Rithwik Nair

open to work · austin, tx

hi, i'm rithwik!

i'm a high school robotics engineer and researcher with experience across mechanical design, manufacturing, electronics, embedded systems, and software. i was selected as a FIRST Dean's List Finalist (0.2%), and earned 2nd place in Texas for my research. i enjoy solving difficult problems and building projects with real-world impact. feel free to reach out!

01

Experience

  • Westwood Robotics

    FRC Director

    Leading FRC 2583 Orange Dynamite — directing 70+ students developing competitive robots on the international stage.

    May 2026 - Present

  • Westwood Robotics

    Lead Design Engineer

    Lead mechanical architect: drivetrain geometry, multi-stage elevators, linkage manipulators, and DFM-driven fabrication across CNC, sheet metal, and additive.

    Aug 2024 - May 2026

  • ChaiGPT Robotics

    Team Captain

    Captain and lead hardware engineer of FTC Team 24133 across 3 seasons — full CAD ownership in Onshape/Fusion 360, validated across 30+ tournaments.

    Mar 2023 - Present

  • Independent

    Roboticist & Researcher

    End-to-end robotic and biomedical systems: a reconfigurable quadruped, a closed-loop tVNS wearable, and high-efficiency actuators — custom PCBs, firmware, and validation from CAD to field testing.

    Jan 2022 - Present

  • FIRST Robotics

    Student Volunteer & Mentor

    Mentoring FTC and FRC teams, leading outreach that helped launch multiple new teams, and working with educators and district leadership to grow local robotics.

    Aug 2024 - Present

  • NYU Tandon School of Engineering

    Student Researcher, SPARC

    Applied robotics research under university mentorship — experimental systems taken from proposal through deployment, documented to academic standards.

    Jul 2025 - Aug 2025

  • SMU

    Student Researcher, GSTCA

    Drone research alongside PhD students at Southern Methodist University through the Governor's Science and Technology Champions Academy.

    Summer 2025

  • Intel ISEF

    Student Researcher

    Quantum cryptography research — a QKD simulation framework that earned 2nd in Systems Software at GASEF and TXSEF.

    Aug 2024 - Present

  • Westwood High School

    Varsity LD Debater

    Lincoln–Douglas debate on a nationally top-10 ranked team with a research-centric competitive methodology.

    Aug 2024 - Present

02

Education

  • Westwood High School

    High School Diploma · 4.0 GPA (Unweighted)

    • AP: Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, Calculus AB, Precalculus, Physics 1, World History, Human Geography
    • PLTW: Intro to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering — Fusion 360 certified

    Expected May 2028

03

Awards

  • FIRST Dean's List Finalist

    FIRST's premier student leadership award — one of ~200 finalists selected from 100,000+ FIRST Tech Challenge students worldwide.

  • 2nd Place, Systems Software — TXSEF & GASEF

    2nd place in Systems Software at both the Texas and Greater Austin Science & Engineering Fairs for quantum key distribution research.

  • Nationally Top-10 Debate Program

    Varsity Lincoln–Douglas debater on a nationally top-10 ranked team.

04

Skills

Mechanical Engineering

CAD & Design
Onshape, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Mechanism Design, Linkages & Differentials, Tolerance Stack-Ups, DFM/DFA
Analysis & Validation
FEA & CFD (SimScale), Load & Deflection Testing, MTBF Tracking, Stiffness-to-Weight Optimization
Manufacturing
Fusion 360 CAM, CNC Machining (Tormach PCNC 1100, OMIO X8), 6061/7075 Aluminum, Sheet Metal, FDM Printing

Electrical & Embedded

PCB Design
KiCad, Hierarchical Schematics, 2-Layer Layout, DRC/ERC, SPICE Simulation, Hand Soldering (SMD & THT)
Embedded Systems
SAMD21, Teensy 4.1, Raspberry Pi, CAN Bus, Real-Time Firmware, Sensor Fusion (Biopotential, GSR, Temperature)
Power & Actuation
Power Architecture, Motor Drivers, Encoders, High-Torque Gimbal Motors, EMI Management

Software & Research

Programming
Python (NumPy, PyCryptodome), Java, C++, ROS, Simulation Frameworks
Controls
Inverse Kinematics, PID Tuning, Closed-Loop Systems, Data Acquisition Pipelines
Research
Quantum Key Distribution, Protocol Simulation, Experimental Design, Technical Writing

Leadership & Communication

Teams
FRC & FTC Leadership (70+ Students), Mentoring & Outreach, Project Planning, Fabrication Direction
Debate
Varsity Lincoln–Douglas, Argumentation, Public Speaking
Languages
English, Hindi, Malayalam, Spanish, French

05

Projects