║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ I repurposed an original Furby as a going-away gift for a ║▐
║ colleague at work. His last name sounded like 'Furby', so I ║▐
║ thought it'd be funny to take a Furby and change the voice ║▐
║ box so that it'd say the phrases of my colleague instead of ║▐
║ speaking Furbish (the Furby language). To accomplish this, ║▐
║ I deconstructed the Furby, disconnected its internal audio ║▐
║ circuitry, and reattached the outputs to a custom audio ║▐
║ board I created. My audio board uses the VLSI VS1000 ║▐
║ wav/ogg decoder, and is based on Adafruit's audio fx sound ║▐
║ board, but it features a few additions like onboard battery ║▐
║ charging circuitry and I developed new firmware for the ║▐
║ VLSI controller. Below is a demo video I made using spooky ║▐
║ sounds. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ In order to play audio at the right time, a comparitor ║▐
║ monitors an LED that activates when the motors are active ║▐
║ and uses that to trigger audio playback from the sound ║▐
║ board. The audio is then amplified before being played out ║▐
║ the Furby's speaker. I also added a rechargeable battery ║▐
║ and voltage booster so that the Furby can be recharged ║▐
║ instead of changing out batteries (this also helped to free ║▐
║ up space in the battery compartment for my added ║▐
║ circuitry). ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ If you're curious for more details, I wrote a much more ║▐
║ detailed explanation of the process in a post for IDEO labs ║▐
║ ║▐
║ In the middle of prototyping and testing ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Nearly assembled (Unfortunately, I didn't get a final ║▐
║ photo) ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
║ ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ Part hardware hacker, part creative technologist, and part ║▐
║ human-centered designer thriving at the cross-section of ║▐
║ engineering and design. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Led to engineering through my love for music, art, and ║▐
║ math, I hold degrees in electrical, computer, and music ║▐
║ engineering. Following a stint in academia, I joined IDEO ║▐
║ as a senior electrical engineer where I contributed ║▐
║ creative problem solving and prototyping fluency to a ║▐
║ breadth of projects ranging from vehicles of the future, to ║▐
║ life-changing medical equipment, to innovative children's ║▐
║ toys. Most recently, I was at Delve and now Sundberg-Ferar, ║▐
║ diving deeper into engineering for production, and working ║▐
║ on bringing ideas and prototypes to reality. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Outside of work, I enjoy creating rotoscopes and ║▐
║ illustrations, reverse engineering electronic toys, and ║▐
║ taking a break from screens by running, biking, and camping ║▐
║ in the great outdoors. ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2012 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ BEE in Electrical Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2011 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Sundberg-Ferar, Detroit, MI ║▐
║ Key roles . Launched and led Electrical Engineering offering ║▐
║ . Developed embedded hardware and software products ║▐
║ . Managed projects and client relationships ║▐
║ . Designed from prototype through manufacturing ║▐
║ Years ..... May '22 - Feb '25 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior II Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Bresslergroup / Delve, Philadelphia, PA ║▐
║ Key roles . Developed embedded hardware for diagnostic devices ║▐
║ . Developed embedded firmware with precision-timing ║▐
║ . Designed for manufacturing ║▐
║ Years ..... Nov '20 - Apr '22 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... IDEO, Chicago, IL ║▐
║ Key roles . Specialized in rapid hardware prototyping ║▐
║ . Developed embedded and front-end software ║▐
║ . Designed human-centered solutions for clients ║▐
║ Years ..... Sep '14 - Oct '20 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ User Experience Intern ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Shure, Niles, IL ║▐
║ Years ..... Summer '13 & Summer '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Graduate Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Miami, Music Eng Dept, Miami, FL ║▐
║ Years ..... Aug '12 - May '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Co-Founder and Shop Manager ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Newark Bike Project, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Oct '11 - Aug '12 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Undergrad/Grad Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Delaware, Elec/Comp Eng Dept, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Feb '09 & Aug '12 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Languages ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ C, C++, Obj-C HTML, CSS Spanish (int) ║▐
║ Basic Assembly Javascript Japanese (beg) ║▐
║ Matlab Python ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Software ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Adobe CC Autodesk Fusion Microsoft 365 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Other ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Screen Printing Bike Mechanic Furby Technician ║▐
║ Sketching Illustrating ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
