NextFlex Interns Learn and Inspire

This summer, NextFlex welcomed interns Neve Apte, a Junior studying Computer Engineering, and Casey Chen, a Senior studying Manufacturing Systems, to our San Jose Innovation Hub. Over the course of 10 weeks, Neve and Casey took great advantage of the wealth of tools and expertise available at NextFlex to bolster their understanding of Hybrid Electronics and gain valuable real-world manufacturing and engineering skills.

Right to Left: Neve Apte (intern), Neve’s manager Jose Ignacio Rodriguez-Labra, Casey’s manager Jackson Rambough, and Casey Chen (intern).

Neve, a returning summer intern, hit the ground running this year by rapidly learning a new design software and quickly utilizing it to generate complex Hybrid Electronics designs. Based on NextFlex’s A21 platform, Neve designed, manufactured, and tested three sensor “daughter” boards considering a microphone, IR temperature sensor, and heart rate/oxygen sensor respectively. Neve also wrote detailed documentation regarding each of these devices to support internal and external education purposes.

Building off her experience with the sensor boards, Neve tackled an even more challenging infrared circuit. Again, the resultant board is compatible with the A21 platform and was tested to operate at a targeted 38kHz.

Ever ambitious, Neve chose to pursue an additively printed battery for her final project of the summer. Neve researched the necessary materials and construction process, and generated novel designs for each layer of the intended battery, which consists of three parallel rows of 6 cells. The final battery design is compatible with the A21, with the capability to power the device for approximately 18 minutes.

Casey kicked the summer off by showcasing their CAD and additive manufacturing prowess through production of several display and structural tools. This process required Casey to exercise rapid prototyping practices and flex their creativity.
Over the summer, Casey established themselves as the primary operator of NextFlex’s Voltera Nova system, supporting the fabrication team by characterizing new materials, generating complex prints, and troubleshooting various issues directly with Voltera. By the end of the 10 weeks, Casey had demonstrated Voltera’s new multilayer “Plan” feature and fully documented operation and maintenance of the printer.

Concerned with the danger of sports related concussions, and with a clear understanding of the potential benefits of Hybrid Electronics, Casey proposed a Head Impact Sensor for their final project. Across the second half of their internship, Casey designed, manufactured, programmed, and demonstrated a Hybrid Electronic device which integrated NextFlex’s A21 into a stretchable headband.

These examples hardly do justice communicating the contributions both Neve and Casey made to NextFlex this summer! We thoroughly enjoyed having them both as spirited collaborators on the team and wish them the best in their future endeavors.