Haptic Controller

Rev is a handheld haptic controller and programming toolset that was developed as a part of the Google Robotics / "Replicant" initiatives circa 2014-2016. Rev was the culmination of many years of building various knob-like human interfaces for real-time motion control platforms.

I executed the mechanical engineering, technical project management, and product development of Rev working alongside one other fantastic software / hardware engineer. We worked with experts across disciplines internal and external to Google to deliver an elegant product design marrying form & function in under a year, despite the under-resourced team. I lined up CM’s and contracts for various components for prototype / design-development runs in the 100’s of units.

Technical challenges included: development of a wireless inductance ring (to pass data across a spinning interface), a non-canonical resistive touch-screen (cylindrical), and custom BLDC rotor/stator design. Other criteria that required some finessing were RF and EMI related (motor!), balancing torque & the haptic experience with power limitations over PoE and heat dissipation, and institutional chaos to name a few.

I contributed to and managed the industrial design of the product from schematics to final CMF, working with the amazing design firm ‘HUGE’ in San Francisco.