Hi! I’m Ethan.

I’m a high school student, robotics researcher, and maker who loves asking questions and building things.

  • Ethan hugging Food Angel, his cardboard-box robot with a drawn smiley face, on permanent display at the Seoul Robot & AI Museum
    My robot Food Angel, on permanent display at the Seoul Robot & AI Museum
  • Ethan, number 40, going up for a layup in a varsity basketball game
    Varsity basketball: practice all week, then leave it all on the court
  • Ethan speaking into a microphone while presenting his research at a conference
    Presenting research at international conferences
  • Ethan giving a thumbs-up next to the humanoid robot ARTEMIS on a soccer field at UCLA
    I worked with the ARTEMIS humanoid robot at UCLA
  • Ethan leaning on a tiled railing at the Plaza de España in Seville
    Plaza de España, Seville. Every new place teaches me something.
  • Young Ethan walking down a Paris street carrying a baguette
    Paris, as a young explorer
  • Ethan smiling with a group of friends
    My friends, the best part of every adventure
  • Ethan smiling in front of the TEDxManhattanBeach stage
    Please come and watch my TEDx talk this November! →

I’ve always been fascinated by robots, but over time I’ve learned that the most meaningful technology isn’t necessarily the most advanced. What matters is understanding the people it’s meant to serve. Whenever I work on something new, I try to come back to a simple question:

Who does this help, and how can it make their lives better?

That question has taken me in some unexpected directions—from humanoid robot soccer at UCLA’s RoMeLa to building Food Angel, a robot that delivers food to people experiencing homelessness.

Outside of robotics, I play varsity basketball and run track, love movies, and travel whenever I can. I’m also fascinated by World War I and World War II, and I collect historical artifacts because I love discovering the individual stories behind them.

I like learning new things, making things, meeting people, and seeing where curiosity takes me.

Coming Up

TEDxManhattanBeach

This November, I’ll be speaking at TEDxManhattanBeach about Project Food Angel and what building a robot for people experiencing homelessness taught me about empathy, engineering, and human connection.

Learn about my TEDx talk
Ethan standing on the red circle in front of the TEDxManhattanBeach backdrop

A few things I care about

Food Angel: a cardboard box with a drawn smiley face and a handwritten FREE FOOD sign, on a wheeled robot base

Food Angel

A robot that started with a simple question: if we can deliver food with robots, why not deliver it to people who need it most?

Food Angel
 The UCLA team walking the humanoid robot ARTEMIS onto the field at RoboCup

Robotics

Humanoid robots, robot soccer, research, teaching—and a lot of building, testing, breaking, and trying again.

Robotics
 Part of Ethan's collection: military helmets, German military papers and photographs, and field gear

History

I collect artifacts from the World Wars and try to uncover the people, places, and stories behind them.

History
 Ethan smiling in the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland

Exploring the World

From robotics competitions to obscure historical sites, travel is one of my favorite ways to learn.

Explore
 Ethan sprinting with the baton in a relay race

Sports

Basketball, track, Taekwondo, competition, and teamwork.

Sports
 Ethan standing beside his title slide at the UR2025 conference

Publications & Talks

Research papers, conference presentations, books, and opportunities to share ideas with others.

Publications & Talks