E2: Afshawn Lotfi - ex-Tesla Engineer Reinventing Aerospace Design - Open Orion
Can genetic algorithms create useful aerospace turbine designs?
Meet Afshawn Lotfi the founder of Open Orion. He went from optimizing solar panel placement as an engineer at Tesla to designing AI-driven rocket turbines using genetic algorithms. Through his project, Open Orion, Afshawn introduced a unique approach to Computer-Aided Design (CAD) termed "Generative CAD." This enables aerospace designers to express design parameters in a query language, and automatically explores multiple complex CAD designs that fit those parameters. Those designs can be run through simulation and designs that simulate well can be evaluated by the designer for other factors.
Afshawn envisions new design tools as well as a marketplace for aerospace components, with the goal of encouraging collaboration among aerospace designers and allowing people to benefit from the work of others. Here's a sneak peek into our conversation:
Remember Jarvis from Iron Man? Afshawn built his own version when he was 12!
How do genetic algorithms augment the creative process of designing jet engines?
How is “generative CAD” revolutionizing jet and rocket engine design?
Lattice Boltzmann Method: Transforming Simulations for Next-Gen Aerospace Design
The big dreams behind Open Orion: Transforming aerospace with automated design
Topics
(00:00) Getting to know Afshawn and his musical beginnings
(05:10) Afshawn's inspiration from the "Iron Man" movie and his initial tech projects
(10:15): Bridging Machine Learning and Engineering Design
(20:45) Challenges and intricacies of the aerospace industry
(28:18): Open Orion's Vision and the Future of Descriptive Design
(40:08): Live Crafting with Afshawn's Innovative Tool
(48:43): From Tesla to Turbo Machinery and the Lattice Boltzmann Method
(55:03): Open Source Dreams and the Marketplace Vision