APRIL 15th, 2025
BRAID’S TEAM
<aside> 💡 Welcome to another article in our series of Tech Team Profiles! Here, we’ll introduce you to the team building Braid’s automated engineering design technology. Alvaro is a Researcher at Braid with a background in aerospace engineering.
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I did my bachelor's degree in Spain in aerospace engineering. I completed my master's degree at Tohoku University here in Japan, and I ended up working for Boeing in Japan as well for almost two years. After that, I came to Tokyo to work for Braid.
At Boeing I worked in the research center. I had two roles: one was investigating manufacturing issues and supporting other teams in solving them—understanding manufacturing processes, identifying improvements, and bridging the gap between what was planned and the final assembly. The other role was research-focused, from improving manufacturing capabilities, running simulations on composites, drilling, to even robotic work.
Alvaro’s first day in Tokyo
I completed a two-year research-based master’s program with an experimental aerodynamics laboratory. The lab has been working for over 10–15 years to better understand the flow structures in supersonic flow, which is important not just for planes, but also rockets and even some non air-related applications.
One of the main challenges was understanding the pressure waves created by nozzles, which make it hard to see what the actual flow looks like. The flow is extremely fast and complex, with steady-state and transient structures interacting. My experiment aimed to track the full particle path from the nozzle exit, about two to three meters out, to understand the flow’s structures. We used Particle Image Velocimetry, taking high-resolution snapshots of over 20,000 frames per second with multiple cameras from different angles. We used lasers to capture thin slices of flow, 3D cameras, and microphones for pressure samples.
From there, we reconstructed the flow using techniques like Kalman filters and RTS smoothers. The goal was to observe the ideally expanded nozzle conditions, which simplified the flow enough to see the structures clearly and understand how they interact. This experimental setup was complex, including a three-by-three-meter anechoic chamber where we reached up to Mach 10.
Since I was a child, I’ve always been curious about things humans create to make life easier. There’s something mystical about objects that seem impossible until you understand engineering. Planes are a great example: unless you study it, it’s hard to believe something that heavy can fly.
As I got older, I became fascinated by complex systems that humans design, systems that interact to create new objects or ideas. That led me to aerospace engineering and to experimenting and research. It’s all very connected for me.
Alvaro after climbing Mt. Fuji.
Alvaro after climbing Mt. Fuji.
I like going to the gym, though I’m still looking for a good one here in Tokyo. I also really enjoy learning about the state-of-the-art techniques for 3D computer graphics, especially ray tracing and rendering technologies mostly used in gaming. I don’t understand everything yet, but lately, I’ve been reading a lot about it.
There’s a park south of Ginza called Hamarikyu Gardens. I feel like not many people know it. It was the first place I visited when I came to Tokyo at 18, so I have good memories there. It’s a beautiful and quiet spot in the middle of the city. On the other hand, working in Shibuya is great—it makes after-work life interesting and meaningful.
Alvaro during his graduation day at Tohoku University.
Alvaro during his graduation day at Tohoku University.