Emily Yarid, a now-graduated mechanical engineering major, spent March of 2020 living a life identical to most of her classmates. Quarantine was monotonous and boring, and when she downloaded TikTok, it was originally just a way to pass the time. However, around four months after first opening the app, Yarid experienced something few of her classmates could ever hope to: she went viral.
Boasting 2.1 million followers on TikTok as of Jan. 19, 2021, Yarid, also known as “Emily the Engineer,” has made a name for herself as someone who makes custom Iron Man suits from the comfort of her own apartment. She uses little more than two 3D printers, some basic tools and a love of Iron Man, but her regular updates on TikTok have gained the attention of many. In the six months since one of her suit updates gained over 3 million views, her follower count has skyrocketed, making for more than one memorable moment in 2020.
“A couple more videos had blown up over the course of the semester, and then I got to the week of graduation,” Yarid said in an email to The Tiger. “I had been working on a TikTok showing the behind the scenes of everything for about three days…I posted it two hours before my graduation ceremony, and it didn’t do as well as I would have hoped. By the time I got to my graduation ceremony however, it had started to blow up, and by the time I was out of ceremony, it was on the verge of hitting 2-3 million views. Over the course of the next 24 hours, it made it up to 15-20 million views, and now, it has over 60 million views…The timing of the video blowing up was absolutely insane, and I honestly almost forgot about the fact that I had graduated!”
Yarid’s current project is an Iron Man suit that not only has a custom look, but also has several motorized parts. Painted bright blue, the suit has moving features such as back flaps to resemble jets and a lifting arm missile. Even the helmet is self-contained and moves according to a pressure switch located in the chin. While printing the suit takes approximately three to five months, post-processing and motorizing the suit adds even more time.
“Overall, it takes about 6 – 8 months to make one, but is definitely worth the wait and work!” Yarid said.
If one were to use Iron Man’s system of naming, the blue suit would be Yarid’s Mark III. Its first predecessor was created out of foam floor mats when Yard was 14 years old, and it was the result of a summer spent in boredom. Yarid remarked that it turned out “pretty good” for being made by a 14-year-old.
Yarid did not complete her next suit until her junior year of college, when she decided to 3D print an entirely new suit. She only used one 3D printer and designed the end product to resemble the Iron Man suit from the films. While the mask was also motorized, controls in the glove and connections to the chestplate meant the helmet was not independent. Nevertheless, Yarid was “insanely proud” of the end result and endeavored to improve upon it with her blue suit.
While Yarid’s suit-making skills have come quite a long way since her original foam suit, she recognized one part of her education as being instrumental in making her second and third suits a reality. Yarid currently uses the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software called SolidWorks when designing her suits, since all mechanical engineering majors are required to learn the software; plus, it’s free for Clemson students to use. While Yarid had no idea how to use the program prior to taking ENGR 2080, she has now mastered cutting, extruding and filleting.
In addition to the typical mechanical engineering curriculum, Yarid also completed three co-op rotations during her four and a half years at Clemson University. The decision to co-op, despite delaying her graduation by a semester, was “one of the best decisions” she’d ever made.
Yarid’s decision to major in mechanical engineering came about during her junior year of high school, when she began to appreciate the process of building things. The school where she would earn her degree from, however, has never been in question.
“I’ve always been a Clemson fan growing up,” Yarid said. “My dad and several family members went to school there, and living in South Carolina, I always pretty much knew I wanted to go…I could not be more satisfied with my Clemson experience overall.”
Now, with Yarid’s education at Clemson behind her, she is looking to work as a full-time content creator for the next couple of months. With this future approaching, it’s a good thing that Yarid’s experience with making things has been so plentiful. For Halloween of 2019, her second suit won multiple costume contests in downtown Clemson and at one of her Cru meetings. She also 3D printed a lightsaber as a gift for her fiancé and is considering building more Star Wars designs in the future. Yarid has even gained the recognition of James Hobson, who is better known as “The Hacksmith.” After watching his videos since high school, Yarid is proud to have him as a follower on Instagram.
“It’s super cool [to] have someone that you grew up watching recognize your existence,” Yarid said.
As “Emily the Engineer” continues to gain popularity on TikTok, Clemson students can easily keep up-to-date on Yarid’s suits and projects. But while the world oohs and ahs at Yarid’s 3D printer magic, those at Clemson will also be smiling every time an orange shirt or hat makes an appearance in her renowned videos.
