RoboJackets @ Georgia Tech

RoboJackets is Georgia Tech's premier robotics student organization, home to multiple competitive subteams operating across a range of robotics domains — from soccer-playing robots to autonomous ground vehicles. Joining as a first-year student, I selected both RoboCup and RoboNav to maximize my exposure to different engineering challenges and professional toolchains. The transition from high school club to a university organization with real engineering culture and standards was immediately apparent.

On the RoboCup subteam I was introduced to Autodesk Inventor for the first time, contributing to mechanical design tasks while learning the team's design conventions and review processes. The experience highlighted how much professional CAD workflows differ from hobbyist environments — version control, tolerancing standards, and design reviews all became part of my regular practice. On RoboNav I shifted to SolidWorks as part of the team's toolchain, designing components for an autonomous ground vehicle platform.

As part of the RoboNav onboarding process, new members compete in the Mini Rover Challenge (MRC) — a structured design-build-compete event where small teams design and fabricate a miniature rover from scratch under time constraints. Working with fellow new members, I contributed to the mechanical design and manufacturing of our entry, applying skills from my previous experience while adapting to a faster-paced, more constrained build environment than I was used to.