Dog Leash

Before my wife and I brought home our dog, Kenji, I spent weeks looking for a dog leash that was stylish, rugged enough to last years, and reasonably priced. When I could not find one, my wife suggested that I design a better dog leash myself. Intrigued with the idea, I set out to make the dog leash that I would have bought if it were available.

• The dog leash is made from climbing rope which comes in many colors/patterns and can be upcycled from local climbing gyms to reduce waste.
• The handle is adjustable so it can be worn crossbody or held conventionally in one hand and includes a key ring built into it.
• Also built into the handle are two magnetic quick release accessory mounts that make sure a dog owner has all the accessories they need for a walk (dog bag holder, clicker, etc.).

Since the leash’s conception and creation, the design has evolved as I find new improvements to make. Kenji still gives two very big paws up every time he uses it on a walk!

In 2020, I acquired a racing simulator setup, complete with a direct drive wheelbase and force gauge pedals. That year a group of friends and I competed to set the best lap times on each of the Grand Prix tracks in accordance to the F1 schedule, tracking the results over the year and crowning our own champion. Once the F1 season was over in 2022, I decided to upgrade my cockpit so my setup was more authentic. I purchased a set of 2D plans and remastered the design in SolidWorks so I could adjust the parts in order to better suit my measurements and specific sim components. The parts are currently being quoted with a few vendors in the area to be laser cut out of 3/4" plywood and should be ready for assembly soon!

Concurrently, I've designed a wheelbase mount inspired by the F1 logo. This was a fun way to expand my design skills in creating visually striking parts. While initially intended to be part of the racing sim cockpit, it has some functional downsides which may lead me to update the design so it becomes the trophy for our yearly competition.

WDT Tool

Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT) is a method for evenly distributing coffee grounds before they are compressed into the coffee puck. The WDT tool's planetary gears spin 10 very fine needles which break up and spread out the coffee grounds. When a friend sent me some design files for a WDT tool he found online and asked if I could make him one, I took the opportunity to work on my industrial design skills. I took the planetary gear system from the design he found online and began to change the rest of the design to increase its aesthetic appeal, clean up some issues I had with the design, and add ergonomic functionality. 

Here are some of the elements I added:

• An acrylic insert on the top of the tool prevents non-coffee debris from falling into the gears and gives the tool a neat visual feature.
• A Bespoke portafilter mount designed to make sure the locking mechanism features are positioned in the correct location for comfortable ergonomics.
• Magnetic and poka-yoke keying feature to help align the WDT and the portafilter mount.
• The addition of a base to hold the WDT tool when not in use.

Digital Art + Graphic Design

From an early age I enjoyed art and the act of creating, however I was never naturally talented using canvas and a paint brush. I instead turned to digital art to keep pursuing that avenue of my passions. Over the years I have designed logos, shirts, and brand identities using the Adobe Creative Suite.

Since 2023, I have incorporated daily design sketches to keep my artistic skills current and merging this daily task with quick product ideation cycles. This practice serves as a creative outlet and more importantly, a bank of ideas that I can draw from to solve problems and innovate. Recently, I've enhanced this routine by incorporating AI, leveraging it to support the ideation process and quickly piece together concepts.