open to work · austin, tx

hi, i'm rithwik!

i'm a roboticist and researcher at westwood high school in austin, tx. i direct our FRC team (2583 orange dynamite), captain FTC team 24133 (ChaiGPT robotics), and build quadrupeds, actuators, and biomedical wearables with custom PCBs on my own time. when i'm not in CAD or the machine shop, i'm running quantum cryptography simulations or prepping for varsity LD debate. i love building systems that survive the real world — reach out!

01

Experience

  • Westwood Robotics

    FRC Director

    Leading FRC 2583 Orange Dynamite — directing 70+ students developing competitive robots on the international stage.

    May 2026 - Present

  • Westwood Robotics

    Lead Design Engineer

    Lead mechanical architect: drivetrain geometry, multi-stage elevators, linkage manipulators, and DFM-driven fabrication across CNC, sheet metal, and additive.

    Aug 2024 - May 2026

  • ChaiGPT Robotics

    Team Captain

    Captain and lead hardware engineer of FTC Team 24133 across 3 seasons — full CAD ownership in Onshape/Fusion 360, validated across 30+ tournaments.

    Mar 2023 - Present

  • Independent

    Roboticist & Researcher

    End-to-end robotic and biomedical systems: a reconfigurable quadruped, a closed-loop tVNS wearable, and high-efficiency actuators — custom PCBs, firmware, and validation from CAD to field testing.

    Jan 2022 - Present

  • FIRST Robotics

    Student Volunteer & Mentor

    Mentoring FTC and FRC teams, leading outreach that helped launch multiple new teams, and working with educators and district leadership to grow local robotics.

    Aug 2024 - Present

  • NYU Tandon School of Engineering

    Student Researcher, SPARC

    Applied robotics research under university mentorship — experimental systems taken from proposal through deployment, documented to academic standards.

    Jul 2025 - Aug 2025

  • SMU

    Student Researcher, GSTCA

    Drone research alongside PhD students at Southern Methodist University through the Governor's Science and Technology Champions Academy.

    Summer 2025

  • Intel ISEF

    Student Researcher

    Quantum cryptography research — a QKD simulation framework that earned 2nd in Systems Software at GASEF and TXSEF.

    Aug 2024 - Present

  • Westwood High School

    Varsity LD Debater

    Lincoln–Douglas debate on a nationally top-10 ranked team with a research-centric competitive methodology.

    Aug 2024 - Present

02

Education

  • Westwood High School

    High School Diploma · 4.0 GPA (Unweighted)

    • AP: Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, Calculus AB, Precalculus, Physics 1, World History, Human Geography
    • PLTW: Intro to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering — Fusion 360 certified

    Expected May 2028

03

Awards

  • FIRST Dean's List Finalist

    FIRST's premier student leadership award — one of ~200 finalists selected from 100,000+ FIRST Tech Challenge students worldwide.

  • 2nd Place, Systems Software — TXSEF & GASEF

    2nd place in Systems Software at both the Texas and Greater Austin Science & Engineering Fairs for quantum key distribution research.

  • Nationally Top-10 Debate Program

    Varsity Lincoln–Douglas debater on a nationally top-10 ranked team.

04

Skills

Mechanical Engineering

CAD & Design
Onshape, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Mechanism Design, Linkages & Differentials, Tolerance Stack-Ups, DFM/DFA
Analysis & Validation
FEA & CFD (SimScale), Load & Deflection Testing, MTBF Tracking, Stiffness-to-Weight Optimization
Manufacturing
Fusion 360 CAM, CNC Machining (Tormach PCNC 1100, OMIO X8), 6061/7075 Aluminum, Sheet Metal, FDM Printing

Electrical & Embedded

PCB Design
KiCad, Hierarchical Schematics, 2-Layer Layout, DRC/ERC, SPICE Simulation, Hand Soldering (SMD & THT)
Embedded Systems
SAMD21, Teensy 4.1, Raspberry Pi, CAN Bus, Real-Time Firmware, Sensor Fusion (Biopotential, GSR, Temperature)
Power & Actuation
Power Architecture, Motor Drivers, Encoders, High-Torque Gimbal Motors, EMI Management

Software & Research

Programming
Python (NumPy, PyCryptodome), Java, C++, ROS, Simulation Frameworks
Controls
Inverse Kinematics, PID Tuning, Closed-Loop Systems, Data Acquisition Pipelines
Research
Quantum Key Distribution, Protocol Simulation, Experimental Design, Technical Writing

Leadership & Communication

Teams
FRC & FTC Leadership (70+ Students), Mentoring & Outreach, Project Planning, Fabrication Direction
Debate
Varsity Lincoln–Douglas, Argumentation, Public Speaking
Languages
English, Hindi, Malayalam, Spanish, French

05

Projects