Non-functional SPM, recovered. Read how →
Ajay Nalla · Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineer

I Make Stuck
Hardware Work.

System-level engineering for robotics, medical devices and advanced manufacturing — from diagnosis and redesign to a working, validated solution.

  • DiagnoseFind the real problem
  • RedesignEngineer the solution
  • ProveMeasured results
Discuss Your Problem → See Selected Work →
Ajay at a UBC Makerspace bench operating the rebuilt spherical parallel manipulator, with its servo controllers, power board and emergency stop in front of him
Recovering a failed 3-DOF parallel robot · UBC
~30%→~2%
Production scrap · Class III line
40 hr→~20 min
Critical process time
$30K+→<$3K
Bionic hand price vs. market
$100K/$1M
Working prototype · budget used

Medical-device process details are confidential; results are shown as headline metrics.

01 — The Problem

Hardware failures rarely stay in one discipline.

A mechanical symptom can come from actuation, controls, electronics, tolerances, manufacturing or software. I work across the whole system to find the actual failure, not patch the symptom. Then I fix it and prove the fix with data.

  • Mechanics
  • Actuation
  • Electronics
  • Controls
  • Manufacturing
02 — Engage

Start small. Scale if it's working.

01

Diagnostic Sprint

Start here · 1–2 weeks · fixed fee

Find the root cause before you commit to a bigger fix. You get a written root-cause analysis, the evidence behind it, and a scoped recommendation for the fix.

02

Fix & Build

Project-based

I redesign, prototype, integrate and validate the fix, or build the hardware from concept when that's what the problem needs.

03

Embedded Engineer

Fractional · part-time or fixed term

Senior electromechanical capacity working directly inside your team.

Remote worldwide · on-site in Canada · NDAs as standard · fixed fee quoted after a fit call.

Discuss Your Problem →

A 20–30 minute fit call to see whether a Diagnostic Sprint is the right next step.

How engagements work in detail →
03 — Who It's For

Built for teams like yours.

Robotics & Hardware Teams

Prototype doesn't perform reliably.

Medical Device Teams

Engineering inside regulated development and manufacturing.

Manufacturing Teams

Scrap, cycle time, automation or equipment problems.

Founders & R&D Teams

A difficult electromechanical concept that needs to become working hardware.

04 — Selected Work

Problems solved.

Medical Devices · ISO 13485 · Class III

~30%→~2% scrap

Class III implantable battery line

Problem
A production line for implantable batteries powering pacemakers and neurostimulators, running at about 30% scrap, with one critical process taking 40 hours.
What I did
Led a system-level redesign inside an ISO 13485 / FDA quality system: automated manual steps, retrofitted equipment and built CTQ data tools. I led 4 engineers and a 50-person production floor while working on fingertip-scale implantable cells.
Result
Scrap ~30% → ~2%. Critical process 40 hr → ~20 min.
  • ISO 13485 / FDA
  • Class III
  • Equipment Retrofit
  • CTQ Data
  • Team Leadership

Process details confidential.

The rebuilt spherical parallel manipulator with its three servos, power board and potentiometer controllers
Parallel Robotics · Failure Recovery · UBC

Dead skeleton→working 3-DOF robot

Spherical parallel manipulator

Problem
Handed a self-locking robot skeleton: no motors, no electronics, no control system.
What I did
Rebuilt the mechanism on free bearings to remove the binding. Sized and bench-tested new servos (they measured ~60% of rated torque, and the 2.5× design margin absorbed it). Designed a fused 24→12 V power system, redesigned the mounts with FEA and fabricated everything at UBC Makerspaces.
Result
A fully controlled 3-DOF platform with potentiometer, desktop and Android control, IK-driven presets and an MSC Adams model.
  • Root-Cause Analysis
  • Actuator Validation
  • Power Protection
  • FEA
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Inverse Kinematics
Read the full case study →
Video courtesy Makers Hive Innovations
Medical Devices · Prosthetics · ISO 13485

$30K+→<$3K

Affordable bionic prosthetic hand

Problem
Multi-grip bionic hands sell for $30K–60K, out of reach for most amputees in cost-sensitive markets.
What I did
Core mechanical designer: custom actuators, a 3D-printed body, CAE-driven design simplification and a patented thumb-swivel mechanism with position feedback, developed under ISO 13485.
Result
Priced under $3K, with 18 preset + 6 custom grip patterns and ~8 kg load capacity.
  • Custom Actuators
  • Mechanism Design
  • CAE
  • 3D Printing
  • ISO 13485

Indian Patent No. 403148 · Thumb Finger Swiveling System with Position Feedback · granted 2022

Read the case study →
Construction Robotics · System Design

$100K of a $1M budget

Cable-driven concrete 3D printer

Problem
Printing house-scale concrete structures normally needs a massive, expensive gantry.
What I did
Designed a cable-driven parallel robot, a custom extruder and vision-based path correction. Went from consultant to project lead of 5 engineers and 2 technicians. Used additive manufacturing and standard parts, with design techniques that got high-quality structures out of basic 3D printers.
Result
Working prototype in 14 months on under $100K of a $1M budget; 8×8 ft concrete prints; targeting 10,000 sq ft structures.
  • Cable-Driven Robot
  • Extrusion
  • Vision Correction
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Team Lead
06 — Method

Diagnose → Redesign → Prove.

01

Diagnose

Establish the real failure mode and root cause, with evidence.

02

Redesign

Engineer the mechanical, mechatronic or manufacturing fix.

03

Prove

Prototype, test and validate, so the fix is shown to work and not just assumed.

Ajay Nalla, head and shoulders
07 — Background

The engineer behind the work.

7+ years across Class III medical devices, robotics and advanced manufacturing in Canada and India. M.Eng in Mechatronics from UBC, an Indian patent, and peer-reviewed research in Springer's Journal of Polymer Research.

  • 7+ Years
  • M.Eng · UBC
  • Class III
  • ISO 13485
  • Patent 403148
  • Springer 2025
Experience at

Resonetics Medical Power · Archtype 3D · BCIT · Industrial Pixel VFX · Makers Hive Innovations · UBC

Full career & résumé →

What's stuck?

Tell me what isn't working. Not sure what you need? That's fine. Describe the problem and I'll tell you where I'd start.