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Design Engineer
Ryder Fine.
I build things that work; and think about why they should. Additive manufacturing, integrated systems, and engineering for real-world impact.
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I build things that work; and think about why they should. Additive manufacturing, integrated systems, and engineering for real-world impact.
Ryder Fine is an engineer built for problems that don't fit neatly into one discipline. He brings physical intuition to digital concepts, systems thinking to component-level decisions, and user research to engineering tradeoffs. The result is work that is technically rigorous and immediately understood - products built for real hands, systems that hold under real constraints, and solutions that look inevitable once they exist.
Every idea has to survive contact with reality. Rendering is hypothesis. Prototyping is proof. Designs get built because you can't validate what you can't hold, test, break, and rebuild.
Mechanism is the logic beneath the surface: it lives in gears and linkages, but also in feedback loops, decision trees, and the invisible rules that make a system behave. Getting mechanisms right separates things that work in theory from things that hold up in the field.
No component exists in isolation. Systems thinking means understanding how parts interact, how behavior emerges from structure, and how changes ripple through everything, from rover platforms to resource models.
A modular, magnetically-mounted workstation letting students use a laptop and whiteboard simultaneously. Stability engineered through rubber pads, strong magnets, and beveled release geometry. Designed with modularity at its core.
Spring-motor driven costume mechanism for a Destination Imagination performance. Iterated through hinged springs and pneumatics before landing on a reliable remote-actuated solution. Designed for live performance reliability.
600 lb, 10-foot human-powered electricity generator for STEM education. Fully modular, assembled by two people in 13 minutes. A bridge rectifier converts generated AC to DC to power an LED array.
CoreXY system that vectorizes an input image and draws it on paper. Arduino + NEMA 17 motors with limit-switch homing. Custom CAD components iterated through many revisions. Complete software pipeline from SVG to machine movement.
Pressure-pad reimagining of the touchless faucet. Copper plate contacts, silicone rebound, temperature control, and shutoff delay, all shaped by stakeholder interviews and restroom space analysis.
Quantitative stock-flow model of Platinum Group Metal mining in South Africa. Referenced 40+ sources to model CO₂ reduction and worker safety improvements via robotic substitution and grid modernization.
Contributing to the mechanical design and build of a Mars rover for the University Rover Challenge, one of the most prestigious student robotics competitions globally. Working across structural systems, additive manufacturing components, and integrated design.
Designing and building a wheel testing rig for the Mines Lunar Surface Simulator, a platform to evaluate rover wheel performance under simulated lunar terrain and gravity conditions for research and validation.
Adaptive adjustable stilts for theatrical performance using pneumatic pistons. Iterating for live-performance safety, ease of use, and reliability. Managing grant funds and performing cost-benefit analysis.
Complex systems analysis on global resource management and alternative material sourcing. Building quantitative system dynamics models in Vensim to test feedback loops and model long-term policy impacts.
Researched and set up $40K of engineering equipment (CNC, Additive MFG, Machining). Built training systems and SOPs supporting 5,000 students. Co-launched a 37,000 sq ft facility through setup, marketing, and donor tours.
Designed and delivered 100+ custom replacement parts through an online storefront, applying CAD, additive manufacturing, and rigorous testing. Upgraded and maintained multiple 3D printers to reduce operating costs.
Collaborated in international engineering teams on Formula 1 aerodynamics, pump construction, and water infrastructure projects.
McBride Honors Program · Club Water Polo · Oredigger Leadership Community. Focus: Product Design & Additive Manufacturing.
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