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Alex M

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins University

Expertise

Robotics, product design, assistive device design, the sense of touch, acting, entrepreneurship, German culture

Bio

Hi, I'm Alex, and I'm currently a PhD student in mechanical engineering. I study how to give the sense of touch back to people who use arm prosthetics. Designing products that help people in their daily lives and make them feel more alive is my ultimate goal, and I am so grateful to my mentors who have helped me get here. I hope to do the same for you and share my love of learning and creating.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Touch the World With Prosthetics

Have you ever woken up after sleeping in an odd position and your arm feels tingly and numb? Living with a prosthesis is similar because amputees don't receive any touch (haptic) feedback when they touch something with their prosthesis. You will learn how to provide this feedback to them using simple pressure sensors and vibration motors.

Assistive Device Design

Have you ever seen your grandparents have difficulty walking up and down the stairs or opening a jar? There are a lot of products to aid people in their daily activities of living, from mobility to fine motor tasks. You will design and build an assistive device of your own to increase one’s quality of life.

Coding skills

Arduino

Teaching experience

As a FIRST Robotics team member, I taught 3rd grade students STEM lessons about gear ratios using a LEGO Top Spinner. Currently, I enjoy tutoring 3 Korean students in conversational English!

Credentials

Work experience

DEKA Research and Development (2019 - 2019)
Mechanical Engineering Intern
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2017 - 2020)
Technology Commercialization Intern
Pillar Innovations (2018 - 2018)
Mechanical Engineering Intern
ITI Trailers and Truck Bodies (2017 - 2017)
Mechanical Engineering Intern

Education

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
BS Bachelor of Science (2020)
Mechanical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
MS Master of Science
Robotics
Johns Hopkins University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Mechanical Engineering

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