dennis lustre

Dennis is a software engineer crafting intuitive and tasteful experiences users want to use.

Currently first engineer @Fuerte. Previously @Boundary Remote Sensing and @Thaddeus. Studied CS @UC Irvine.

last updated 07-30-2026
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Gesture-Controlled Robot Arm

objective

To build a robotic arm that copies a user's hand in real time, using flex sensors and a wireless link, and to have it survive a live demo.

my role

  • Embedded Software Lead
  • Hardware Integration

tools

  • C++
  • Arduino
  • Bluetooth
  • Flex sensors

team

Cross-functional student team

duration

1 semester

context

Built for FUSIONCon, judged live

A glove with flex sensors, a Bluetooth link, and an arm on the other end that copies what your hand does. I led development of the embedded software: Arduino microcontrollers, Bluetooth modules, and flex sensors, in C++.

the hard part

The servos were never the problem

Flex sensors drift. A calibration that feels right at the start of a demo feels wrong ten minutes in — the resting resistance moves as the sensor warms and as the glove settles on a different hand.

The fix was to stop treating calibration as a setup step and start treating it as something the firmware does continuously, tracking a rolling baseline instead of a fixed one.

outcome

1st place and two more

Won 1st place at the FUSIONCon competition, plus Sponsor's Choice and Most Innovative Design.