Selected Attendee - Y Combinator Startup School 2026Y Combinator
Jul 2026
你好!, I'm Brik H. Meza
I am an MSc CS student at McGill University as a McCall MacBain Scholar, focused on bringing robots into the real world through high-quality data.
Before McGill, I received my Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) in 2025, with an exchange semester at the University of Texas at Austin. I interned at BSH Home Appliances and worked as an AI Research Engineer at EsSalud, where I led health-AI projects.
Along the way, I co-founded Outliers, a Software and AI Consultancy for SMBs, and NONHUMAN, one of LATAM's first robot learning labs. I am excited about startups and the future of humanity and robots in space.
News
- [Aug 2026]Moved to Montreal to begin the MSc CS at McGill/Mila as a McCall MacBain Scholar.
- [Aug 2026]Presented HandUMI at Founders, Inc.'s Off Season II demo day in San Francisco.
- [Jun 2026]Won 1st place in Logistics Picking (WBCD) at ICRA 2026 in Vienna, working on whole-body control with a Unitree G1.
- [Jun 2026]Received a $5,000 research grant from Physical Intelligence to advance HandUMI.
- [May 2026]Paper on autonomous dump pocket cleaning accepted at the World Mining Congress 2026.
Portfolio
HandUMI: An 8x Cheaper Way to Collect Data for Bimanual Robots
Hand-worn, open-source device for collecting bimanual manipulation data without a robot in the loop (~$110 per unit plus the VR headset of your preference). Interchangeable gripper tips make demonstrations retargetable across parallel-jaw robot arms. Built and presented at Founders, Inc.'s Off Season II in San Francisco.
Robot LearningData CollectionHardware DesignVR Tracking
Autonomous Dump Pocket Cleaning Using Imitation Learning
Accepted conference paper at the World Mining Congress 2026. Experimental testbed and benchmark for evaluating imitation learning architectures on autonomous dump pocket cleaning. Benchmarks four IL architectures (ACT, Diffusion Policy, π0.5 model, and SmolVLA) using a SO-ARM100 platform with granular bentonite material.
Imitation Learning (ACT, DP, and VLA)BenchmarkingLeRobot
MANTRA
The NONHUMAN team built an ALOHA-style bimanual manipulator using Piper arms, achieving a system 4x cheaper than Stanford's original ALOHA. I led the mechanical design and developed the teleoperation and data-collection stack. The team collected 3,000+ pick-and-place episodes (2,301 curated and available on HuggingFace) to fine-tune and test the π0.5 model.
Imitation Learning (VLA)Data CollectionMechanical DesignLeRobot
BISO-ARM100: Automated Medication Sorting via Imitation Learning
A pilot study conducted at IETSI-EsSalud evaluating a low-cost bimanual robotic system (12 DOF) based on the open-source SO-ARM100 project. The system was trained via Imitation Learning and tested on a sample of 10 medication box types, achieving an 80% global success rate in a controlled environment.
Imitation LearningBimanual ManipulationTeleoperationLeRobot
Automatic Package Sorting System
Modular mechatronic system for automated package classification using barcode detection and independent sorting modules. Designed to reduce space requirements while maintaining scalability.
Mechatronic DesignComputer VisionEmbedded SystemsControl Theory
Entrepreneurship
Outliers Digital Solutions, Inc.
Jul 2024 – Jul 2026
Co-Founder
Helped SMEs save time and money by automating processes with AI and custom software, while boosting their online presence with tech. Served 20+ clients across the USA, AU, EU, and LATAM.
Visit website →
NONHUMAN
Apr 2025 – Jul 2026
Co-Founder & CTO
Founded one of LATAM's first student-led robot learning labs (15+ members, 5 universities); secured angel funding to democratize robot learning research in the region.
Visit website →Education
MSc CS student as a McCall MacBain Scholar.
GPA 17/20
GPA: 17/20 (Peruvian scale). Top 2% in faculty; #1 in Mechatronics during the 2021–22 period.
University Honors (Spring 2023)
University Honors (Spring 2023). Courses: Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Spacecraft Dynamics, Materials Engineering & Lab, Mechatronics Lab, and Galaxies/Quasars/Universe.
Complementary Education
Selected to attend YC's Startup School 2026 in San Francisco.
Selected for global Harvard-founded initiative for first-gen and low-income students; completed leadership modules applied in Outliers and NONHUMAN.
Selected from 20,000+ applicants to join YC's AI Startup School and attend talks by Fei-Fei Li, Chelsea Finn, Andrej Karpathy, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others.
Selected for business fellowship program; received training and mentoring in entrepreneurship and leadership.
Certificate, Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Business
Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Aug 2024
Certificate
DARI Excellence Scholarship (1 of 90 PUCP students selected; funded in-person attendance)
Teaching
Conducted lab sessions and supervised graded quizzes:
- Industrial Artificial Intelligence
Lab sessions on classification, regression, and XGBoost model training (2025-1, 2025-2, 2026-0, 2026-1) - Dynamic Systems and Control B
Graded quizzes on time/frequency-response analysis, PID controller tuning, and optimal control (2025-1, 2025-2) - Electric Circuits
Supervise graded quizzes and author circuit design problems (2025-2)
Work Experience
AI Research Engineer
Institute for Health Technology Assessment and Research (IETSI), EsSalud
Feb 2025 – Aug 2025
Led 4 pilots (NutriBot, MediVoz, RADOX and BISO ARM-100); presented at Peru's 2025 Health-AI Congress. Pilot results: NutriBot scored 78.9/100 SUS, 85% improved diets; MediVoz reduced note-taking time by 70%.
Redesigned stove grill, projected to save $54k/year; reworked hinge system to reduce cost by $0.50 per unit.
Honors & Awards
1st Place - Track 1: Logistics Picking, WBCD CompetitionICRA 2026, Vienna
Jun 2026
McCall MacBain ScholarMcGill University
2026
Selected Attendee - Y Combinator AI Startup SchoolY Combinator
Jun 2025
1st Place - Outstanding International Student Experience AwardPUCP Internationalization Awards
Dec 2024
1st Place - Datathon: AI and Open Data SIS 2024SIS & Fabricum PUCP
Sep 2024
Excellence ScholarshipDARI PUCP
Jul 2024
University HonorsThe University of Texas at Austin
Spring 2023
1st Place - DARI Student Mobility GrantPUCP
Jan 2023
PRONABEC Children of Teachers National ScholarshipGovernment of Peru
2020 - 2024