Led team to develop robot control software to operate in a space environment using embedded PowerPC and Xilinx MicroBlaze processors running real-time VxWorks and Linux operating systems. Designed, developed, integrated, and tested embedded robot control software with simulated and actual robot arms. Analyzed and optimized the performance of robot control algorithms when implemented with software on the PowerPC and MicroBlaze processors and with custom FPGA hardware. Modified Linux kernel and device driver code to support real-time robotic arm control. Configured the Linux operating system and created a build system for developing and testing embedded software. Established and maintained git revision control repositories to track and manage embedded software source code. Participated in a parabolic aircraft flight to measure the reaction of a large mass when contacted by a robotic arm in a zero-gravity environment.

Directed and implemented the development of sensor products for a small optical technology company.Specified the optical, electrical, and mechanical requirements for position-tracking sensor products. Designed and developed analog and digital electronics, signal processing algorithms, and software to process and display sensor output signals. Modified third-party ray-tracing software to model sensor optical performance and analyzed the results to determine sensitivity to noise and mechanical tolerances. Designed and wrote PC-based user interface and device interface library software using Microsoft Visual C++ and Labview. Developed embedded software using C for various PIC microcontrollers and embedded hardware using verilog for a Xilinx FPGA.Designed electronics for an LED-based airport taxiway light that conformed to the unique requirements of airport lighting power systems. Developed electronics and embedded software for an LED-based task light. Fabricated prototypes of these lights and validated their performance.Developed various sensor and system prototypes, including a safety light curtain, a robotic leader/follower, and an infrared communication device, that demonstrated the capabilities of the company’s sensor technologies.As Principal Investigator for a $100,000 phase II SBIR subcontract, developed a wireless infrared communication transceiver. Defined component and system requirements, analyzed the feasibility of alternative architectures, and assisted in the optical and mechanical design of the device. Performed all aspects of the subcontract’s management, including preparation of statements of work and cost proposals, reporting of status, drafting and submission of deliverable documents, and coordination of personnel.

Designed embedded flight software that coordinated attitude determination and control for a highly accurate and agile low-earth-orbit imaging satellite. Developed and tested embedded flight software written in C for VxWorks, which monitored and controlled solar array power generation and battery charging for a constellation of low-earth-orbit communication satellites. Designed, wrote, and tested flight and ground-based software for use as a backup satellite communication path. Assisted in the launch and early operation of the first eight spacecraft in a constellation of communication satellites. Monitored the software aspects of the eight spacecraft and assisted in the on-orbit separation of two of the satellites which failed to separate after launch.

Designed and developed the operational and diagnostic firmware for two single-board embedded computers. Wrote and tested drivers for ethernet, JTAG serial scan, and proprietary interfaces using C and assembly language (68040 and 68360). Defined the high-level protocols for communication across these interfaces. Developed the firmware to monitor the power and environmental conditions of the systems in which the computers were embedded. Created and maintained a UNIX-based cross-development environment, based on the GNU compiler, assembler, linker, and debugger. Designed and developed firmware for a PIC microcontroller that multiplexed sixteen I2C buses onto two proprietary serial buses. Wrote diagnostic software for various peripheral and network controllers, including HiPPI, FDDI, and DAT.

Designed and developed the hardware for a FIPS-60 “block-mux” I/O channel controller. Performed all aspects of the hardware design, including logic design, simulation, timing verification, component placement, and prototype testing. Designed, implemented, and programmed a microcode engine that directly controlled the “block-mux” interface. Designed and tested the hardware for the CPU portion of an IPI disk channel interface, using a 20MHz Motorola 88100 RISC microprocessor, RAM, EEPROM, and a number of asynchronous interfaces to the channel hardware.

Designed and developed a 32-bit micro-programmable processor. Implemented the processor using an FPGA, which included a 32-word register file, a 32-bit shifter/ALU, and a 16x16-bit multiplier. Designed and wrote a register-level simulation of the processor using the C language.