Race Conditions Labs is a multidisciplinary engineering and fabrication studio. We architect, build, and deploy complete physical–digital systems — from CNC-cut steel to cloud-connected firmware — under a single roof.
Most shops operate in one domain. Race Conditions Labs spans the full engineering stack — from material to microcontroller to cloud endpoint. That's not a list of services. It's an integrated methodology.
Every engagement follows the same disciplined arc. No scope surprises. No handoff chaos. One integrated team throughout.
A representative sample of completed systems. Each project spans multiple capability domains by design.
Race Conditions Labs operates across the complete physical-digital engineering stack. No subcontracting. No capability gaps. No translation loss between domains.
Most engineering projects fail at the seams — where the mechanical team hands off to firmware, or firmware hands off to cloud. Those gaps cost time, budget, and often the project itself.
Race Conditions Labs was built to eliminate those seams. Every capability domain — fabrication, embedded systems, IoT, and cloud — is held by the same team, modeled in the same design space, and iterated against the same constraints.
The result is systems that are architected as systems — not assembled from parts that happened to fit together.
Race Conditions Labs is calibrated for technically demanding projects where domain breadth is an asset, not a liability. We are not a volume shop. We take on work that requires the full stack.
A curated set of completed systems. Each project is shown with its capability domains, design challenges, and key outcomes. No embellishment — just the work.
A production CNC plasma table built from raw steel — structural frame, gantry motion system, torch height control, and an integrated CAM workflow. Designed to handle the fabrication load for Race Conditions Labs projects and eliminate dependency on commercial waterjet shops for 2D metalwork.
The design challenge was building a precision motion system from fabricated steel without CNC machine tool tolerances to start from. Motion system tuning, torch height controller integration, and CAM toolpath management all developed in-house.
A self-propelled robot designed to traverse an overhead zipline cable autonomously. Custom chassis, dual-wheel drive system, onboard ESP32 firmware with motor control, sensor-based line engagement logic, and remote telemetry for position monitoring.
Scope included full mechanical design, 3D-printed housing components, motor driver electronics, and firmware — from first CAD sketch to field deployment. A complete physical-digital system in a constrained envelope.
A traditional mechanical music box mechanism retrofitted with a Wi-Fi-connected ESP32 drive system. Enables remote playback triggering, scheduling via web interface, and speed control. 3D-printed housing designed to house the mechanism and electronics without modifying original components.
Demonstrates a characteristic RCL approach: an elegant physical object backed by non-trivial embedded firmware and a network-accessible control layer. Consumer-presentable while technically substantial.
Embedded ambient lighting system that fuses mmWave presence/occupancy detection with real-time audio FFT for reactive LED animation. The system activates on human presence, then keys light behavior to live audio input. Self-contained, no external dependencies.
Notable for the sensor fusion implementation: mmWave radar, microphone ADC input, FFT processing, and LED PWM control all running on a single embedded platform. Custom 3D-printed diffuser housing designed for even light distribution.
Interested in commissioning a system? We discuss new project work by inquiry only.
Start a Project InquiryRace Conditions Labs, LLC is a multidisciplinary engineering and fabrication studio based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We design, build, and deploy complete physical–digital systems — the kind that require someone to hold the full architecture from steel to cloud, rather than farming out pieces to specialists who don't communicate.
The studio operates across CNC metal fabrication, custom welding, parametric 3D design, additive manufacturing, embedded firmware development, IoT architecture, and cloud systems integration. These capabilities are not offered à la carte — they exist in service of integrated system design.
The name is intentional. A race condition is a systems fault that occurs when the design assumes a sequence that reality doesn't guarantee. We build systems that account for what actually happens — not what's supposed to happen.
Race Conditions Labs is the parent innovation brand. Current and future studio ventures operate under the RCL umbrella, each focused on a specific market vertical with its own identity.
Race Conditions Labs is the studio for engineering projects that don't fit a single-domain shop — where the system lives across physical, embedded, and cloud layers, and someone has to own the whole thing.
Race Conditions Labs takes on a limited number of engagements. We review every inquiry and respond to projects that align with our capabilities and bandwidth.
Race Conditions Labs is built for technically complex, cross-domain projects. We are not a volume shop or a quick-quote fabricator. If your project is technically interesting and genuinely needs someone to hold the full system — we want to hear about it.
If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you that too.
Available for technical architecture review, embedded systems design consultation, or systems integration strategy. Engagement without full build commitment. Mention this in your inquiry.