Hi, I'm samuel schuur, a student at the University of Chicago studying maths. I enjoy complex linkages and precision machine design. In my free time I build furniture, and combat robots. I also play the violin.
In my free time I enjoy building combat robots which I have competed with at NHRL and smaller events. Frankly, I enjoy the design and manufacturing of these robots more than actually competing with them (though of course that's also enjoyable) and as a result I think my bots have ended up with all sorts of interesting design features and weird compact packaging. I currently am working on a 3lb and a 30lb bot both with drive motors packaged coaxially with the wheels and shock isolated direct drive "hub motor" weapons. Both are abnormally compact for their respective weight classes. I also am working on a 12lb pneumatic flipper with a completely custom air system - but that got sidetracked by me going down a rabbit hole of high airflow valve design!
As a personal offshoot from my work at the Center for Bits and Atoms stemming from my interest in computation geometry and the mathematics underlying origami I have worked on a series of CNC tools for precreasing complex origami patterns as a testing platform for new modular motion control systems. These machines have been shown at the MIT museum which is neat! This project also led me down a rabbit hole of paper metrology at one point which I devised some strange testing rigs, I also learned more then I could ever have wanted to about how SVG files work in writing their control software. You can see an old video of one of my precreasing machines here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkSGZQBx5p4
In my free time I also enjoy designing and building furniture - I have designed a couple desks generated from parametric CAD files and cut out of flat sheets of plywood. I've also built a small adjustable climbing wall for my living room! I'm currently working on a plywood and folded sheet metal bench for my room.
In general I just like designing and making things with my hands! I've worked on all sorts of other random projects: machined pens, bike lights with fun custom fresnel lenses, clocks, strange belt reductions, cast wheels, bike parts, etc.