Work @ Fabrica Robotics
Overview
During my Co-op as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Fabrica Robotics in Singapore, I worked on the vision and hardware systems of an autonomous tile grouting robot. My primary focus was the design and validation of a low-angle LED lighting system to improve grout-line detection — taking the project from initial hypothesis through five prototype iterations, quantitative benchmarking, and live site deployment with construction clients.Key Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Vision Lighting System Design
Designed and iterated five prototype LED fixture generations in SolidWorks, progressing from clamp-mounted concepts to permanently retrofitted, forward-facing mounts.
Solved mechanical interference constraints with the robot's extruder assembly while keeping fixtures within the robot footprint and clear of the scrubbing front.
Eliminated camera glare by relocating LEDs to avoid direct reflection paths back into the extruder camera's field of view.
Quantitative Performance Benchmarking
Established signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) testing protocols across four tile types at both scanning and grouting camera positions.
Achieved up to 320% SNR improvement in grout-line contrast, unlocking additional line detections that were previously undetectable.
Ran controlled experiments isolating variables including light angle, quantity, distance, and diffusion quality to identify optimal geometry.
On-Site Validation & Field Testing
Conducted live wet-testing trials with Woh Hup at active construction sites including Holland Village and The Orie.
Diagnosed real-world failure modes including fixture collision breakage, extruder light blockage, and false-positive detection from tile patterning.
Compared static versus dynamic benchmarking runs to validate fixture rigidity and measurement repeatability.
Optical Materials & Refinement
Redesigned fixtures to accept acrylic diffuser inserts, comparing frosted versus clear acrylic performance to balance beam spread against light intensity.
Removed unnecessary heat sink geometry after thermal evaluation, reducing fixture volume and simplifying assembly.
Built a test fixture for the robot's new rack-and-pinion extruder nozzle.
Skills Gained
Mechanical Design: SolidWorks fixture design, design-for-retrofit, packaging within tight spatial constraints, 3D printed rapid prototyping
Optical Engineering: Low-angle illumination geometry, glare mitigation, diffusion materials, field-of-view optimization
Test & Validation: Design of Experiments, SNR benchmarking, static vs. dynamic testing, controlled variable isolation, soldering and wiring-remanagement
Field Engineering: Live site deployment, client-facing validation, real-world failure mode analysis
Documentation: Project journey documentation, experimental design records, results reporting to cross-functional teams
