DBDonovan Burke

Projects

Selected projectProject index ↑01 / 09

Project Wavefront engine assembly render Project Wavefront engine front render
Open Project Wavefront

Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine

Role
CAD Designer
Skills
Creo, CAD
Status
Manufacturing and Testing

Water-cooled engine hardware and thermal-management design for Project Wavefront's first hot fire.

At Project Wavefront, I design hardware supporting the team's Mark I rotating detonation rocket engine and its planned first hot-fire test in fall 2026. I personally designed the engine test stand, sourced its materials, and produced manufacturing drawings for fabrication.

Using Creo Parametric, I designed water-cooling passages and performed hand calculations to evaluate cooling requirements. I also helped research materials that balance thermal conductivity with resistance to extreme temperatures and contacted suppliers about components and manufacturing options. My work supports the initial water-cooled prototype, with regenerative cooling planned for a subsequent engine iteration.

Afterburner CAD render showing the assembled microturbojet afterburner design Afterburner CAD render from the SOLIDWORKS viewport Afterburner component render showing mechanical layout details Afterburner component render showing subsystem geometry Afterburner component render showing fabrication-oriented design details Afterburner component render showing internal geometry Afterburner component render showing fuel and chamber hardware Afterburner component render showing a detailed part view Afterburner CAD render showing final design details

Afterburner for Microturbojet Engine

Role
Propulsion Design Lead
Skills
CAD, DFM
Status
Manufacturing in Progress

Leading an integrated afterburner design, from fuel injection and flameholding to manufacturable hardware.

As Propulsion Design Lead for Penn Jet Propulsion's Research and Development team, I personally designed four integrated subsystems: fuel injection, flameholding, ignition, and the combustion chamber. I performed flow-rate calculations to evaluate whether the injection system could deliver fuel against the expected backpressure.

Throughout the design process, I incorporated manufacturing and assembly constraints into the CAD models. I also delegated CFD analysis and CAD revisions, coordinating teammates' work to evaluate subsystem compatibility and refine the design. The project is currently in manufacturing; thrust gains and operating performance have not yet been established through testing.

Stirling heat engine assembly, first isometric view Stirling heat engine assembly, second isometric view Stirling heat engine assembly, front view Stirling heat engine assembly, back view Stirling heat engine assembly, first side view Stirling heat engine assembly, opposite side view

Stirling Heat Engine

Focus
Thermodynamics + mechanisms
Skills
CAD, fabrication
Status
Manufacturing in progress

A compact Stirling heat-engine build, now progressing from CAD assembly to manufacturing.

I am developing a compact Stirling heat engine focused on thermodynamics, mechanisms, and manufacturing. The renders show my current CAD assembly from six viewpoints. Manufacturing is in progress, with fabrication and assembly as the next steps toward a working engine.

ArmAssist compliant mechanism comparison showing Gen 1 nylon and PLA design above Gen 2 PLA design ArmAssist CAD front view showing the hand, arm brace, and support linkage ArmAssist CAD full-arm view showing the complete orthotic support system ArmAssist CAD close-up showing the compliant assist mechanism mounted on the forearm brace ArmAssist CAD side view showing the orthotic assembly along the arm

ArmAssist

Role
Co-developer
Skills
Fusion 360, materials science
Status
Complete

An upper-limb orthotic combining custom actuation, compliant mechanics, and intent-based assistance.

Henry Aceves and I co-developed ArmAssist to outperform existing powered arm orthotics while remaining lightweight, low-profile, and concealable. I owned the mechanical design, actuator fabrication, and electronics sourcing and construction. A central feature was an adjustable, variable-stiffness compliant mechanism that stored elastic energy to counterbalance the user's arm. Changing its stiffness allowed us to vary the assistance provided rather than rely on fixed support.

I iterated on the mechanism's geometry and materials and tested high- and low-stiffness configurations. Early testing indicated five times the force output of our industry-leading benchmark, with projected cost and weight approximately one-fifth and one-tenth of that benchmark, respectively. ArmAssist received the Fourth Award in Engineering Technology: Statics & Dynamics at Regeneron ISEF 2023.

abstract link: View ArmAssist abstract

View ArmAssist posters

Future Projects

Coming soon visual for the Big Hero Six Battle Bot project

Big Hero Six Battle Bot

Role
Electronics + Systems Integration
Skills
Motors, sensors, embedded hardware
Status
Planned for fall 2026

A planned modular walking robot, with a focus on electronics, controls, and subsystem integration.

In fall 2026, I will begin co-developing a walking robot with Maren Bradley, Yale Class of 2029, inspired by Hiro Hamada's battle bot from Disney's Big Hero 6. The robot is designed to achieve controlled locomotion, separate into detachable modules, and operate independently rotating arms. I will be primarily responsible for the electronics, control architecture, and systems integration while also contributing to the mechanical design. My work will include selecting motors, sensors, power electronics, and embedded hardware, as well as coordinating interfaces between subsystems.

Research Projects

Boston University research poster on continuum bodies for a millimeter-scale soft robot

Material Science and Robotics Lab at Boston University

Role
Student Researcher
Skills
SLA printing, casting
Status
Complete

Soft pneumatic continuum bodies for steering a millimeter-scale robotic bronchoscope. Summer 2025.

View research poster

During summer 2025, I independently designed fabrication and testing hardware for soft pneumatic structures intended to steer a millimeter-scale robotic bronchoscope. Within the lab's existing equipment constraints, I developed casting molds, fiber-wrapping hardware, and pneumatic testing fixtures. I used SolidWorks and SLA printing to produce molds and cast continuum bodies from Dragon Skin 10 Medium silicone.

I then ran experiments comparing five fiber-wrapping angles, ranging from 7 to 20 degrees, under different operating pressures. A specimen with a 20-degree wrapping angle achieved 227 degrees of bending at 200 kPa, providing a measured basis for evaluating how reinforcement geometry affected steering performance.

abstract link: View Boston University abstract

Original poster on Google Drive

University of Iowa research poster on silk fibroin tissue patches for dynamic organs

Mu Lab at the University of Iowa

Role
Student Researcher
Skills
Laboratory methodology, G-code
Status
Complete

3D-printed silk fibroin patches designed to accommodate the deformation of dynamic organs. Summer 2024.

View research poster

During summer 2024, I independently designed and fabricated more than 60 silk fibroin patches using the Mu Lab's extrusion-printing setup. I developed four geometries - arrowhead, re-entrant honeycomb, chiral truss, and lozenge truss - to investigate how structural patterns could accommodate movement in dynamic organs.

Using an Inkredible 3D bioprinter, I manufactured specimens and ran mechanical experiments comparing their deformation and Poisson's ratios. The arrowhead geometry produced the lowest measured Poisson's ratio among the designs tested. Tearing during stretching exposed limitations in the prototypes and informed recommendations for additional printed layers and larger structural units.

abstract link: View University of Iowa abstract

Original poster on Google Drive

Vibe Coding Projects

CourtVision

Role
Developer
Skills
AI-assisted prototyping
Status
Complete

A mobile-first app for reviewing tennis footage and turning practice into clearer feedback.

CourtVision is a mobile-first tennis training app built to help players turn practice and match play into clearer feedback. I created the app through a rapid vibe-coding workflow, moving from concept to working interface by iterating on layout, user flow, and feature behavior. The app is designed to organize tennis performance data, surface patterns from sessions, and make improvement areas easier to understand. It combines practical athlete-focused design with fast prototyping, showing how AI-assisted development can turn a specific training problem into a usable software tool.

Workout Lock

Role
Developer
Skills
AI-assisted prototyping
Status
Complete

A phone-first productivity concept that makes completing a workout the unlock condition for social media.

A productivity app that blocks access to social media until the user completes a workout. The concept turns screen-time control into a physical accountability system, using exercise as the unlock condition.