Tolga Karakurt
Robotic Software/Firmware Engineer
About
I am a Software Engineer with a passion for Robotics. With over five years of experience in hardware and software development for embedded and electromechanical systems, I've had the opportunity to work on different domains such as ground & aerial robotics, PCB design, firmware development, power electronics, high-mid-low voltage networks, and project management methodologies.
As a graduate research assistant at the University of Nevada, Reno, I develop and test software for aerial autonomous vehicles using C++, Python, and Matlab in the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework. I've had the privilege to work on dynamic system identification for UAVs, precision landing systems, visual detection and tracking, and model predictive controllers (MPC).
In my leisure time, I have a strong affinity for soccer, hiking, gym and socializing with friends and colleagues.
Thank you for visiting, and Enjoy scrolling! :)
Education
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- University of Nevada, Reno
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- University of South Florida
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- Konya Technical University (formerly Selcuk University)
Professional Experience
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Software Engineer
- Jabil Healthcare, St.Petersburg, FL, Aug 2019 - Dec 2020
- Developed and upgraded C firmware for hemodialysis power supply and ventilator pressure sensor boards.
- Resolved feature bugs and prepared test protocols and test hardware for the hemodialysis flow meter.
- Managed SW version control in Atlassian BitBucket and Azure DevOps Git Repos.
- Coordinated with PM and director in the organizational transition for project management from Waterfall to Agile, resulting in a 25% higher project completion rate.
- Netkaya Electric, TR, Apr 2017 - Jun 2017
- Provided direct supervision and technical guidance to line foreman and crews performing maintenance and construction activities of power lines and associated electrical equipment.
- Coordinated between PM and sub-contractors and managed 4 worksite work crews (50 employees) in 9 villages.
- Netkaya Electric, TR, Jan 2017 - Apr 2017
- Collaborated with Survey Technicians to collect data and verify the field.
- Transferred projects to ArcGIS.
- Inova Technology, TR, Oct 2014 - Feb 2015
- Devised and optimized two distinct PCB layouts for a servo-electric press brake bending machine.
- Designed firmware for the dsPIC33EP microcontroller, decreasing the overall cost of the product by more than 50% through the strategic replacement of microcontrollers with PLC systems.
- Executed circuit design, simulation, and Bill of Material (BOM) generation.
- Savema, TR, Jun 2014 - Oct 2014
- Upgraded the stepper motor driver to optimize torque and speed for the thermal overprinting machine.
- Updated firmware on 16-bit DSCs.
Research & Teaching Experience
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Graduate Research Assistant
- University of Nevada, Reno, Aug 2021 - May 2024
- Identified dynamic model of a six-rotor aircraft using Matlab toolbox and developed model predictive control pipeline through HITL simulations for wildfire spread monitoring on northern Nevada area bushes.
- Contributed to developing a vehicle-to-vehicle visual detection, created a C++ pipeline for a camera switch feature between RGB and stereo depth cameras, trained and deployed a YOLO NN model on an aerial image dataset, and collaborated on the precision landing of a VTOL UAV on a mobile-legged robot.
- Testing and debugging code
- Collaborated on designing and implementing slam, visual servoing, odometry, and navigation algorithms using C++ and Python in ROS environment.
- University of Nevada, Reno, Aug 2021 - Dec 2023
- Guided and supported 500 college students in mastering C/C++ in Data Structures and Operating Systems courses, evaluated and graded homework and exams through open communication platforms.
- University of South Florida, Aug 2017 - Jan 2020
- Designed a four-wheel autonomous robot motor drivetrain system in accordance with ConOps requirements.
- Integrated RGB, stereo camera, and range finder sensors on Nvidia Jetson using C++ and Python.
- Trained and deployed an NN model for obstacle avoidance and an RL model for path planning.
- Utilized SolidWorks for CAD modeling the food delivery autonomous robot achieving 25 mph speed capacity.
