Sahib Virdee

Welcome to the personal, professional, and projects portfolio of Sahib Virdee. Sahib is a mechanical engineering graduate from York University in Toronto, born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Explore a curated showcase of engineering designs, 3D models, hackathons, and professional experience.

Portfolio Sections & Projects

Home

Section: Home

# Mechanical engineering portfolio and project archive.
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About Me

Section: Personal / About Me

.8
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Save Game

Section: Personal / Art / Save Game

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Save Game.
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Sketches

Section: Personal / Art / Sketches

: let's see if captions work. : and what they look like,
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Quardin's Trophy

Section: Personal / Gifts / Quardin's Trophy

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Quardin's Trophy.
View Project Detail - Quardin's Trophy
Honda of Canada

Section: Professional / Internship / Honda of Canada

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Honda of Canada.
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Digibus

Section: Professional / Internship / Master / Digibus

Engineering experience at Master Fabricators a bus manufacturer in East Africa , focusing on transport mechanisms and structure layouts.
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Office Bus

Section: Professional / Internship / Master / Office Bus

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Office Bus.
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Resume

Section: Professional / Resume

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Resume.
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SARIT

Section: Professional / SARIT

.9
View Project Detail - SARIT
Climate

Section: Professional / SARIT / Climate

No content
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Electrical

Section: Professional / SARIT / Electrical

testing
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Hitch

Section: Professional / SARIT / Hitch

.5 .5 .5
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LiDAR

Section: Professional / SARIT / LiDAR

No content
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Mirrors

Section: Professional / SARIT / Mirrors

Content!
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Power

Section: Professional / SARIT / Power

No content
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YorkU

Section: Professional / YorkU

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: YorkU.
View Project Detail - YorkU
Autonomous Rover

Section: Projects / Design / Autonomous Rover

.8 Design of an Autonomous Skateboard Chassis for Parking & Police Enforcement Vehicles Objective: Design a modular, durable, and weather-resistant IP67 autonomous chassis for patrol and automated license plate recognition ALPR . It features a 2:1 chain & sprocket drivetrain, a 12V LiFePO4 battery, a Raspberry Pi edge node for low-level controls, and base station processing over a local Wi-Fi hotspot.
View Project Detail - Autonomous Rover
CubeSat

Section: Projects / Design / CubeSat

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: CubeSat.
View Project Detail - CubeSat
Mini Rover

Section: Projects / Design / Mini Rover

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Mini Rover.
View Project Detail - Mini Rover
River

Section: Projects / Design / River

.8 An autonomous river-cleaning robotic platform designed to collect debris and floating waste from water channels.
View Project Detail - River
Rubber Band Car

Section: Projects / Design / Rubber Band Car

.9 One of my first CAD designs ever. The objective was to design a rubber band-powered car to travel as far as possible by driving both axles with rubber bands and using large wheels to maximize tension and distance traveled per revolution.
View Project Detail - Rubber Band Car
Sun Tracker

Section: Projects / Design / Sun Tracker

.8 .7 A floating, sun-tracking solar panel system designed to optimize energy capture on water bodies using active tracking. testing
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Wing Flap Mechanism

Section: Projects / Design / Wing Flap Mechanism

.8 Inboard Trailing Edge Wing Flap Linkage Mechanism Focuses on trailing edge wing flaps on modern aircraft to generate lift and prevent stalls. This scaled-down, Grashof type-1 linkage mechanism has 1 degree of freedom 1-DOF and is actuated using an Arduino Nano and a microservo. ### Actuation Demonstration: ### Ultrasonic Height-Dependent Control:
View Project Detail - Wing Flap Mechanism
De-Icing Robot

Section: Projects / Hackathons / De-Icing Robot

.7
View Project Detail - De-Icing Robot
Gaming Chair

Section: Projects / Hackathons / Gaming Chair

.8
View Project Detail - Gaming Chair
Ontario Engineering Competition

Section: Projects / Hackathons / Ontario Engineering Competition

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Ontario Engineering Competition.
View Project Detail - Ontario Engineering Competition
Thermoelectric Cooler

Section: Projects / Hackathons / Thermoelectric Cooler

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Thermoelectric Cooler.
View Project Detail - Thermoelectric Cooler
Portfolio

Section: Projects / Portfolio

# Markdown Test Page This page is for testing how my portfolio renderer handles normal markdown, media lines, buttons, tables, lists, inline formatting, and mixed content blocks. It should feel like a real project page, not just lorem ipsum. ## 1. Basic Text This is a normal paragraph. It should wrap naturally and keep readable spacing between blocks. This paragraph includes bold text , italic text , strikethrough text , inline code , and a . Here is a sentence with a longer line of text to test how the page handles wrapping, rhythm, and spacing when the content becomes more explanatory and less like a short caption. ## 2. Project Summary Block Role: Mechanical design, CAD, prototyping, testing Timeline: May–July 2025 Context: Portfolio renderer test page Tools: Markdown, Google Sheets, JavaScript, media tags Status: Testing The summary block above should be easy to skim. This is the kind of section I would use near the top of a real project page. ## 3. Headings # H1 Heading ## H2 Heading ### H3 Heading A paragraph after headings should not feel cramped. The spacing should make the hierarchy obvious without needing extra styling. ## 4. Lists Unordered list: - First item - Second item with bold emphasis - Third item with a - Fourth item with nested items: - Nested item A - Nested item B - Nested item C Ordered list: 1. Understand the problem. 2. Collect the evidence. 3. Build the first version. 4. Test it physically. 5. Document what changed. ## 5. Table | Version | Change | Result | |---|---|---| | v1 | Basic layout | Proved the idea | | v2 | Added media support | Better visual archive | | v3 | Added clearer writing | More useful for interviews | | v4 | Reduced unnecessary UI | Closer to the intended feeling | Tables should remain readable on mobile and not destroy the page width. ## 6. Quote / Reflection A good portfolio page should not just show the finished object. It should show the situation, the constraints, the decisions, and the proof that I actually worked through the problem. This blockquote should visually separate itself from the normal paragraph flow. ## 7. Code Block js function describeProject project { return { problem: project.problem, role: project.role, evidence: project.media, outcome: project.result }; }
View Project Detail - Portfolio
Goose 4

Section: Projects / Rocketry / Goose 4

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: Goose 4.
View Project Detail - Goose 4
Rover

Section: Projects / Rover

.9
View Project Detail - Rover
CIRC 2023

Section: Projects / Rover / CIRC 2023

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: CIRC 2023.
View Project Detail - CIRC 2023
CIRC 2024

Section: Projects / Rover / CIRC 2024

Explore the details, media, and 3D models for the portfolio project: CIRC 2024.
View Project Detail - CIRC 2024
End Effector

Section: Projects / Rover / End Effector

### May 2023 to Aug 2023 A low-cost modular rover gripper built around reused lead screws, scavenged old rover hardware, machined aluminum parts, and 3D-printed task-specific pads. This was my first contribution to the mechanical subteam at the rover team. ## Quick Read - Built a low-cost rover end effector for CIRC-style manipulation tasks. - Reused old rover lead screws, motor hardware, aluminum stock, and printed parts instead of buying a new mechanism. - Iterated through seven versions, from a CAD 400 McMaster concept to a final machined/printed assembly. - Designed around swappable task pads, printed gears, wire routing, camera/laser mounting, and competition repair constraints. - Bench-tested grip behavior and estimated lead-screw clamp force, but did not measure actual grip force with a load cell. - Mounted on the rover, though the full rover arm/control stack was not stable enough for a clean competition task demo. .9 : Version 7. Served two years and three international competitions with YURS, at the 2023 Fall, 2024 Winter, and 2024 Fall . ## Team Need The rover needed an end effector for , not just a generic open-close claw. The end effector had to handle several different task objects without becoming expensive, heavy, or hard to rebuild between events. ## Requirements - Grab and lift 4 inch PVC pipe. - Press buttons. - Hook or latch onto loops. - Turn a ball valve. - Switch on a water pump. - Handle unknown “uranium rod module” geometry. - Leave room for possible tool or soil-collection attachments. : The “uranium rod modules” at competition. The geometry was not something I could design around exactly, so the gripper needed some tolerance for unknown shapes. : The astronaut plushy rescue task was one reason the gripper had to close around soft, awkward objects instead of only rigid parts. ## Constraints - Keep the cost low, ideally under CAD 70. - Reuse old rover hardware where possible. - Avoid relying too much on 3D-printed load-bearing parts. - Machine only a small number of aluminum parts. - Make the task pads swappable instead of redesigning the whole gripper for every task. - Keep printed parts small enough to use the university Sandbox print service when possible. The first few versions were mostly about finding a mechanism that could do the job without becoming expensive or hard to machine. ## Iterations : v1 was the expensive McMaster version. It helped define the mechanism, but it was not realistic for the team budget. ### v1 - McMaster Version - Left-handed lead screw. - Double-shaft worm gearbox 12V DC motor. - Mostly McMaster-Carr parts. - Around CAD 400 before tax and shipping. - Dropped because the cost and left-handed hardware sourcing made no sense. ### Found Parts v1 was too expensive, so the project changed direction during the annual hangar cleanup. : Parts found during the annual hangar cleanup in the Bergeron Centre. This changed the project from a McMaster-Carr shopping list into a reuse-what-we-have gripper. The hangar was the garage/workspace we used in the Bergeron Centre at YorkU. While cleaning it out, we found old rover hardware that could be reused for the gripper. That changed the design completely. Instead of buying a left-handed lead screw, worm gearbox, and new hardware, I started designing around what was already in the room. - Motor from the 2022 gripper. - Lead screw from the 2022 wrist. - Existing aluminum stock. - Existing linear bearings / guide hardware. - Printed parts only where they made sense. : v2 was the first serious low-cost version, built around reused rover parts and two right-handed lead screws. ### v2 - SolidBugs - Two right-handed lead screws, made by cutting the reused lead screw into two pieces. - Printed gears inverted one side so the two sides could move together. - Motor from the 2022 gripper. - Interchangeable printed task pads. - Almost CAD 0 except bearings and bolts. - Dropped because the SolidWorks assembly became unreliable. : v3 simplified the gear and shaft-coupler interface instead of treating the printed gears as separate parts. ### v3 - Coupler Gear Version - Printed gears built around available shaft couplers. - Orange PLA parts for gears and pads. - Still needed bearings. - Kept the two-lead-screw layout. - Main goal was to reduce part count and make assembly easier. : v4 to v6 were mostly buildability iterations: bearing fits, shaft retention, CAD rebuilds, drawings, printed gears, and the first moving assembly. ### v4-v6 - Making It Buildable After v3, the main mechanism did not change as much as the CAD and fabrication details did. I kept restarting the assembly because each rebuild made the layout cleaner. At the time, every version felt like the cleanest one I could make, then I would start over and find a simpler way to constrain the parts or package the mechanism. - Kept the two right-handed lead screw layout. - Reworked the printed gear and shaft coupler interface. - Worked through linear bearing fits and shaft retention. - Updated the CAD around the actual scavenged parts. - Prepared drawings and STLs. - Moved from CAD to six machined aluminum parts. - Reached the first moving proof of concept. The first moving version used the 2022 wrist lead screw cut into two pieces, about 14 cm and 16 cm long. Those were mounted to opposite-rotation gears so both moving jaw bodies travelled together. ## v7 - Final Version : v7 was the final integrated version. It kept the reused lead screw mechanism, but cleaned up the packaging, covers, mounting points, and printed task geometry. v7 was the version that actually got built and stayed with the rover. At this point the mechanism was mostly settled: two lead screws, printed gears, machined structure, and swappable task pads. The main change was making the assembly easier to build, mount, wire, and maintain. I originally made the moving jaw bodies from aluminum. After machining them, I realized that was not a useful place to spend weight. The printed gears, budget, and packaging mattered more than making every visible part metal. : Earlier moving jaw bodies were machined from aluminum. After making them, I realized they were heavier than they needed to be and were not the part most likely to fail first. : First full assembly. The main structure was machined aluminum, while the orange printed parts handled gears, task pads, covers, and adaptable geometry. The final design was less about making every part stronger and more about putting strength where it mattered. - Two reused lead screws. - 3D-printed gear set. - Swappable printed task pads. - Machined aluminum structure. - Printed moving jaw bodies instead of aluminum ones. - Central cover around the exposed gear area. - Zip-tie holes for wire routing and competition fixes. - Mounting points for camera, laser, and tool ideas. - Motor encoder available, though it was not used in the final control setup. The center cover was partly there to close the open gap around the gears. It also became a useful place to mount or route small things. I added holes because competition hardware always ends up needing last-minute wire routing, strain relief, or temporary fixes. Zip ties were the realistic answer. The task pads also had large openings so a valve handle could fit through them. The idea was to close around the handle and use the wrist rotation to turn the valve. ## Grip Testing : Crude grip test. I was watching motor current as a rough signal for when the gripper had contacted the object and was clamping hard enough; this was not a calibrated force test. ### Grip Force Estimate I did a rough lead-screw force estimate before the first full assembly. The assumptions I wrote down at the time were: - 29 kgf-cm motor stall torque. - T8-style 8 mm lead screw. - 2 mm lead used in the original estimate. - 0.1 assumed friction coefficient. Using those assumptions, I estimated about 362.5 kgf of clamping force at the moving jaw body. Later, after more assembly work, I described the design as roughly 300 kgf of grip force. I would treat both numbers as rough theoretical estimates, not measured results. The basic idea was that motor torque gets converted into axial force by the lead screw. $ F = \frac{2 \pi T}{l} $ A more realistic power-screw estimate includes thread friction: $ T = F \frac{d m}{2} \left \frac{l + \pi \mu d m}{\pi d m - \mu l} \right $ Where: - T is motor torque. - F is axial force from the lead screw. - d m is mean screw diameter. - l is lead per revolution. - μ is the friction coefficient. I used the nominal 8 mm screw diameter in the original estimate. A more careful calculation would use the thread mean diameter and would check the actual screw efficiency, so I would not present the 362.5 kgf number as a measured or verified result. I also need to verify whether that screw was single-start or multi-start. The equation uses lead per revolution, not just thread pitch, so this assumption matters a lot. The important part is that I checked the order of magnitude and realized the mechanism could generate much more grip force than the printed parts or task objects probably needed. What I should have done next was test it with a load cell between the pads and record actual grip force against motor current. The motor had an encoder, so position feedback was physically available. It was not used in the final rover setup because the interface did not match what the electrical/software side was using at the time. : Unfinished but useful test. The part that failed was not the gear train; the printed jaw body walked off the brass lead screw nut because I had not screwed it in yet. I'm recording this video. The printed gears were still something I worried about. I had to use printed gears because proper gears did not fit the budget, and I printed spares in case they failed at competition. By the final version, they held up better than I expected. ## Integration The gripper was mounted to the rover and tested separately for opening and closing. It was physically ready enough to reach the rover, but using it in a task depended on the rest of the arm and rover stack being ready too. : Gripper mounted during a 2023 CIRC indoor panel task. This is not a clean gripper demo; it shows the rover trying to approach the task panel while the full arm, wrist, drive, and control stack was still being debugged. I never got a clean competition run where the gripper completed a task. That was disappointing, but it is also a normal systems problem. The gripper depended on the drive base, arm, wrist, wiring, power, motor controllers, and software all working at the same time. The electrical and software teams were working through custom Vroom motor controllers, CAN communication, drive reliability, circuit protection, power issues, and later Spark MAX controllers for the arm. For this page, the honest outcome is that the gripper reached the rover, but the full rover was not stable enough to show it properly in a competition task. ## What Changed The biggest change was going from a bought-parts design to a found-parts design. The second biggest change was realizing that metal was not automatically better. Some parts needed to be machined aluminum. Other parts were better as printed geometry because they were lighter, faster to replace, and easier to adapt for tasks. The final gripper was not the design I would make with more time and money. It was the design I could actually build with the team’s budget, tools, and timeline. ## What I Would Improve Now I would measure the actual gripping force instead of relying on a theoretical lead-screw calculation. I would use a load cell between the task pads and record force against motor current, so the current limit could be based on real data instead of a rough bench test. I would also spend more time on integration earlier. The gripper had an encoder available, but it was not used. If I were doing it again, I would define the electrical and software interface earlier instead of treating the gripper mostly as a mechanical object. I would still keep the swappable task pads. That part of the design made sense. The rover tasks were too varied for one fixed jaw shape, and changing printed pads was much cheaper than redesigning the whole gripper.
View Project Detail - End Effector
eStop Mount

Section: Projects / Rover / eStop Mount

No content
View Project Detail - eStop Mount
Resin Wheels

Section: Projects / Rover / Resin Wheels

No content
View Project Detail - Resin Wheels
URDF

Section: Projects / Rover / URDF

No content
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SumoBot

Section: Projects / SumoBot

.8
View Project Detail - SumoBot