My Past Projects
Hello, I’m Weijie Zhang, a Mechanical Engineering graduate student at UCSD with a focus on Robotics. My academic journey has been driven by a curiosity for solving engineering challenges and a desire to develop practical, innovative solutions.
In this portfolio, you’ll find a selection of my work that reflects my commitment to applying engineering principles with creativity and diligence. I hope you find the projects here insightful and that they provide a glimpse into my approach to engineering. Thank you for taking the time to explore my work!
Hands-On Robotics & Hardware Design
1-DoF Motorcycle Simulator
Developed as a UCSD haptics class project, the 1-DoF Motorcycle Simulator offers a realistic and immersive riding experience, combining mechanical design with haptic feedback to replicate the forces felt during acceleration, braking, and navigating bumps.
Robotic Wrist Exoskeleton with IMU Feedback
Powered by six twisted string actuators, this low-cost, lightweight wrist exoskeleton uses two 9-axis IMUs for real-time visual feedback, allowing full wrist movement across three degrees of freedom; it will be published in the RCAE 2024 Conference Proceedings.
Vision-based Automatic Guided Vehicle
This project features a robot equipped with Mecanum wheels, two cameras, and a 3-DOF robotic arm with a gripper. The robot is capable of line tracking, obstacle avoidance, object detection, localization, and picking up objects from either side.
Ball-Launching Catapult with Autoloading
This project features a versatile catapult that launches tennis, table tennis, and racket balls. It includes an autoloading mechanism for seamless operation and wireless control for convenient remote use.
Robotic Simulations & Algorithms
KUKA youBot Simulation
The final project in MAE204 involved controlling the youBot, a mobile manipulator robot, to pick up and place a cube. The project focused on trajectory generation, youBot kinematics, and the implementation of feedforward and PI feedback control techniques.
Sensing & Estimation in Robotics: Course Projects
These projects offer a look into key areas of robotics, including orientation tracking for panorama construction, LiDAR-based SLAM for localization and mapping, and Visual-Inertial SLAM techniques. Click to learn more about each project.
Planning & Learning in Robotics: Course Projects
These projects explore key concepts like dynamic programming, motion planning, and infinite-horizon stochastic optimal control. Each project dives into a unique aspect of robotics, showcasing thoughtful problem-solving and practical applications.
Data-Driven Analysis
2022 Mathematical Contest In Modeling: Trading Strategies
This project developed a model based on the MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) indicator, using only past daily prices to decide whether a trader should buy, hold, or sell assets. The model earned Meritorious Winner, placing in the top 10%.
Statistical Analysis of Heart Disease Risk Factors with R
This project used BRFSS 2013 data and R programming to analyze the impact of factors like BMI, exercise, and cholesterol on coronary heart disease risk. Machine learning models identified cholesterol, hypertension, and exercise as key predictors, with an AUC of 0.801 in the final model.
User-Centered Web Design
Professional Driving Instructor Website Design
This user-friendly website is designed for a professional driving instructor, highlighting various driving services and personalized instruction. The site features a clean, intuitive layout and responsive design.