Project Case Study
These are a few key projects that highlight my expertise in mechanical engineering and design
Designing for Impact: SpiroSniff: An AI-Driven Breathalyzer for Lung Cancer Detection
Lung cancer is terrifying, not just because of what it is, but because we often catch it too late. I kept coming back to one question: Why are the tools we use to detect it so invasive, expensive, and out of reach for so many people? That question became the heartbeat of SpiroSniff.
I wanted to reframe the problem through the eyes of the people who live it, clinicians trying to make fast, informed decisions, and patients who deserve something gentler. So I asked myself: What would it take to design a diagnostic tool that’s intelligent, affordable, and fits naturally into a clinician’s workflow — without adding more friction or fear?
I leaned heavily on architectural design thinking, not just because I love structure, but because it taught me to think in layers: space, interaction, emotion. Systems engineering gave me the tools, but empathy gave me the direction.
Research & Contextual Inquiry
I (along with my fellow engineers on this project) spent hours talking to pulmonologists and oncologists. Not just about the science, but about the frustrations, the missed diagnoses, the workflow bottlenecks, the emotional toll. I mapped out their processes, studied VOC biomarkers, and tried to see the system from their perspective.
System Integration
I built a gas-sensor array tuned for VOC detection and paired it with a machine learning pipeline that could classify breath samples with high sensitivity and specificity. But the tech was only half the story, it had to feel right too.
Simulation & Prototyping
Using SolidWorks and COMSOL, I simulated airflow to optimize how breath moved through the device. Then I built physical prototypes and tested them in real clinical settings. Seeing someone hold it, use it, changed everything.
User Experience & Visualization
I designed a dashboard that gave clinicians instant clarity. No clutter, no guesswork. Just clean, readable data. I obsessed over the interface, how it looked, how it felt, how it respected their time and attention.
Testing & Feedback
We ran usability studies and got honest, sometimes brutal feedback. I welcomed it. Every round of testing made the device more intuitive, more ergonomic, more useful.
Empathy in Design: Listening deeply to clinicians and patients shaped every decision I made.
Systems Thinking: The magic happened when hardware, software, and user experience came together as one.
Iterative Development: Like architecture, it was all about prototyping, testing, and refining.
Impact Orientation: I designed SpiroSniff to work in resource-limited settings, because innovation shouldn’t be exclusive.