Undergraduate Students

Santiago Gonzalez is a Senior Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University. He is passionate about Mechanical Design, 3D modeling, and prototyping. His current research focuses on the design of rolling contact joints and strength augmentation through tendon-routing techniques. Utilizing the experience he gained in the turbomachinery industry and robotics, he is currently designing the joints and tendon routing for mechanically-actuated fingers that will be used for the HAND project.

Kayson Hergert is a Mechanical Engineering senior at Texas A&M University. Her current research focuses on the hardware design of a human input device for a lower-limb exoskeleton, with the goal of improving user interaction and performance. Her interests include mechanical design, product prototyping, and system integration, with a focus on robotics and human-centered design.

James Lee is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University, minoring in Electrical Engineering. He is passionate about controls and path planning within the realm of robotic manipulation. Utilizing the skills he gained from his previous research and internship experience, he is currently working on integrating various sensors and a real-time controller into the DUCK-E 2 exoskeleton.

Yousuf Shafiu is a Mechanical Engineering Honors student concurrently pursuing the Master’s in Quantitative Finance program at the Mays Business School. He is passionate about robotics, applied mathematics, and dynamic modeling. Yousuf is currently focusing on the implementation of a real-time controller for the DUCK-E 2 exoskeleton to better understand human preferences when it comes to choosing between direct and autonomous exoskeleton control.

Eddy Silva is a multilingual and multicultural Senior Honors Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M, minoring in Business and Mathematics. He is passionate about Controls, Robotics, and Engineering and plans to also get a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering after his Bachelor’s degree. With some previous lab and internship experience, he is now working on the DUCK-E2 exoskeleton project and plans to publish a thesis through the URS program in Spring of 2026.