 2013 to present
ABOUT |
OpenFarm is a free and open database for farming and gardening knowledge. Similar to Wikipedia, the data is free for everyone to access and anyone can contribute content. Because people grow plants differently based on environmental conditions and growing practices, OpenFarm provides a framework for everyone to share their story, and for learners to find the best, most relevant content.
OpenFarm came out of the need for FarmBot to access structured, detailed data for how to grow a plant in a specific environment with specific growing practices. |
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Architecting solutions to global challenges
• Social media and email newsletter campaigning
• Organizing and leading a team of 15+ volunteer software developers, soil scientists, and designers
• UI/UX design of web applications
• Running a successful Kickstarter campaign
|
KICKSTARTER
|
• OpenFarm: Learn to Grow Anything
|
WEBSITES |
• Homepage
• Blog |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
|
PRESS |
• Kickstarter Email Newsletter - Projects We Love: Growing Things
• Inhabitat
• OpenElectronics.org
|
Beach Wheelchair Fall 2012 to Spring 2013
ABOUT |
Designed, built, tested, and reported a beach wheelchair with an interdisciplinary and international design team. The team successfully collaborated through weekly video conferencing and split up the design and fabrication work. The design allows users to independently move across the beach, gain access to the sand, and float in the water under their own power. Convenient and toolless assembly and disassembly allows the chair to fit into a compact sedan.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Working with an interdisciplinary design team
• Working with remote team members from another culture
• Effective communication
• Ideation
• Prototyping
• Defining a solution to an engineering problem
• Ergonomics design in SolidWorks
• Design for manufacturability
• Buoyancy and stability analysis
• Machining and general fabrication
• Technical writing
|
DOCUMENTS |
• Beach Wheelchair Project Report
• Final Presentation
• Project Presentation Board
|
PRESS |
• Cal Poly Engineering Advantage, Fall 2013, Page 15
• Mustang Daily article
• Gates Carbon Drive Belted Blog Post
|
Recumbent Cargo Bicycle Winter 2012
ABOUT |
For the Single Track Vehicle (Bicycle) Design course at Cal Poly, I designed and fabricated a recumbent cargo bicycle. The design process after the concept stage started with a stability analysis using custom MATLAB code written for the Patterson Control Model. From there, an FEA was completed to spec the tube sizes required and a SolidWorks model was created to ensure proper ergonomics for the rider. The bike was fabricated completely in my driveway with my own tools and using a gasless MIG welder. I thoroughly enjoyed riding the bicycle to school for grading as it handles very well.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Stability analysis using MATLAB
• Specifying tube size requirements using FEA results from Mechanica
• Ergonomics design in SolidWorks
• Design for manufacturability
• Welding and fabrication
• Bicycle mechanics and importance of geometry |
DOCUMENTS |
• Full report |
Stove Powered Water Heater Summer 2011
ABOUT |
This technology was co-developed by Guatemalan and Cal Poly students to provide cheap and reliable hot water. The team designed, built, tested and reported a water heater utilizing waste heat from a wood burning stove as the heat source. The technology functioned by placing a home built heat exchanger inside the chimney of the stove. This was connected with radiator tubing to a trash can fashioned into a water tank. The water continuously circulated without a pump by the thermosiphon effect whenever the stove was burning. The technology successfully heated enough water for 1 shower every 2 hours.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Identifying an engineering need and defining a problem statement
• Applying thermodynamic, fluid dynamic, heat transfer and economic principles to an engineering problem
• Designing, building, testing and reporting prototypes
• Working through cultural and language barriers
• Communication and writing of technical English and Spanish
• CO2 footprint and economic life-cycle analysis
• Design for manufacturability
• Working as a team
• Time management |
DOCUMENTS |
• Full report
• Final presentation
• Spanish manual |
Bike Med Kit December 2012 to present
ABOUT |
Bike Med Kits are affordable and simple to use public bicycle repair stations. They provide a set of tools and a pump for cyclists to perform basic maintenance and repair. Each station links to a localized Bike Med Kit website where users can find repair guides, maps of local Bike Med Kits and bike shops, and links to local bike resources.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Entrepreneurship and networking
• Elevator pitching
• Creative problem solving
• Design for manufacturability
• Welding and fabrication
• Website building
|
WEBSITE |
• BikeMedKit.com |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
• Facebook |
Furniture Design Spring 2011 to present
ABOUT |
I think that engineering is as much an art form as it is a science. This philosophy has piqued my interest in industrial and product design as career paths and is what led me to design furniture in my free time. My designs incorporate simple but eye catching elements, use reclaimed materials and place functionality at the forefront. I have had 1 sale that originated from my online portfolio.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Creative and industrial design
• Freelance product design
• Design for manufacturability
• Welding and fabrication
• Working with reclaimed materials
• Woodworking
• Website building
|
PORTFOLIO |
• design.roryaronson.com |
wikiSLO.org Summer 2012
The Bike Arch Winter 2012
ABOUT |
A grand entranceway was deemed necessary for Rory’s San Luis Obispo home. An archway of bicycle frames was welded together in the backyard and in the cover of night, The Arch was erected. The Arch instantly became a landmark for locals and a fun stop for parents and their kids.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Creative design
• Welding and fabrication
• Social media outreach |
WEBSITE |
• wikislo.org/The_Bike_Arch |
PRESS |
• SLO New Times
• Mustang Daily
|
DOCUMENTS |
• Engineering Report |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
• Facebook |
Superheroes Everywhere Winter 2012
ABOUT |
A mobile app turning YOU into a SUPERHERO. Someone is in distress: they need help NOW. They send out a distress signal to the Superhero Network. The 30 closest Superheroes receive a notification of the call for help. You respond and see a map of the citizen's location. When you are within 100 feet of the citizen, your Superhero theme song plays simultaneously on the citizen's and your phone. You locate the citizen, help them, you are a SUPERHERO. Optionally, the citizen can send a thank you gift through the app. |
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Creative problem solving and ideation
• Communication and teamwork
• Pitching and networking
• Developing a business model
• Android app development
• Social entrepreneurship |
WEBSITE |
• SuperheroesEverywhere.org |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
• Facebook |
Zero Waste Stations Spring 2011
ABOUT |
For large events such as triathlons, Cal Poly's Open House or the Morro Bay Harbor Festival, the Zero Waste Club provides waste stations to help properly sort the waste stream and educate the masses. The stations' design and construction was spearheaded by Rory.
|
SKILLS LEARNED |
• Creative problem solving
• Communication and teamwork
• Woodworking |
DOCUMENTS |
• Design progress report |
|
|
