Engineering on the Edge: Learning from Failure with Jaxon Baker

In this episode of The Roboticist Chronicles, host Dan Allford sits down with mechanical engineering student Jaxon Baker, a repeat guest on the podcast. Jaxon, a rising senior, discusses his involvement with the Formula SAE and Baja SAE programs, which Allford considers to be highly valuable extracurricular activities. The programs allow students to gain hands-on engineering and design experience by building race cars from raw materials.

Jaxon shares details about the Baja team's successful season, which included bringing home the first Baja trophy in A&M program history after a third-place finish in the acceleration event. He also discusses the team's "catastrophic failure" during the endurance event, where the back half of the chassis sheared off due to fatigue. Both Dan and Jaxon highlight this failure as a crucial learning experience that can't be replicated in a classroom setting.

Looking ahead, Jaxon talks about his new role as suspension lead for the Formula team and their plans to innovate with a decoupled suspension system. The team is also preparing for an invitational competition in Rome, and their goal is to win a ninth national title.

The conversation also touches on Jaxon's career aspirations, his shift in focus away from professional automotive racing, and the reasons for it, including the desire for a better work-life balance and a more performance-focused design role. He also discusses some of the classes he is looking forward to, including a compressed air systems class and an automotive engineering class.

Want to learn more?

Support the A&M Formula team by visiting their website or social media pages to learn how you can help them reach their goals for the upcoming season. 

Have a  Link ECU, or  dampers you'd like to donate? The team is in need of sponsorships for their upcoming season. 

Contact Jaxon here.