BobWilkes

Bob is an expert in mechanisms, fluidic and electromechanical systems for both the space environment and on the ground, and has focused his entire career developing new products. He invented and patented Trim-A-Slab in 2010 out of his garage workshop and now sells miles of it each month.

He is currently Chief Engineer of Mechanical Systems in the Design and Analysis Group at Jacobs Engineering and Tech Fellow of Product Development at Jacobs. Previously he was a team lead and Project Manager during the design and development of Extra-Vehicular (EVA) equipment for the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station, and developed tile repair methods for the Space Shuttle after the Columbia accident. Prior to manned spaceflight work, Bob produced sensors and instruments at the University of California Berkeley Space Science Laboratory for NASA-sponsored spacecraft, and was chief engineer at Petrolphysics, Inc., developing enhanced oil recovery systems based on water jet drilling.

Additionally, Bob is a licensed professional engineer in the state of California, and a registered patent agent. He has received numerous awards for his technical work and is a named inventor on more than a dozen US patents.