Callum was born in Derby, England, and spent his childhood in Derbyshire, though his early years were also shaped by living in Virginia, USA, and Singapore for two years during primary and secondary school. These diverse experiences sparked his love for travel and new challenges. He is currently pursuing an MEng in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and spending his final year as an international exchange student at Princeton University, where he is immersing himself in new academic and cultural opportunities. His studies focus on control systems, biomedical engineering, and sensing.

 

One of the most exciting experiences of Callum’s academic journey was his 13-month industrial placement with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team as a Control Systems Industrial Placement Engineer. During this time, he worked on a variety of on-car control systems projects, exploring everything from mechanical system dynamics to the intricate interactions between drivers and their cars. He used MATLAB Simulink to optimize system performance while collaborating with a dynamic team of engineers. A major highlight was meeting Lewis Hamilton and experiencing the fast-paced, high-stakes world of F1 engineering!

 

Callum’s passion for biomedical engineering grew from an academic project in which he explored live pressure sensing and mapping in lower-limb prosthetics. He is eager to continue broadening his expertise and is currently learning Spanish to enhance both his technical skills and cultural fluency while taking full advantage of the academic and cultural opportunities at Princeton.

 

Outside of academics, Callum is an avid snowboarder, a passionate traveler (having recently trekked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu), and a dedicated Formula 1 fan.

Callum’s research focuses on the design of origami-based robots, with an emphasis on developing innovative locomotion and navigation systems. Currently, they are working on OSCAR, a robot that utilizes the Kresling origami pattern to convert rotational motion from a servo into lateral motion. This enables OSCAR to achieve an accordion-like movement, loosely mimicking the expansion and contraction of a single segment of a caterpillar.

 

Their project, titled "Autonomous Navigation and 3D Locomotion in OSCAR: Advancing Origami Robots for Complex Terrain Traversal," seeks to enhance OSCAR by integrating 3D locomotion, sensing, and closed-loop control mechanisms into the existing system. These advancements will enable OSCAR to autonomously map its surroundings, navigate diverse terrains, and avoid obstacles in real time. By the project’s conclusion, OSCAR is expected to demonstrate significant potential for applications in search-and-rescue missions.