KW Kefan Wu

Mechanical Lead / Olin Electric Motorsports / MechE @ Olin College '28 / GPA 3.9

ArduinoTIG WeldingAutoCADTopology Study SolidWorksMATLABFEACFD CNC MillLatheWaterjetCarbon FiberTeam ManagementAI-Assisted Eng

Kefan Wu

I design, build, and test race-car systems, robots, and machined hardware — from load cases to finished parts.

View projects Enter the 3D Studio
Mechanical Lead Olin Electric Motorsports
4 Mechanical subteams led
85 kW Racecar — 0–60 mph in 3.5 s
16 Engineering projects
Scroll

01 / Selected work

Projects

Formula SAE steering column CAD with dual U-joints, quick-release wheel, and steering rack

01 / Motorsport

Matched 27.5° dual U-joints cancel speed ripple; the wheel sits 3.5 in closer, 15° more upright than Mk.7.

Brake rotor finite element analysis result

02 / Motorsport

22-lap MATLAB thermal model justified a 25% rotor mass cut at a 3.0 factor of safety.

CAD of the reinforced vine everting robot: aluminium plates on every face and three C-shaped steel brackets wrapped around the pressure vessel

03 / Research

5 psi pressure vessel for a soft-robot deformation study — reinforced to 0.234 GPa peak stress against A36's 0.25 GPa yield.

Engineering stress against extension for the fabric and LDPE specimens over the first 25 mm of the tensile test

04 / Research

30 ASTM D882 specimens and 11 bending tests on an Instron 3345, fitted into the orthotropic model a soft-robot predictor consumes.

Javelin high-speed VTOL tail-sitter drone, front view with four motors in an X

05 / Robotics

Designed for 300 km/h — tail-sitter with zero control surfaces; every maneuver from differential thrust.

Ansys Fluent pressure coefficient result on a VTOL drone model

06 / Analysis

Teaching package for AI-agent-driven headless Ansys Fluent — 11 documented failure modes.

Carbon fiber cockpit seat CAD render showing the layup contours and mounting cutout

07 / Motorsport

Composite shoulder-support shell designed for load paths and race-weekend repairability.

Formula SAE aluminum seat finite element analysis cover

08 / Motorsport

Cockpit fit validated across ~20 drivers; six-point harness on dedicated chassis tabs.

AURA swerve drive module CAD with steering motor, drive wheel, and gearmotor

09 / Robotics

Independent front swerve modules for a 300 lb autonomous cart — waterjet, TIG-welded A36 steel.

Gantry-based 3D scanner prototype

10 / Robotics

LiDAR gantry scanner — 2,206 points, under 3% error after calibration.

CAD render of Pool Sniper cue launcher

11 / Robotics

Surgical-tubing energy storage, adjustable pullback release, laser aiming, 2:1 chain-driven cue pullback.

CAD assembly of the line follower robot: chassis, Arduino Mega, dual gearmotors, wheels, and IR sensor boards

12 / Robotics

Controller, drivers, sensors, and power packaged on a palm-size chassis.

Smelly automated perfume-mixing machine CAD with dual lead-screw gantry and dispensing head

13 / Robotics

Perfume-mixing vending machine; gantry and actuators designed, printed, and debugged in 2.5 days.

CAD layout of the guitar education kit: neck, body, pickups, bridge, control plate, and pickguard

14 / Product

~$100 STEAM kit — 8th/9th graders build a playable guitar in about 45 minutes.

Finished Telecaster-style guitar in a case

15 / Fabrication

Walnut/maple body: glued blank, ShopBot CNC, multi-coat finish, working electronics.

FTC robot competing on a field with cone scoring elements

16 / Robotics

Massachusetts Championship winning alliance — cone intake, string-driven lift, mecanum drive.

14 EXHIBITS · INTERACTIVE

Walk the studio

The 14 modeled projects above, as 3D exhibits in a night-lit room. The resume is on the desk.

02 / Toolchain

Skill matrix

CAD & modeling

  • SolidWorks
  • AutoCAD
  • Topology study

Simulation & analysis

  • FEA
  • CFD
  • MATLAB

CNC & machining

  • CNC mill
  • Lathe
  • Waterjet

Fabrication & composites

  • TIG welding
  • Carbon fiber
  • 3D printing

Electronics & controls

  • Arduino
  • ESP32
  • Embedded sensors

Software & leadership

  • AI-assisted engineering (PyFluent, headless CFD)
  • Python
  • Team management

04 / How I contribute

Capabilities

TEAM

Team management

Subsystem ownership, task breakdown, design reviews, fabrication planning, and cross-team execution.

See: FSAE program →
CAD

Mechanical architecture

SolidWorks assemblies, exploded views, cockpit packaging, linkage design, and DFM iteration.

See: Mk.8 steering →
SHOP

Fabrication

CNC, lathe, waterjet, 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, wiring, fit checks, and assembly.

See: Telecaster build →
CAE

Simulation and modeling

MATLAB thermal models, FEA, topology studies, parameter sweeps, and data-backed decisions.

See: FSAE Brake Sim →
CTRL

Controls and integration

Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, stepper drivers, LiDAR, sensors, shielding, and debugging.

See: 3D scanner →

05 / Contact

Let's build cool stuff.

Seeking a Summer 2027 mechanical engineering internship — vehicle systems, robotics, or manufacturing. Email me and I'll reply within a day.

View resume (PDF) kwu@olin.edu LinkedIn