Applied
Research
Innovate with GURU. We bridge the gap between theoretical computer science and physical hardware boundaries.
Focus Areas: Hardware Degradation | Micro-Firmware | Edge AI
Active Project Directory
Live research initiatives pushing the physical limits of hardware longevity, embedded efficiency, and localized machine learning.
Decentralized Swarm Pathfinding
Implementing sub-millisecond localized inference for drone swarms utilizing custom INT4 quantization on ultra-low-power accelerators.
Sub-Ambient Substrate Cooling
Testing phase-change micro-channels directly bonded to CPU dies to bypass traditional thermal paste bottlenecks.
Real-Time RTOS Fuzzing
Automated vulnerability discovery in FreeRTOS implementations via hardware-in-the-loop injection.
BGA Pad Re-metallization
Chemical reconstruction of oxidized copper pads on salvaged high-density logic boards.
Thermal Degradation of Lead-Free BGA Joints under 5G RF Stress
01. Objectives
To quantify the exact failure timeline and microscopic fracturing patterns of SAC305 lead-free solder when subjected to continuous thermal cycling induced by adjacent high-frequency 5G baseband processors.
02. Process & Methodology
We isolated 50 identical modem PCBs and placed them inside environmental stress chambers. Custom firmware forced the modems into maximum TX/RX states across mmWave frequencies to induce maximum thermal load.
- >Cycle parameter: 20°C to 95°C every 12 minutes
- >Continuous resistance monitoring across BGA pins A12 to C14
- >X-Ray inspection intervals at 1, 000, 5, 000, and 10, 000 cycles
03. Findings & Anomalies
Initial hypotheses suggested a uniform micro-fracture along the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer. However, X-Ray and cross-sectional SEM imaging revealed cavitation voids forming exclusively on the logic board side of the pad, rather than the IC side, heavily correlated with trace routing geometry.
04. Final Outcome
Research concluded that asymmetrical copper trace density beneath the pads created uneven thermal dissipation, leading to premature shear stress. Applying a targeted underfill formulation increased MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) by 314%.
Local Innovation & Partnerships
Real research requires a community pipeline. We partner with educational institutions and local foundations to democratize hardware engineering access.
Central High Tech-Prep Integration
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We supply logic analyzers, microscopes, and damaged donor boards to the district's advanced physics classes, converting theoretical electrical engineering into applied diagnostic practice.
Read Partnership Report ->
Flagship
Book Free Friday
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Book Free Friday
A completely free, 15-week immersive program deploying our instructors into underfunded community centers. We teach fundamental IT literacy, hardware teardowns, and Python gamification.
E-Waste Salvage & Rehabilitation Initiative
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Partnering with municipal recycling facilities to intercept high-value logic boards before destruction. Students repair these units as capstone projects, which are then donated to low-income school districts.
Metrics: 1, 420 laptops rehabilitated in 2025.
Open Source Hardware Foundation (OSHW)
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All schematic discoveries, board views, and custom tooling created by our R&D lab are released under open-source licenses to support the global Right to Repair movement.
View GitHub Repositories ->Upcoming Seminars & Lab Sessions
Technical presentations and open-bench workshops. Registration is mandatory due to strict bench capacity limits.
Advanced PCB Reverse Engineering
Extracting schematics from multi-layer undocumented boards using decapsulation and X-Ray mapping.
TinyML on Cortex-M0 Architectures
Deploying quantized vibration analysis models onto severely constrained microcontrollers.
Open Diagnostics Hackathon
Bring your dead hardware. Instructors and attendees collaborate on live board repairs using schematics.
Join the Laboratory
We are actively seeking hardware engineers, corporate sponsors, and educators to expand our research footprint and community initiatives.