Key Skills:
Solidworks
Prototyping
Supply Chain Management
Project Management
Quality Assurance
Machine Shop Maintainance
Soldering
Altium
Python
When you move, an electrical signal travels from your brain through your nervous system to control your muscles. That signal can be picked up through the skin and used to uniquely identify that motion.
Pison is a Boston-based start-up that was founded in 2016 to help ALS patients by giving them a tool to control devices with their nerve signals, which are still produced even when their motion is limited. Since then, they have expanded into multiple related technologies and applied them to several new use cases.
API to the Human Hand
Gesture Control: Letting users control technology with low profile gestures
Neural Performance: Providing indicators of consumers’ alertness, fatigue, and focus
Neurological Diseases: Providing early identification of degenerative neural diseases like ALS
Pison Neural Sensors
Pison devices can interface with many parts of the body, such as the stomach, the back, and the leg. For the most common use case, the arm, the device is placed on the wrist like a watch. Medical grade electrodes pick up on electrical activity, and other sensors characterize signals such as motion and blood flow.
As Pison’s mechanical engineer, I was responsible for all aspects of the mechanical design and testing of their neural sensors. I determined the position and geometry of electrodes and housings, evaluating them for their aesthetic and quality of contact. I also designed light pipes to ensure the light from the LEDs on the devices’ PCBs were visible outside the housing.
I used my experience in various CAD software, including Solidworks, AutoCAD, and Meshmixer to create detailed designs and models for hardware. I designed the devices to be easy and quick to assemble and ensure that the parts can be manufactured as cheaply as possible while meeting all specifications.
I also designed and manufactured electromechanical fixtures to conduct tests to evaluate bluetooth signal strength, electromagnetic interference resilience, waterproofness, temperature sensitivity, impact resistance, and several other metrics to meet military grade specs. I purchased and used industry grade machines to analyze the performance of hardware.
I also headed the Neural Front End team, leading machine learning engineers, technologists, and software engineers. This team developed an algorithm and a comprehensive dataset which could find the optimal electrode layout for a Pison sensor based on the intended use of the sensor and a set of mechanical constraints.
In addition to developing the core technology, I also created multiple demos showcasing the capabilities of Pison’s technology. In one demo, I added ruggedized accessories to Boston Dynamic’s SPOT to allow for hands free, heads up (screen-free) gesture based control of SPOT and up to eight drones. I built a drone mount which allowed SPOT to carry the drones and allowed a user to launch the drones from SPOT’s back.
I have also developed skills outside of my expertise in mechanical design, including supply chain management, electrical design and prototyping, and various modeling tools.
I’ve assumed responsibility for managing the supply chain for mechanical and electrical parts. I helped select assembly houses for PCBs and other hardware, sourced manufacturers for mechanical parts, and found vendors to handle at-scale assembly of thousands of mechanical devices.
I also supported the electrical team by making schematics for simple circuits, designing the layout of PCBs in Altium, and hand assembling PCBs with through hole and SMT soldering.
I used finite element analysis, Python, and back of the envelope analytical models to make predictions about the behavior of my designs and inform design decisions.
I successfully applied for grants that brought in as much as $400,000 in funding to develop Pison’s core technology. My designs and custom hardware have been used to collect targeted neurological data for various academic institutions, several departments within the United States Government, and hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital. My work has resulted in one pending patent for Pison’s gesture control capabilities.