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Ashwin Sridhar

ABOUT

More About Me

A British student, designer and inventor,who has been awarded multiple accolades for his STEM work and enjoys problem-solving in many forms.Highly passionate about STEM subjects, with a special interest in physics, engineering and designing.

Ultimate BP STEM Challenge

Lead Researcher and Team Leader

My team and I came second place at the national finals of the well-known and prestigious BP STEM competition, which was run by British Petroleum. I was the leader of my group, and together we sought to redesign plane wings to create the future of flight. This involved research, design and development. Additionally, I was responsible for the implementation of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) as well as the deployment of our design. We also built our wind tunnel to further simulate airflow to determine the aerodynamics of our design.

Vex IQ Robotics Competition

Programmer, Leader and STEM Research

After extensive research into laparoscopic surgery, our team targeted the Da Vinci system and designed an improvement to reduce human error and increase precision to help improve surgery. My role involved both leading the project as well as designing and deploying the solution. Our success in the design resulted in the STEM research award at Brunel University for our success.

Big Bang National Finals

Leader

Our team created an online CAD and F1 initiative which sought to educate students across the UK, in an attempt to increase UK engineers. After praise from scholars, judges and high-ranking company officials we are developing the project, awaiting the release in 2021.

Design Ventura

Marketing Lead and Product Designer

We were tasked to design a simple product ready for product and deployment for the design museum, incorporating manufacturability and marketing. My role involved leading branding and marketing efforts, which led to the creation of : visuals, mockup renders, adverts, video adverts and a website. The branding and marketing led to praise from the industry judges.

Vex IQ Robotics Competition Nationals

Lead Programmer and STEM Researcher

Our team 'Technogear', team number 21549D was one of the best teams in the UK receiving a plethora of awards from the design award to the create award. We soon qualified for the nationals tournament, taking home 3 awards, for design, sportsmanship and for placing 3rd nationally in TW matches.

Vex IQ Robotics Competition Internationals

Lead Programmer and STEM Researcher

I was the lead programmer and stem researcher for team Technogear. We were the first UK and EU team ever to win our division and make it to the finals matches in Freedom Hall in the Kentucky Exposition Centre in Louisville. Our robot played against the best of teams in the world in a stadium-sized venue and came 5th in the world in the worlds biggest robotics competition. We also won the prestigious innovate award for our division- for innovative design, programming and building. My role with programming included the enhancement of robot performance in user-operated modes as well in autonomous modes. I researched and utilised a range of programming solutions from PID loops to velocity mapping. Moreover, I was in charge of managing programming schedule, involved in time and resource management. Finally, as STEM researcher, I was involved in the creation of a STEM project as well as the development of our robot through the influence of research in engineering. Our efforts were noted here: https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/the-best-day-of-my-life-qe-at-the-vex-robotics-national-and-world-finals-full-report/

Big Bang London Winners and National Finalists

Team Leader/Project Manager, Lead Designer and Lead Engineer.

We had a vision for the blind. In the day and age, we live in surely more should be done for the blind. We researched and developed our smart solution to help the blind navigate. Using machine learning, computer vision and mechatronics, we created a solution for this problem. After pitching our solution and presenting our models, we were awarded champions for London and were awarded a place at the prestigious national finals. Our efforts were noted here: https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/birmingham-bound-trio-dazzle-judges-to-win-place-in-national-finals-of-technology-competition/

Industrial Cadets

Apprentice

Achieved Bronze Industrial award after completing 20 hours of industry work experience-learning skills in architecture, building, business, civil engineering, computer modelling, economics, electrical engineering, process engineering, project management, VFX- as well as insight to future STEM Careers.

Student Advisory Board

UK Representative

Due to my commitment and enthusiasm to competitive robotics, I was selected by senior leadership in the RECF to represent the UK students to increase STEM outreach for the VEX Robotics. This prestigious opportunity led me to ask communities how to improve their robotics experience and increase their involvement. This taught me a different side of community leadership.

Eco-Innovator Competition

Solo

An individual competition, which wanted students to devise new designs for EV Charge points, to help users make the change from petrol cars to electrical alternatives. My submission was ranked within the top ten in the UK and was awarded a prize as runner-up. My feats were noted here : https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/leading-lights-of-the-charging-brigade/

ICE Civil Engineering Competition

Lead Drafter, CAD Technician and Designer

The competition’s theme was to design a new flood defence for London, in order to protect residents and businesses against climate change. The submissions were based on: innovation and technology; materials and structures; environmental impact; social impact; and the links to surrounding infrastructure. Our design came first in the UK, awarding us the top prize. I was involved with the overall design of our project as well as leading the drafting of our design, which I created, tested and animated using Solidworks.

VEX EDR/VRC

Team Leader/Project Manager, Design Engineer and Drafter

In the Vex Robotics Competition (VRC) teams had to construct a robot to solve a provided challenge, with the best teams facing off with each other. Our team, called Synapse with team number 20785B, performed very successfully ranking very highly throughout the season, picking up teamwork champions award in the GCA competition. Our success qualified us for the national competition where we faced off against the best of teams. We then qualified for the prestigious worlds tournament, which was sadly cancelled due to COVID-19. However, we were recognised internationally by Autodesk and Google in online challenges. Read the next sections for more information.

Google Community Award VRC International Finalist

Team Leader/Project Manager, Design Engineer and Drafter

Google Community Award VRC International Finalist

This challenge was to submit a video advert showing the community work which our team. As per my community campaign spearhead leadership, which provided users with programming and design tutorials, increasing attendance in girls for engineering as well as the CAD tutorials from project Kyrios ( see Big Bang 2018-2019) we were recognised as an international finalist.

Autodesk Make It Real VRC International Finalist

Team Leader/Project Manager, Design Engineer and Drafter

The Autodesk Make It Real Competition was a challenge for students to design their parts using Autodesk software. I entered the competition on behalf of the team (Synapse 20785B)and created an engineering solution to a common problem which was less invasive than the current solution. This involved rigorous testing, a FEA analysis and the completion of an entire design process/cycle. My work was then recognised as an international finalist.

Young Enterprise Competition

Head of Production, Head of Quality Control and Head of Digital Marketing

Students were tasked with creating their product and branding and selling it at fairs. We researched into Beeswax wraps as an alternative for plastic clingfilms and built an entire business from scratch. Our efforts were noted here: https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/entrepreneurs-create-product-to-appeal-to-their-peers/ My role involved leading the production and manafacturing, ensuring all products are made to high quality, through multiple product workflows and quality step matrices. Moroever, as head of digital marketing I was responsible for website development (html/css/js) and the creation of video adverts and marketing posters. Overall, we made over £200 in sales with only two days of sales. Within the company, I was involved in the social enterprise aspect which involved increasing awareness of the environment. Analytics and key performance indicators showed our reach led to over hundreds. We also created a video to present our team journey which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALnG62fSJ6Q&feature=youtu.be

Bompass and Parr Fountain of Hygiene Competition

Solo

With COVID-19 requiring the evolution of how we interact with everyday products, the challenge required participants to create an innovative solution to help increase the effectiveness of sanitizer pumps i.e soaps. My design allowed for the deposition of limited amounts of soap (required amounts for killing all Germs) mechanically and included a battery-operated add-on which used a PIR motion sensor and a speaker to remind users to wash their hands. My solution was shortlisted and place in the cadet design category: https://bit.ly/317Npla

Rapid Education Arduino Challenge

Solo

Designed a solution for the handwashing crisis, incorpoating a range of design theories to help creating a meaningul and enhanced experience. This involved multi-sensory design to help create an experience which effect multiple aspects of the interaction, taking into account all of the senses.

BIEA International Robotics Competition

Project and Product Manager and Programmer

Our team, named Prata Neptunia, were ranked third in the world, for the prestigious BIEA competition where we were tasked to design a remote plastic collecting robot which was used to help reduce plastic and pollution in rivers and canals autonomously. We utilised a range of skills, including CAD and simulation (CFD). Throughout the project, I was responsible for managing the product and incoporating a range of project management techniques to ensure we were on track, ensuring all deliverables were met (software + hardware).

Microsoft Junior Imagine Cup

Solo

After creating an Ai-powered device for the elderly, utilising Microsoft Azure my design was chosen as one of the international winners for the renowned Microsoft Junior Imagine Cup. This project utilised a full journey, incorporating all aspects in the roadmap: user data collection, design constraints, prototyping and more. The results involved the creation of a product and software app.

IET Faraday Challenge

Solo

One of the award winners for the IET faraday challenge, in collaboration with Airbus. My design was a modular packaging system, which could transform into temporary bridges and platforms. I create a prototype of my design using a Raspberry Pi Zero W.