Hiya! I'm

Vela Benedicto

Electrical Engineering · UC San Diego · vbenedicto@ucsd.edu

Well-versed in electronics and mechanical design, with expanding skills in embedded systems and programming.
Did a ton of hands-on work with industry tools (click to expand photos below).
I love learning and collaborating with driven people! Please feel free to reach out anytime. :D

Email Me! LinkedIn
Vela Benedicto

Skills

Hardware Altium, Altium Codesign (ECAD+MCAD), EasyEDA, Soldering, KiCAD, PCB Design, LTSpice, PSpice

Coding Arduino, Java, C, Python, HTML/CSS [Learning backend & frontend]

Mechanical Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, Onshape, 3D Printing, Inkscape

Tools Metal Laser Cutter, Epilog Laser Cutter (acrylic, plywood, MDF), Google Sheets, Google Colab, Excel

Ongoing

Research Position

Integrated Systems Neuroengineering (ISN) Lab

Undergrad Research Assistant Dec 2025 – Present
  • Designing PCBs in Altium integrating data acquisition from 5+ sensors (e.g. EEG, more TBA) for an in-ear biosensor
  • Using Autodesk Inventor to create mechanical model for the PCB housing and electrode placement
Media to be released after publication
Research Position · 2nd Author, ICRA 2027 Submission

Advanced Robotics and Controls (ARC) Lab

Undergrad Researcher Apr 2026 – Present
  • 2nd author on PHABS: A Portable Haptic Device for Force-Annotated Bimanual Teleoperation Data, submitted to the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2027)
  • Wrote C firmware on a Teensy 4.1 integrating 12 sensors (BNO055 IMUs, BMP388 barometers, ToF, AS5048B encoders) over dual I2C buses and UART, with IIR-filtered real-time acquisition and closed-loop PWM force feedback streamed to a MuJoCo simulation
  • Validated hardware through potentiometer and encoder noise characterization, closed-loop BLDC control with SimpleFOC, and 3-channel IMU + barometer sensor fusion (complementary filtering with zero-velocity updates) across separate I2C buses
PHABS, a portable haptic device for bimanual teleoperation, held by an operator
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Engineering Org

Triton Robotics

Electronics Lead Oct 2025 – Present
  • Designed a 1.75″ 4-layer custom magnetic encoder (AS5047P) PCB over SPI, using an STM32G431 with a custom CAN transceiver (SN65HVD230). Chose 14-bit resolution to replace a failure-prone commercial encoder, achieving 70% lower cost using Altium and EasyEDA.
  • Designed 2-layer power (5V, 24V) and signal distribution (CAN, UART) PCBs in EasyEDA using Phoenix, JST-XH, JST-GH, and aviator connectors; integrated slip ring, motor controller, and buck conversion into 2 boards to reduce wiring complexity and failure points.
  • Overseeing wiring/component management among our 3 robots (autonomous, driver-controlled) in the annual RoboMaster North America competition across a team of 5 members and created standardized electronics practices.
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Paid Job

Qualcomm Institute Makerspace

Makerspace Intern Mar 2025 – Present
  • Retrofitted a 3-phase contactor, current sensor, and Fabman access controller into a vertical bandsaw for automated monitoring and control
  • Designed, soldered, and built a custom illuminated trophy in Inkscape for UCSD's Basement Demo Day — a student maker showcase for 200+ attendees — fabricated with laser-cut acrylic, an Arduino Nano, LEDs, and a physical switch.
  • Advise and mentor students in using fabrication tools and best design practices (Epilog laser cutters, 3D printers), electronics equipment (specialty), and workshop resources
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, and update Makerspace equipment (electronics tools - reflow oven, digital magnifiers, solder stations, etc.), 3D printers (Bambu A1 Mini/P1S/H2D, Prusa MK4S), Epilog laser cutters, metal vertical band saw, heavy power machinery, etc.
  • Currently wiring relay switch into metal laser cutter & air ventilation system
Qualcomm Institute Makerspace
Qualcomm Institute Makerspace 2
Qualcomm Institute Makerspace 3
Qualcomm Institute Makerspace 4
Qualcomm Institute Makerspace 5
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Projects

2nd Place — Bow Capital × DS3 × SiC Hackathon

Whisper

May 2026

A software ecosystem that communicates critical information through LoRa — a completely offline, low-power radio protocol designed to transmit small packets of data up to 15 km. Scout (Arduino Uno Q): uses a camera to localize itself, runs local CV to classify objects, and transmits compressed packets to the base station. Base station (Jetson Orin Nano): fuses incoming packets into a live spatial map, calculates pathing, and sends commands back to the robot.

Whisper project photo 1
Whisper project photo 2
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1st Place — MLH Hard Hacks @ UCSD · Advanced Track: Security

The Vault

January 2025 · UCSD Hard Hacks

4-layer encrypted safe focused on hardware implementation and software integration. Built with a 4×4 membrane keypad, fingerprint scanner, camera, Odin1 LiDAR (facial recognition), Arduino Mega 2560, 24V–12V buck converter, and Intel NUC. All 3D components modeled in Autodesk Inventor; assembled in-house.

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1st Place — UCSD IEEE Fall Quarterly Projects

Armillary Sphere

September – November 2025

Select a celestial object on an LCD display and a laser automatically rotates to point in its direction. Used Autodesk Inventor to integrate hardware and software; all parts 3D printed and assembled in-house.

Armillary Sphere
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Engineering Org

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

Avionics Member | Oct '25 - June '26
  • Responsible for the design, validation, and assembly of PCBs and hardware for our rocket, Riptide, which aims to be the world’s first soft landing, reusable vehicle at the collegiate level.
  • Designed a PCB integrating avionics and sensor systems (3 IMUs, a Jetson Orin Nano, and an RTK GPS module) with dual buck converters (12V, 5V) for power regulation, using Altium's MCAD Co-Design workflow with Autodesk Inventor to synchronize PCB layout with a custom-shaped enclosure modeled in Autodesk Inventor.
  • Assembled 3 PCBs with 100+ unique components via SMD soldering & reflow oven for Avionics Bay.
SEDS reflow
SEDS project image 1
SEDS project image 2
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2x Worlds Qualifying

FIRST Robotics Comp: 589 Falkon Robotics

Design Co-Lead & Electronics Lead Jan 2022 – May 2025
  • Produced full CAD in Autodesk Inventor and directed subsystem integration and season progress
  • Modeled custom components: sensor casings, brackets, and electronics belly pan using Bambu, Prusa, and CNC
  • Implemented and maintained robot electronics architecture (power distribution, sensors, CAN, wiring reliability)
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1st Place Nationals — SkillsUSA · Published in CSUN

C.A.S.E. Air Quality Monitor

September 2022 – June 2023

1st at SkillsUSA Nationals (top 1 of 6,000+ state champions), $1,750 grant, and published in CSUN's Journal of Student Research Abstracts. Low-cost touchscreen air quality monitor using MQ2, DHT11, and PMS1003 sensors with custom 3D prints. Achieved 40% lower cost than commercial models while meeting EPA AQI standards.

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UCSD Project Class, Grade: A

ECE 5 Robot

2025 · UCSD ECE 5

Line-following robot built for UCSD's ECE 5 course. Designed and assembled hardware systems including motors, sensors, and control circuitry; programmed PID logic for navigation and task completion.

View project site →

ECE 5 Robot
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Research

Research Presentation

Caltech SEAL (Sustainable Energy Activity Lab)

Co-President, Secretary, Member Sep 2021 – May 2025 Pasadena, CA
  • Directed a 15-member student research team investigating optimal MFC electrode materials through weekly experiments, peer discussion, and data analysis under two Ph.D graduates
  • Determined platinum-coated carbon produced peak power (273 μW) compared to copper and carbon
  • Delivered annual research presentations at the Beckman Institute to Caltech faculty, graduates, and students
Research Presentation

UC Santa Cruz COSMOS

Research Student Jul – Aug 2024 Santa Cruz, CA
  • Applied principles of quantum physics/chemistry to analyze semiconductor behavior and presented to 300+ people
  • Research: Analyzing Depletion Layer Thickness in Concentrated Photovoltaics — used Oghma Nano simulations to model how varied layer thickness influences recombination time and efficiency in multijunction solar cells
Research Presentation

USC SHINE Summer Research Program

Summer Research Intern Jul – Aug 2023 Los Angeles, CA
  • Collaborated with two graduate students under Dr. Bogdan in the Cyber-Physical Systems Lab
  • Research: Prediction of SARS-CoV-2 Mutations Through Deep Learning Algorithms and Z Descriptor Properties
Paid Job

Mathnasium

Mathematics Instructor Oct 2023 – Jun 2025 La Crescenta, CA
  • Provided personalized (1-on-1 or groups of 4) math explanations and learning strategies tailored to students' grade level and abilities
  • Explained grades K–12 math concepts to develop student understanding
  • Strengthened students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills through targeted exercises
Teaching

Python Mentor

Python Lead Mentor, Organizer Oct 2023 – Jun 2025 La Crescenta, CA
  • Taught a first-ever free Python class to 30+ 6th graders with little-to-no coding experience for 10 weeks after coordinating with a local elementary school
  • Designed curriculum and slide presentations completely from scratch; led 10 mentors (3:1 mentor-mentee ratio)
Teaching

FIRST Lego League (FLL)

FLL Mentor Sep 2022 – Dec 2024 La Crescenta, CA
  • Taught kids ages 8–12 about FIRST Lego League competitions; guided them through building structural attachments and SPIKE Prime coding

Awards & Recognition