Award-Winning Ornithopter — Concept, Prototyping & Flight Testing

Four-person NMSU mechanical design project to develop a flapping-wing aircraft under strict material and manufacturing constraints for a competition of approximately 18 teams.

I developed the primary concept and design direction, produced AutoCAD conceptual drawings, researched materials and relevant patents, and contributed directly to fabrication, testing, and troubleshooting across multiple physical prototypes. A teammate translated portions of the concept into SolidWorks while I focused on the physical design, build, and test cycle.

The final ornithopter achieved approximately 10 meters of powered flapping flight and placed second among the participating teams—one of only about two designs to complete a meaningful flight. The project strengthened my skills in concept development, design iteration, rapid prototyping, hands-on fabrication, and engineering problem-solving under tight constraints.