Hey everyone, this is Anuj! I am a freshman from Jones (JIBA!) pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. I first heard about this class during EDES 120 last semester and thought it would be a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience with diverse fabrication techniques and utilize the OEDK to its fullest potential for the coming semesters.  Ever since I was in 6th grade, I would often find myself opening up electronics and machinery around my home and fixing various things, from phones to laptops to even a car starter motor. So, I guess this is the right time to step up from “fixing” things to actually building cool stuff!

Last semester, for EDES 120, my group built a prototype for an in-floor hydronic heating system for the Houston Zoo. Since I had experience with “fixing” my home’s HVAC system (and also almost getting electrocuted, everyone hail GFCI 🙏), I could effectively contribute to assembling the components and configuring the system. In doing so, I learned a bit about controllers and the electronics behind them, which I really want to dive deeper into.

My EDES 120 team and prototype!

This semester, I want to take my shot at making an automatic cricket bowling machine capable of properly spinning the ball along different axes and speeds. As far as I am aware, this would probably be the first-of-its-kind, as existing machines can only spin the ball over a limited range of axes and/or cannot induce enough spin. The design I am thinking of would also more accurately represent how a human bowler achieves spin. However, I am sure there’s an endless number of challenges that would pop up when I actually try and build it, which is also one of the reasons I am taking this class.