A range and hop study for resilient, low-bandwidth communication.
PLANNED
JACK KIDDERMECHANICAL ENGINEERING / APPLIED AIBLACKSBURG, VA ↗
ENGINEERING, IN MOTION — 2026 / 27
Build it.
Understand
what it does.
I’m Jack — a mechanical engineering student drawn to the space between physical systems and applied intelligence.
↓37°13′N
80°25′W
80°25′W
Designing for the moment
the model meets the material.
01 — 05SCROLL TO EXPLORE↓
01 CURRENT DIRECTION
A working thesis, not a finished label.
Make intelligent systems
that touch the real world.
My focus is taking shape around mechanical design, autonomous systems, and applied AI. I like work that moves between a CAD model, a line of code, and a measured result.
IN STUDYMechanical engineeringVirginia Tech · B.S. expected 2028
02 SELECTED WORK
In progress is still worth documenting.
CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION / NOT A COMPLETED BUILD↗ON THE BENCH / NEXT UP02—04
Safe bench clap tests to explore time-difference-of-arrival estimation.
PLANNED
A measurement fixture for repeatable propulsion comparisons.
PLANNED
SW / AGENT
SWAGENT · SOLIDWORKS ADD-IN
From description to deliverable.
Plain-English part descriptions become CAD models, dimensioned drawings, STEP and PDF exports, and populated custom properties. Built for SOLIDWORKS 2025 on Windows.
VIEW GITHUB ↗03 HOW I WORK
Curiosity is a start.
Evidence is the point.
Model.
Make.
Measure.
For the quad, the next step is a loop between prediction and reality: planned FEA, modal, CFD, and thermal work, compared against bench and flight results as the build develops.
01 / FRAME02 / PREDICT03 / TEST04 / REFINE
04 EXPERIENCE
Different environments. Same instinct to make the system work.
Learning
by doing.
EDUCATIONVirginia Tech
Men’s Lacrosse All-American, 2025
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Expected 2028 · Blacksburg, Virginia
Men’s Lacrosse All-American, 2025
Current
Founder
Kidder Applied
Building practical AI systems with operating teams: finding the work worth automating, then delivering tools that fit the way a business already runs.
Virginia Tech
Mechanical Design
Unmanned Systems Laboratory
Design and integration work across autonomous aircraft programs, including printed hardware, payload systems, procedures, and test documentation.
Summer 2025
MEP Superintendent Intern
J.T. Magen & Company · New York
Supported coordination on a Manhattan tower renovation: drawings, infrastructure tie-ins, submittals, RFIs, and field communication across trades.
05 TOOLKIT
01 / DESIGN & FABRICATION
SolidWorks · Siemens NX
Additive manufacture · Airframe integration
02 / COMPUTATION
Python · MATLAB
TensorFlow · Applied AI
03 / SYSTEMS & FIELD
Autonomous systems · Propulsion support
MEP coordination · FAA compliance
04 / DELIVERY
Technical documentation
Workflow automation · Procore
A selection of tools and working areas; not a claim to mastery in each.
OUTSIDE THE LAB ↘
EARLY-STAGE VENTURE · FOUNDER
Resilient
Domain.
Engineering-led emergency-preparedness systems, developed as an early-stage venture.
Visit Resilient Domain ↗