Who I Am

My name is Abhyuday Dhundhel, and I’m a freshman at Rock Ridge High School with a strong interest in robotics, engineering, programming, and technology. I enjoy building things from scratch, experimenting with hardware, and figuring out how different systems work together.

I’m also heavily involved in Civil Air Patrol, where I currently serve as a Flight Commander and hold the rank of Cadet Chief Master Sergeant (C/CMSgt). Before becoming a Flight Commander, I served as my squadron’s STEM NCO, helping promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities among cadets. CAP has given me valuable experience in leadership, teamwork, aerospace, and problem-solving.

Outside of CAP and robotics, I enjoy programming, 3D design and printing, aviation, and working on ambitious projects that challenge me to learn something new. I’ve worked on projects ranging from a 3D-printed pulse jet engine and RC aircraft to software and electronics projects. Pip brings many of these interests together while giving me the opportunity to explore autonomous robotics, embedded systems, AI, and mechanical engineering in a much deeper way.

Pip

Phase 1: Teaching It to Stand Up

Pip is a robot I'm building from scratch, in public, in stages.

The end goal: a small robot that balances and walks on two legs, wanders around outside on its own — sidewalks, plazas, public spaces — and can talk about what it's seen, all without any cloud service or internet connection once it's running. Everything it sees, thinks, and decides happens on the robot itself. And it's not just wandering blindly — the plan is for it to have real self-preservation instincts: avoiding cars, taking shelter when it rains, backing away from anything that looks like a threat, and even asking a stranger for a battery charge when it's running low. Think less "lab robot on a leash" and more a small, curious creature that's actually out in the world on its own.

That's the destination. Getting there is happening in deliberate stages, each one proving a harder piece of the puzzle before moving to the next. This project documents that whole process, starting from the very first step.

Before Pip can do anything else — see, think, wander, avoid danger — it has to solve the single hardest mechanical problem underneath all of it: balancing upright on two wheels. That's the entire goal of Phase 1.

No camera, no AI, no legs yet. Just the robot standing on two wheels, correcting itself dozens of times a second, staying upright, and moving when told to. It sounds simple, but it's the foundation every later phase depends on — if this doesn't work, nothing built on top of it will either.

What It's Built From

Phase 1 is built mostly from parts already on hand, plus a few new additions:

A small onboard computer chip: A Raspberry Pi Pico 2 that runs the balancing logic

Motion sensor: Tells it which way it's tilting

Motor driver board: Lets the chip control the wheels

Distance sensor: Detects what's in front of it

Motors and wheels: Two small motors and wheels, plus a rechargeable battery pack already owned from an earlier project

3D-printed frame: Holds everything together, with short rigid legs for ground clearance — no moving joints yet

How It's Getting Built

The plan is straightforward, in order:

1. Print the frame

Build the physical structure that will hold the electronics, motors, and wheels.

2. Mount the motors and wheels

Assemble the mechanical system and make sure everything moves correctly.

3. Wire the electronics

Connect the Pico 2, motion sensor, motor driver, distance sensor, motors, and battery.

4. Test the balancing system

Suspend the robot in the air first to check that the wheels react correctly when it is tilted.

5. Put it on the floor

Let the balancing software take over and begin tuning it.

It will fall over a lot at first; that's expected, and part of tuning it. Once it can stand upright and move on command reliably, Phase 1 is complete.

From there, the project moves on to the next major challenge: giving Pip a camera and a brain.

Predicted End Goal: