I love pushing the boundaries of what is considered feasible

How We May Make

Master of Design Thesis | UC Berkeley

I set out to reimagine the design and production of consumer hardware to ensure resilience against climate change and supply chain disruptions. Moving away from high-emission global manufacturing, my research proposes a shift toward decentralized, super-local nano-factories where devices are fabricated on-demand.

Additive manufacturing has advanced to a point where we can now individually print polymers, metals, and ceramics, essentially all the core ingredients required to build hardware. This sparked a guiding question: What if we could produce functional devices in a single-shot 3D print, eliminating the need for multi-part mass production and complex downstream assembly?

To test this vision, I needed a fabrication method capable of bypassing traditional layered printing constraints. Working closely with UC Berkeley’s Nano Manufacturing Lab, I explored Volumetric Additive Manufacturing, specifically Computed Axial Lithography to successfully embed conductive materials and electronics directly into components as they were printed.

To demonstrate this workflow, I developed "Model A", a fully 3D-printed, ergonomically tailored computer mouse integrated with salvaged electronics. I designed this prototype to serve as a boundary object for sustainable hardware, illustrating how 3D space can transform traditional circuit routing and pave the way for generative design, biodegradable materials, and closed-loop recycling.

Energy Storage Systems @ Nunam

Sr Design Engineer | Nunam

Nunam is on a mission to give used lithium-ion batteries a second life, converting them into energy storage systems that extend their lifespan, use resources more efficiently, and reduce electronic waste.

I led the mechanical design and scaling for 2 BESS platforms using second-life lithium-ion batteries. I also worked on multiple projects for major enterprise clients including Audi, Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Tata Motors.

The core platform was NESS Series 5, a modular energy storage system built on a scalable 48V architecture. I optimized it for high-current interconnect durability and thermal stability, and configured it for rapid vertical stacking from 5 kWh to 50 kWh, so it fits space-constrained commercial UPS and residential environments.

For Audi, I engineered a structural, ruggedized e-rickshaw battery pack using repurposed Audi e-tron VDA modules. I optimized its mechanical volume and structural load paths to endure the high-frequency vibrations and extreme 40°C+ environments typical of Indian infrastructure.

Also for Audi, I developed portable second-life power banks for street vendors, designed to replace hazardous small-scale fossil fuel generators. The focus was on ruggedization, intuitive user interfaces, and modular servicing for micro-entrepreneurs working outdoors.

RespirAID | Automated CMV Resuscitator

Mechanical Design Engineer | Biodesign Innovation Labs | Oct 2017 - Apr 2019

Hospitals in resource-limited settings often lack ventilators and the trained staff to run them. Visiting over 100 hospitals across India, the team saw patients being kept alive with manual resuscitator bags (MRBs) while they waited for equipment, leading to inconsistent ventilation, lung trauma and preventable deaths.

RespirAID is an automated Continuous Mandatory Ventilation (CMV) solution designed specifically for these settings. It works in conjunction with readily available MRBs, eliminating the need for additional specialized equipment and making it far easier to deploy where resources are constrained.

Through a combination of proximity sensors, compression force feedback, and airway sensor data, RespirAID ensures controlled and consistent ventilation regardless of the specific MRB model used. Its compact size and compatibility with various MRBs make it suitable for a wide range of settings, including ambulances, remote clinics, and crowded hospitals.

As the design engineer, I took the product from zero to one: designing, prototyping, and validating the mechanical design and motor drive system behind RespirAID. I also contributed to the engineering validation process before the first patient trials.

RespirAID has demonstrably improved patient care. With over 800 lives positively impacted in over 45 hospitals across India, the device has shown significant promise in reducing complications and improving survival rates, particularly for post-operative patients during weaning from ventilation. In 2021, it won the Pandemic Response Prize at the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge.

• Featured on the Cisco Blog ↗
• Featured in Forbes India ↗
• My article about DIY ventilators for COVID in Wevolver ↗
• Patent US20200261672A1 (PDF) ↗