Mercator.

// Context

Mercator is a research instrument: a reproducible robot other labs can build to run swarm-robotics experiments. That makes validation the hard part: every part has to be proven to fit and integrate before it is committed to a physical build and a published bill of materials.

Role .

I contributed to the mechanical and electronics integration of the platform and to the validation work the paper reports, iterating the design across multiple prototype generations, from early laser-cut prototypes to the final 3D-printed builds in the publication.

Engineering .

I built a full CAD digital twin of the platform in Autodesk Inventor from day one, used to validate fit, clearances, and mounting points on screen before any part was produced. That covered the chassis plates, sensor mounts, LED diffusion ring, and the power-regulator enclosure. On the electronics side I did the power budget across the RVR battery, two Raspberry Pis, the LIDAR, Multiflex sensors, OAK-D, the DWM/UWB modules, and the LED ring, and the placement rationale for the UWB antennas to avoid RF interference with the battery electronics.