Hi, I'm Maile.
Electrical engineer focused on hardware design.
Electrical engineering student at URI, currently designing acoustic payload hardware at Vatn Systems. I work on PCBs, power systems, and embedded electronics for robotics and aerospace.
About Me
I'm a fourth-year Electrical Engineering student at the University of Rhode Island, minoring in Robotics Engineering, and currently a Hardware Engineering Intern in the Acoustics group at Vatn Systems. My focus is hardware design: mixed-signal PCB design, power distribution and regulation, and taking boards all the way from component selection and layout through fabrication, bring-up, and test.
At Vatn, I design and bring up the electrical hardware behind acoustic payloads for uncrewed underwater vehicles, and before that I designed custom PCB assemblies for electric marine propulsion at Flux Marine. Now I'm leading the hardware and PCB design for RoboSwarm, my senior capstone, and I love building systems where hardware and software meet. When I'm not in the lab, you'll find me running AIAA at URI, mentoring fellow engineering students, broadcasting at WRIU 90.3 FM, or pulling espresso shots at 193 Coffeehouse.
My Projects
Click on a project to learn more about it.
- RoboSwarm Acoustic Neighbor Identification
Senior capstone sponsored by URI's Intelligent Control & Robotics Lab. Designing a swarm of at least five ESP32-based robots that identify their neighbors acoustically, with each robot emitting a unique tone and running an onboard FFT to detect which robots are nearby.
Tools: ESP32, PCB Design, DSP/FFT, C++ - Vision-Guided Robotic Arm
Built a 3D-printed 6-DOF robotic arm with custom inverse kinematics firmware and an OpenCV vision pipeline for autonomous pick-and-place of colored cubes. Built in 24 hours at HACK@URI, where it won 2nd place in the AI-Powered Startup category.
Tools: Arduino, C++, Python, OpenCV - RoboRacer Autonomous Vehicle
Building a 1/10-scale autonomous racing platform with URI's Autonomous Racing Team, targeting F1Tenth international competition. Trained ML models on LiDAR data to predict steering and speed, achieving R² > 0.95 for steering and > 0.99 for speed.
Tools: Python, scikit-learn, ROS2, LiDAR - Rocket Avionics & GNC Systems
Developing avionics and GNC subsystems for a high-power amateur rocket pursuing NAR Level 1 Certification. Designing safety-critical electronics for arming, ignition, stage separation, parachute deployment, telemetry, and ground-station comms.
Tools: C++, Embedded Systems, PCB Design, Controls
Skills
| Electronics & Circuit Design | PCB Design (Altium, KiCad), Mixed-Signal PCB Layout, Power Distribution & Regulation (DC-DC, Isolation, Filtering), Analog/Digital Circuits, Component Selection & Sourcing, BOMs & Fab/Assembly Outputs, LTspice, Magnetic Field Modeling & Simulation, Soldering (Hand & Reflow), Circuit Debugging |
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| Embedded Systems & Protocols | Microcontroller Programming, ESP32, Raspberry Pi & Linux, GPIO & Peripheral Control, CAN/SPI/I²C/Serial, Sensor Integration, Signal Conditioning, Data Acquisition |
| Programming & Software | C++, Python, MATLAB/Simulink, Control Systems Design (Simulink), Digital Signal Processing (FFT, Cross-Correlation, Goertzel), ROS2, Arduino/Teensy, Git/GitHub, Machine Learning (scikit-learn) |
| Test & Validation | Board Bring-Up & Bench Testing, Oscilloscopes, Function Generators, Power Supplies, Multimeters, System Validation & In-Water/Field Testing, Datasheet Interpretation & Design Review, Technical Documentation & Wiring Diagrams |
Experience
Hardware Engineering Intern, Acoustics
Vatn Systems — Jun 2026 – Present
Vatn Systems — Jun 2026 – Present
- Owned the end-to-end redesign of a battery-powered acoustic source deck box: architected a branching power tree (24V to 48V, bipolar 12V, 5V, 3.3V) with isolation and filtering, and designed the Altium interface PCB with GPS and redundant amplifier control.
- Released three (and counting) additional boards: from a VICOR-based DC-DC regulator to a sonar array adapter card iterated through multiple revisions.
- Assembled and brought up the full acoustic source payload stack (Raspberry Pi 5, DAC, power amplifier, transducer), co-developed its Python driver, and validated end-to-end missions with vehicle autonomy software.
- Characterized a field recorder from 500 Hz to 20 kHz in MATLAB using cross-correlation alignment and Goertzel amplitude/phase extraction, uncovering a ~4 dB discrepancy between acquisition paths.
- Developed and led an Altium Designer training session for the acoustics engineering team.
Electrical Team Lead
AIAA, University of Rhode Island — Sep 2025 – May 2026
AIAA, University of Rhode Island — Sep 2025 – May 2026
- Defined electrical system requirements for team projects, including a high-power rocketry project, and delegated tasks to team members.
- Worked cross-functionally to organize and integrate electrical systems and components into team projects.
- Created technical documentation including schematics, specifications, and test plans, and managed project timelines and budgets.
Electronics & Controls Engineering Intern
Flux Marine Ltd. — May 2025 – Aug 2025
Flux Marine Ltd. — May 2025 – Aug 2025
- Designed custom PCB assemblies (Hall-effect sensors, Infineon TC375 breakout) for precision throttle control with CAN, SPI, and I²C protocols.
- Conducted magnetic field modeling and simulation to optimize sensor placement for safety-critical throttle systems.
- Collaborated cross-functionally to define requirements, validate system-level performance, and support integration of next-gen electric propulsion hardware.
Student Radio Engineer
WRIU 90.3 FM — Apr 2025 – Present
WRIU 90.3 FM — Apr 2025 – Present
- Maintaining and updating broadcast equipment as part of a small engineering team at the student-run radio station.
- Troubleshooting RF and audio chain faults to keep the station on air.
STEM Tutor (Calculus, Physics, Engineering)
URI Academic Enhancement Center — Sep 2024 – May 2025
URI Academic Enhancement Center — Sep 2024 – May 2025
- Helped peers succeed in math, physics, and engineering courses through personalized academic support.
- Communicated complex technical concepts to diverse student populations.
Research Assistant
URI Dept. of Chemical Engineering — Oct 2023 – Jan 2025
URI Dept. of Chemical Engineering — Oct 2023 – Jan 2025
- Evaluated rheological behavior of polymers for natural gas pipeline rehabilitation applications.
- Prepared and validated experimental data used in a published research study.
- Presented findings through poster presentations at research summits.
Other Involvement
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Contact Me
Feel free to get in touch!
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mailecampbell
- GitHub: github.com/mailecampbell
- Email: mailecampbell@uri.edu