About Me

Hi I am Logan Hartford :wave:,
I am a 3rd year mechanical engineering student at the University of Waterloo. While I study mechanical engineering, my curiousity leads me into all engineering fields. I thrive at the intersection of engineering diciplines which is probably why I love robotics so much! I’ve been a part of the University of Waterloo Robotics team since 2021 and I have been a leader on the team in one form or another since early 2022.

[email protected] (705) 427-5690 Download Resume

Skills

Work History

Robotic Electrical System Integration, Tesla Bot | Tesla Inc.

September 2023 — December 2023
  • Led electrical system integration for AI-driven data collection platforms, developing test protocols to assess operational efficacy and designing harnesses with verified CAN-FD signal integrity.
  • Devised a modular repair guide, a comprehensive repair process and a training procedure for technicians for a new generation of robotic hands to boost repair yield from 50% to 95%.
  • Reduced triage time during repairs by 75% by implementing software-driven start and end-of-repair checks for robotic hands, employing a Python backend and HTML/JS/CSS frontend for UI efficiency.

Cell Manufacturing Engineering, Can Stamping | Tesla, Inc

January 2023 — April 2023
  • Modeled and fabricated a bracket assembly to accurately position trigger sensors and a reject actuator relative to a CV camera on a high-volume production line, resulting in a 15% improvement in system reliability.
  • Developed 3D-printed fixtures for quality control, optimizing tool orientation and increasing part throughput, resulting in a 90% reduction in tooling time and an 85% reduction in part measurement time.
  • Created two end-to-end Python applications to automate data collection and aggregation for an equipment troubleshooting guide, a project aimed at reducing equipment downtime.

Robotic Hardware Design & Firmware | EMR Laboratories Inc.

May 2022 — December 2022
  • Consolidated the electrical footprint of a sewer inspection robot by 60% by integrating a custom Nvidia Jetson baseboard, motor controller, and fiber-to-ethernet converter into a single main-board
  • Continuously refined the main-board and simultaneously developed the firmware to produce the final version of the board (qty. 400), consisting of an 8-layer, dual-sided PCB with MIPI, USB2.0, and Ethernet routing.
  • Designed a custom 4S Li-Ion battery management system (BMS) board with firmware and a prototype charger that enhances the user-friendliness of the robot by eliminating the need to remove the batteries for charging.

Consumer Hardware Design & Firmware | EMR Laboratories Inc.

September 2021 — April 2022
  • Developed a low-cost, low-power PCB for production (qty. 1500) of a novel safety device for workers at height. The device detects and raises an alarm if a boom lift operator is not safely tied off during operation.
  • Built a functional elevator model to emulate real-life scenarios of the safety device, utilizing Arduinos and radio modules to transmit data to a computer for firmware development and performance evaluation.
  • Optimized IC configurations, implemented automatic sleep/wake functionality, and reduced code runtime from 90ms to 16ms to extend device battery life from 20 to 128 days.

Electrical Lead, Team Lead | University of Waterloo Robotics Team

September 2021 — Present
  • Managed team direction, project coordination, and sub-team integration to ensure seamless functioning of all systems in the Mars Rover Robot in preparation for the University Rover Challenge.
  • Coordinated and led the electrical team, providing mentorship to novice members throughout their board design process, including assisting with design reviews and assembly and testing using appropriate equipment.
  • Created and validated two iterations of an 8A output, 48-24V multi-phase buck converter, utilizing high-power layout techniques to ensure adequate power and heat distribution on the board

BASc Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Option | University of Waterloo

September 2020 — Present
  • Intro to Microprocessors and Digital Logic
  • Microprocessor Systems and Interfacing
  • Circuits I/II
  • Intro to Control Systems
  • Mechanical Design I
  • Mechanics of Deformable Solids I/II
  • Thermodynamics I/II
  • Manufacturing Processes
  • Fluid Mechanics I/II
  • Heat Transfer I