Elevate Ski XO

Employer: Roam Robotics

Role: Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Roam launched it's first rental units of the Elevate Ski XO in the winter ski season of 2018-2019.

When I joined Roam in February 2018 as a Sr. Mechanical Engineer the team still only had a prototype system and were fundraising for their first small production run. I contributed to most of the design features of the 1st and 2nd generation ski products and supported their launch into the rental market.

Design Features:

• Bilateral knee XO with a backpack PowerPack and Remote control user interface.

• Multiple power settings for user to select amount of assistance.

• Provided extension assist and flexion damping/impact cushioning through pneumatic actuator co-located laterally at the knee joint.

• Helped users into and out of turns and cushioned impact

• Low distal mass due to pneumatic actuation. All the weight of the system was in the backpack PowerPack on the users torso.

Some of my key contributions:

• DFM of injection molded, cast, and machined parts, and coordinated with vendors for fabrication, first articles and quality inspection.

• Evaluated break-away force of connectors to ensure safety on ski runs and chair lifts.

• Executed cycle and stress verification tests of pneumatic actuator and structural components of robot knee joint.

• Designed pneumatic actuator architecture, peformed pneumatic system optimization, valve selection, and design of mounting and reinforcing components of soft actuator

• Designed sub-assemblies for various IP-ratings and temperature conditions to survive harsh mountain environment above 6,000 feet of elevation