THE CREW // BATTLE STATIONS
MEET THE CREW
The engineers, pilots, and pit architects behind the 250 LBS titanium monster. Hover over any crew member to reveal their cutout, or tap to inspect full battlefield dossier.
AKSHAY
Team Architecture & Strategic Doctrine
Akshay Khanke
Founder of the Black Diamond robotics program. Established the engineering philosophy, competition strategy, and structural doctrine that drives the team’s undefeated combat record.
Founder
Akshay Khanke
Founder of the Black Diamond robotics program. Established the engineering philosophy, competition strategy, and structural doctrine that drives the team’s undefeated combat record.
“We do not build machines to survive the arena. We build machines to dictate it.”
AUROBINDA
Design & CAD
Aurobinda Maharana
Leads primary CAD unibody architecture and multi-million element dynamic FEA impact simulations, optimizing the titanium monocoque to withstand 42 kJ kinetic impacts.
Designer
Aurobinda Maharana
Leads primary CAD unibody architecture and multi-million element dynamic FEA impact simulations, optimizing the titanium monocoque to withstand 42 kJ kinetic impacts.
“Simulate every catastrophic load in software so the arena holds zero surprises.”
ARJUN
Avionics & Firmware
Arjun Sathewad
Engineers the high-power electrical architecture and avionics harness, ensuring 400A battery surges route without voltage drop to weapon and drive controllers.
Electronics
Arjun Sathewad
Engineers the high-power electrical architecture and avionics harness, ensuring 400A battery surges route without voltage drop to weapon and drive controllers.
“Every microsecond of latency is an opportunity surrendered. Eliminate resistance.”
SANKET
CNC & Fabrication
Sanket Giripunje
Precision CNC machinist specializing in turning multi-axis billet titanium hubs, bearing carriers, and Hardox 500 armor sections to sub-micron tolerances.
Machining
Sanket Giripunje
Precision CNC machinist specializing in turning multi-axis billet titanium hubs, bearing carriers, and Hardox 500 armor sections to sub-micron tolerances.
“Micron-level tolerances are what keep bearings intact under 40 kJ impact strikes.”
TUSHIL
Assembly & Integration
Tushil Kanfade
Mechanical engineer focusing on chassis structural integrity, high-load fasteners, and precision subassembly integration for intense arena combat.
Mechanical
Tushil Kanfade
Mechanical engineer focusing on chassis structural integrity, high-load fasteners, and precision subassembly integration for intense arena combat.
“Every structural joint must withstand catastrophic kinetic impacts without compromise.”
PRATHAMESH
GaN Motor Inverters & 1,000Hz ESC Governors
Prathamesh Wadaskar
Designs and tunes custom gallium-nitride (GaN) brushless motor inverters, enabling instantaneous torque spool-up and regenerative braking across drive and weapon systems.
Electronics
Prathamesh Wadaskar
Designs and tunes custom gallium-nitride (GaN) brushless motor inverters, enabling instantaneous torque spool-up and regenerative braking across drive and weapon systems.
“Instant torque defines who strikes first in the opening box rush.”
SUMEET
Pit Lane Turnarounds & Rapid Rebuild Systems
Sumeet Pal
Directs pit crew mechanical operations during 20-minute tournament turnaround windows, executing rapid modular subassembly swaps and aerospace TIG emergency welds.
Mechanical
Sumeet Pal
Directs pit crew mechanical operations during 20-minute tournament turnaround windows, executing rapid modular subassembly swaps and aerospace TIG emergency welds.
“Champions aren’t made in the arena—they are saved in the 14-minute pit window.”
ARYAN
Kinetic Drum Dynamics & High-RPM Rotor Balancing
Aryan Singh
Engineers the 62-lb vertical kinetic drum, balancing the spinning assembly to aerospace G0.4 dynamic balance standards at 6,200 RPM.
Mechanical
Aryan Singh
Engineers the 62-lb vertical kinetic drum, balancing the spinning assembly to aerospace G0.4 dynamic balance standards at 6,200 RPM.
“Precision balancing turns raw centrifugal mass into devastating impact energy.”
REVANT
Precision Milling
Revant Lenka
Machining specialist dedicated to CNC turning, custom titanium weapon shafts, and tight-tolerance Hardox components that survive extreme tournament stresses.
Machining
Revant Lenka
Machining specialist dedicated to CNC turning, custom titanium weapon shafts, and tight-tolerance Hardox components that survive extreme tournament stresses.
“Precision machining is the difference between a winning strike and an axle failure.”
KHUSHI
Rapid Prototyping
Khushi Khade
Directs additive manufacturing of complex sensor enclosures, aerodynamic shock mounts, and TPU-damped internal electronics bays using continuous carbon fiber composites.
3D Printing
Khushi Khade
Directs additive manufacturing of complex sensor enclosures, aerodynamic shock mounts, and TPU-damped internal electronics bays using continuous carbon fiber composites.
“Additive composites give us complex internal geometry traditional machining cannot touch.”
TUSHAR
Brushless Drivetrain & Planetary Hub Transmissions
Tushar Waghmare
Oversees four-wheel independent drive transmissions, planetary reduction gearing, and high-traction vulcanized urethane wheel formulations for extreme arena pushing force.
Mechanical
Tushar Waghmare
Oversees four-wheel independent drive transmissions, planetary reduction gearing, and high-traction vulcanized urethane wheel formulations for extreme arena pushing force.
“Traction and pushing authority dictate who controls the arena walls.”
HARSH
Chassis Structural Engineering & Wedge Geometry
Harsh Channe
Mechanical engineer overseeing unibody chassis integration and the 1.2mm ground-clearance scraper wedge doctrine that dominates the arena floor.
Mechanical
Harsh Channe
Mechanical engineer overseeing unibody chassis integration and the 1.2mm ground-clearance scraper wedge doctrine that dominates the arena floor.
“Win the ground game, control the fight. The scraper wedge never yields.”
AKSHAT
High-Current Power Distribution & Circuit Architecture
Akshat Choudhary
Architects high-voltage power distribution buses and multi-stage transient suppression systems, ensuring uninterrupted 300A current delivery under heavy kinetic shock loads.
Electronics
Akshat Choudhary
Architects high-voltage power distribution buses and multi-stage transient suppression systems, ensuring uninterrupted 300A current delivery under heavy kinetic shock loads.
“Clean, robust power delivery is what turns raw battery capacity into lethal arena impact.”
SOUMYA
RF Telemetry Link & Sensor Fusion Firmware
Soumya
Develops real-time telemetry protocols and multi-sensor IMU fusion algorithms, streaming high-rate thermal and battery impedance diagnostics directly to pit monitors.
Electronics
Soumya
Develops real-time telemetry protocols and multi-sensor IMU fusion algorithms, streaming high-rate thermal and battery impedance diagnostics directly to pit monitors.
“Every millisecond of telemetry data reveals exactly how the machine behaves under fire.”
YASH
Ballistic Armor Deflection & Shock-Mount Dissipation
Yash Pardhi
Engineers ballistic armor deflection plates, Hardox 500 monocoque caps, and polyurethane shock isolation bays designed to absorb opposing kinetic shockwaves.
Mechanical
Yash Pardhi
Engineers ballistic armor deflection plates, Hardox 500 monocoque caps, and polyurethane shock isolation bays designed to absorb opposing kinetic shockwaves.
“Deflect the primary kinetic vector, absorb the residual shock, counter with full force.”
SHRIKANT
Wire EDM & Precision Tool-Steel Fabrication
Shrikant Thakare
Specializes in sub-micron wire EDM discharge profiling of shock-steel weapon teeth and custom high-torque planetary gearbox output hubs.
Machining
Shrikant Thakare
Specializes in sub-micron wire EDM discharge profiling of shock-steel weapon teeth and custom high-torque planetary gearbox output hubs.
“Every tooth edge is wire-cut to endure 400 continuous duty impact cycles.”
THE CREW // JOIN THE LINEUP
JOIN THE PIT CREW
CALLING ALL ENGINEERS & PILOTS
Think you can engineer for the Arena?
We recruit mechanical machinists, embedded firmware architects, and tactical combat pilots every competition season.
Apply to Join Crew →