WAT
Active Role — Jan 2026 – Present

WATonomous

Team
My Role
Robotics Engineer
Subteam
Autonomy Software
Stack
C++ · ROS2 · STM32 · CAN Bus
// 01 — About the Team

Building Self-Driving
Technology

WATonomous is the University of Waterloo's student autonomous vehicle design team — one of the largest in Canada. The team competes in the SAE AutoDrive Challenge and develops full-stack autonomy for a real vehicle.

I joined in January 2026 as a Robotics Engineer on the Autonomy Software subteam, where I work on the software stack for a 6-DOF robotic arm — building systems for CAN bus communication, joint state representation, and autonomous control.

6-DOF Robotic Arm
CAN Bus Protocol
STM32 MCU Platform
ROS2 Middleware
Robotics Engineer
● Active

My work focuses on the autonomy software layer — bridging low-level firmware with high-level ROS2 control logic.

  • Developing CAN bus firmware for STM32 microcontrollers to interface with robotic arm joints
  • Building joint state representation and feedback systems in ROS2 C++
  • Writing and testing motion control nodes for autonomous arm operation
  • Collaborating with hardware and electrical subteams on system integration
C++ ROS2 STM32 CAN Bus Embedded Linux
// 02 — Gallery

Photos & Videos

// 03 — The Team

Who We Are

WATonomous is one of Canada's largest student-run autonomous vehicle teams, based at the University of Waterloo. The team competes in the SAE AutoDrive Challenge II — a multi-year competition to develop a fully autonomous vehicle.

The team is split into focused subteams spanning the full stack: Perception, Mapping & Localization, Path Planning, Controls, Autonomy Software, Electrical, and Mechanical.

100+ Members
SAE AutoDrive Challenge
7 Subteams
UW University of Waterloo
Autonomy Software
My Subteam

The Autonomy Software subteam bridges low-level hardware with the high-level decision-making stack. We own the firmware, ROS2 middleware, and motion control systems.

  • CAN bus firmware on STM32 microcontrollers for arm joint communication
  • ROS2 C++ nodes for joint state publishing and motion commanding
  • Integration with Perception and Path Planning outputs
  • System testing and hardware-in-the-loop validation
// 04 — The Team

Who We Are

WATonomous is one of Canada's largest student autonomous systems teams, based at the University of Waterloo. The team is divided into several subteams spanning the full autonomous vehicle stack.

Subteam
Autonomy Software

Develops the high-level decision-making and control systems — path planning, perception pipelines, and ROS2 node architecture. My subteam.

ROS2C++Python
Subteam
Electrical & Firmware

Designs the PCBs and writes the low-level firmware for MCUs, sensors, and actuators that interface with the physical vehicle and robotic systems.

STM32CAN BusPCB
Subteam
Mechanical

Handles structural design, mounts, and integration of hardware components. Works closely with electrical and software on physical system layout.

SolidWorks3D PrintDFM
Subteam
Perception & ML

Builds the camera and LiDAR processing pipelines, object detection models, and sensor fusion systems that feed into the autonomy stack.

LiDARPyTorchYOLO
My Place on the Team
Robotics Engineer

I sit at the intersection of firmware and high-level autonomy — writing ROS2 nodes that consume low-level CAN data and expose it as clean interfaces for the planning and control layers.

I collaborate daily with the Electrical subteam on protocol design and with fellow Autonomy engineers on system architecture.

Jan '26 Start Date
Auto. Subteam
C++ Primary Lang
UW University