Project Type: Self-Directed Engineering Project

Role: Product Designer & Mechanical Engineer

Timeline: Summer 2025 – Present

Status: In Progress (Phase 2 — Active Prototyping)

🧠 Goal

Design and fabricate a fully programmable, tripod-based camera rig that gives low-budget creators access to precise, repeatable cinematic motion — specifically tilt (X-axis), pan (Y-axis), and vertical height (Z-axis), with a long-term vision of 6 degrees of freedom. BUDDY merges mechanical engineering, mechatronics, and creative media production into a system that feels familiar to creators while being something entirely new underneath.

🗺️ The Journey So Far

Phase 1 — Proof of Concept (Summer 2025)

Phase 1 was about building something — anything — that worked. Starting from scratch, the first prototype used 2020 aluminum extrusions, a belt-driven linear axis, and NEMA 17 stepper motors with TMC2208 drivers. Arduino-based motion control with sine-easing allowed for smooth keyframe-style motion, and tilt and pan platforms were fabricated using laser-cut plywood and 3D-printed parts.

Key outcomes from Phase 1:

• Tilt and dolly platforms were built and tested
• A pan platform was added using a lazy-susan-style rotation mechanism
• The overall footprint was reduced by 2.7× over the first prototype
• Major lessons learned: scope clearly, trust the software, and find a team

Phase 1 ended with a working prototype — imperfect, but proof that the concept was real.

Phase 2 — Redesign & Refinement (2026 – Present)

After a semester away, BUDDY came back with a new direction. The boxy, bench-top design was retired in favor of a tripod-based architecture — something creators are already familiar with, and a better foundation for building toward full 6DOF control.

Phase 2 has been defined by three principles: