Carlos Rios (Mechanical Engineering)
In celebration of National Intern Day, FIU joins SRNL in highlighting our exceptional DOE Fellows summer interns making strides in their fields.
Carlos Rios is currently studying mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU), pursuing a Master of Science degree with a specialization in Robotics. He joined the Department of Energy FIU Science and Technology Workforce Development Program (a.k.a. DOE Fellows Program) in his first semester as a graduate student to pursue his interests in autonomous robot design and programming.
Carlos graduated cum laude from the University of Florida in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. His dedication to autonomous robot design and programming led him to the DOE Fellows program at FIU’s Applied Research Center. This summer, he is engaged in groundbreaking research using autonomous robotics and 3D mapping LIDAR software at SRNL.
Carlos’s project at SRNL during the summer internship is to design a robot end arm to dilute and dispose of plutonium stored in modified waste drums and outfitted with a tamper-indicating device meant to ensure that the contents of the drum have been checked and secured. Multiple tools already exist that the arm cycles through during the inspection and loading process; the tool being designed is meant to autonomously remove the tamper-indicating device before the final loading and storing stage. Throughout the summer Carlos has been using an iterative design process, where he created an original base design using my mechanical knowledge as well as references to other tools designed for different purposes in the same project. At the moment Carlos finished the final design assembly in the main 3D modeling software and is currently working on 3D printing and assembling a prototype to test on the robotic arm.
Carlos’s passion for autonomous robotics drives both his academic and professional pursuits, allowing him to gain invaluable hands-on experience in his field. Check out the video to get to know Carlos and the important work he is doing this summer at SRNL!