Hello!

My name is Nicholas Hollander. I am a Software and Robotics Engineer with experience across a wide variety of systems. I am interested in Software Development, Rapid Prototyping, and R&D, especially for robots and other embedded applications. You can read about some of my personal projects or get in touch with me. Thank you for viewing my portfolio!

About Me

Education

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Worcester, MA
Bachelor of Science, Major in Robotics (RBE), Minors in Computer Science (CS) & Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
GPA 3.33/4.00, May 2021
Graduated with Distinction

Experience

Software Development Engineer I Amazon Robotics, December 2021 — January 2023

Assisted in the development of a warehouse scale discrete event simulation platform.
Automated containerization and parallel execution of simulations using Docker and AWS Batch
Led a refactoring effort to increase performance and maintainability in our simulation Visualization framework
Contributed to the successful delivery of projects by utilizing agile development practices

Software Development Engineer Raytheon, August 2021 — December 2021

Integrated FOSS software utilities into QA testing procedures
Developed tools for real‑time and deferred network traffic analysis and diagnosis
Adhered to strict security and compliance requirements for software development processes

Software Development Engineering Intern Amazon Web Services Inc., May — August 2020

Developed internal support utilities and plugins to assist project management.
Created extension software for the IntelliJ suite of Integrated Development Environments and associated products.
Worked with a team on code reviews, development, and planning.

Robotics Lab Research Intern HiRo Lab, WPI, July — August 2018

Utilized Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing technology to design and produce research assistance tools.
Created printed circuit boards for robotic control peripherals.
Provided engineering and design support to graduate research projects.

Quality Assurance and Software Engineering Intern Inficon Inc. September 2016 — March 2017

Developed quality assurance scripts for validating new software releases.
Assisted QA and development teams to ensure smooth releases and upgrades.
Worked with a team to find and resolve bugs in multiple software platforms.

Skills

Operating Systems: Linux, macOS, Windows
Programming Languages: Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, C/C++
Tools: OpenCV, OpenGL, Git, SQL, QT, HTML, CSS, KiCad, Emscripten, numpy
Platforms: PC, AVR, ARM, Embedded Linux

Honors

Awards

Graduation with Distinction WPI 2021

Scholarships

WPI Merit Scholarship 2017 — 2021

Membership in Professional Organizations

Rho Beta Epsilon (Robotics Honor Society) 2020 — Present

Projects

Here's a selection of personal projects I have worked on over the last few years. If you would like to learn more about any of these projects, please feel free to reach out. I'd love to talk!

WPI Major Qualifying Project: Robotic Teleoperation via Motion and Gaze Tracking (2020 — 2021)

The objective of this project was to develop a system using computer vision and machine learning to process data generated by an Intel RealSense Depth Camera D435 in order to produce accurate gaze target location of a computer operator. The system will be used to determine the precise location on a computer monitor that the subject is focused on. It could be applied for hands-free operation of the computer or remote operation of a robot. This system was integrated into a robotic simulation platform using ROS. The results of this project are being utilized to support ongoing WPI graduate research into hands-free robotic teleoperation and machine control. Learn More ➡️

WPI Interactive Qualifying Project: Implementation and Design of a Webcam System for Traffic Monitoring in Acadia National Park (Summer 2019)

I led a team in Bar Harbor ME which designed and implemented an autonomous and wireless traffic monitoring platform to assist with implementation of the National Park Service's Traffic Management Plan. We constructed a hardware system based around a Raspberry Pi 3 and EC25 4G/LTE communications module to relay traffic images and information in real time. Learn More ➡️

Wrist/Arm Mounted Camera Assembly for Perception-Action Coordination (Summer 2018)

During my summer internship at WPI's Human Inspired Robotics (HiRo) Lab, I utilized Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D Printing technology to develop and construct a series of adjustable mounting devices to secure webcams to the wrist or arm of a human operator for use in a virtual-reality based robotics control study. This study tested the impact of various camera locations and perspectives on a robot operator’s ability to efficiently complete a variety of dexterity tests. Learn More ➡️

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) for the RoboPuppet Wiring Harness (Summer 2018)

This was the second major project of my internship at WPI's HiRo Lab. I was tasked with replacing the prototype wiring on a robotic teleoperation puppet with a PCB that could easily be mounted to an Arduino Mega board. I designed the board to feature analog encoder inputs, with seven inputs for the joints in each of the two arms, plus two auxiliary analog inputs. The board also included four digital inputs that were connected to buttons on the hands of the puppet. Learn More ➡️

Silhouette Multiplatform 3D Rendering Engine

Silhouette is a personal project of mine that I started working on in 2017 to teach myself about 3D Graphics (Vulkan/OpenGL) and proper application design. The goal of Silhouette is to provide a very simple 3D rendering environment for use in games and visualization applications that will run across a wide range of target platforms. In the years I have been working on this project, it has been rewritten in numerous programming languages (C/C++/Rust) and paradigms (OOP, Procedural), embedded in QT5, and ported to run in a web browser via WebGL and Emscripten. Learn More ➡️