Mechanical product concept
Standing glass whiteboard
Exploring frameless structure, bonded mounting pads, leveling, and adjustable-height mechanisms.
Grade 12 · IB Diploma Programme
Keystone Academy · Beijing
Ted / Yunqi Zhang
Student engineer building mechanical systems through iteration.
Student engineer focused on mechanical design, robotics, simulation, and iterative prototyping.
View engineering work Working loop
- 01Model
- 02Simulate
- 03Build
- 04Test
- 05Evaluate
Selected engineering work
Build. Test. Decide.
Six detailed project records show completed stages, active questions, redesigns, and deliberate decisions to continue, revise, or stop.
Carbon-Al Bike
A staged bicycle-frame development project moving from polycarbonate prototypes to aluminum tubes, PPA-CF joints, and full-frame assembly.
Engineering question
Translate individual structural components into a frame whose geometry, joints, manufacturing decisions, and bicycle systems work together.
- Progress
- Three development stages
- Outputs
- Topology-optimized seat joints
- Current work
- Frame assembly · system interfaces
Image space reserved Carbon-Al Bike
Cycloidal Drive
A return to a failed Grade 9 project, rebuilt through two iterations to reduce assembly difficulty and mechanical complexity.
Engineering question
Replace a difficult bearing-based contact arrangement with a simpler static-pin solution without losing the mechanism’s intended motion.
- Iteration 01
- Bearing contact surfaces
- Iteration 02
- Static pins
- Result
- Simpler assembly · working mechanism
Image space reserved Cycloidal Drive
Frisbee Launcher
A major mechanism project that will be documented through its design targets, iterations, physical build, and testing evidence.
Engineering question
The verified design question and results will be added from the project record before technical claims are published.
- Priority
- Major independent project
- Evidence needed
- CAD · build · test record
- Page status
- Structure reserved for documentation
Image space reserved Frisbee Launcher
6061-T6 Structural Efficiency Study
A comparison of analytical mechanics, FEA predictions, and physical deflection as material is removed from aluminum structures.
Engineering question
Determine how circular, hexagonal, and isogrid-style patterns affect stiffness-to-weight behavior—and where models diverge from testing.
- Material
- 6061-T6 aluminum
- Range
- 10–70% material removal
- Method
- Calculation · FEA · dial indicator
Image space reserved 6061-T6 Structural Efficiency Study
FRC Mechanisms
A mechanism-first record of drivetrain, elevator, pivot-arm, intake, and conveyor work across competition seasons and off-season development.
Engineering question
Show how each mechanism developed across iterations while separating my contribution from the work of the wider team.
- Mechanisms
- 5 development threads
- Record
- 2024 · 2025 · off-season · 2026
- Role
- Co-founder · mechanical systems
Image space reserved FRC Mechanisms
Cycling Gel Storage + Retrieval
A top-tube system designed for one-handed gel retrieval, temporary waste storage, and configurable fueling reminders while riding.
Engineering question
Balance retention force with easy release across package sizes, bicycle geometries, vibration, weather, electronics, and rider safety.
- Capacity
- 4–6 energy gels
- Control
- 20–60 minute reminder interval
- System
- Mechanism · PCB · enclosure
Image space reserved Cycling Gel Storage + Retrieval
Engineering notebook
Smaller studies and evaluated branches.
Discontinued after CAD
Compact X60/X44 swerve concept
A smaller-footprint mixed-motor study inspired by Team 1690, retained as an evaluated design branch rather than a completed mechanism.
Software tool · in development
HandFontLab
A local-first React and Python tool for turning handwriting samples into usable digital fonts.
Technical note
GPS positioning mathematics
Studying trilateration, pseudoranges, and receiver clock bias through a mathematical model of GPS.
Working toolkit
Breadth in service of mechanical design.
These are tools used or actively being learned—not claims of equal mastery.
CAD + form
- Onshape
- SolidWorks
- Rhino
- Grasshopper
Analysis + test
- SimScale
- ANSYS
- FEA
- Physical deflection testing
Fabrication
- Bambu Lab P1S
- 3D printing
- CF-filled filament
- Test fixtures
Across disciplines
- PCB concepts
- TypeScript
- FastAPI
- OpenCV
About
I care as much about why a design failed as I do about the finished object.
I’m a Grade 12 IB student at Keystone Academy in Beijing, focused on mechanical engineering and engineering design. I co-founded Forte, Keystone’s first FIRST Robotics Competition team, and I build projects across robotics, cycling products, structures, and computational tools.
My preferred way to learn is physical and iterative: model a system, expose its weak points, fabricate or simulate it, test the result, and evaluate whether to refine, continue, or stop.
- Academic focus
- HL Mathematics AA · Physics · Design Technology
- Long-running commitment
- FIRST Robotics · Team Forte
- Current direction
- Mechanical engineering · engineering design