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Dyson
- Head of Robotics Research
Paris
2017 - maintenant
Recherche en cognition, capteur, énergie, navigation, locomotion, machine learning, AI, processing, architectures robotiques...
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Aldebaran Robotics
- Director of the Advanced Robotics
Paris
2014 - 2016
In charge of the applied research Laboratory of Aldebaran, with a pragmatic scouting mission: to explore, test and build, proof of concept of new actuators, sensors and complex mechatronic sub-systems dedicated to Robotic needs:
• Develop core technology roadmaps and development plans that meet the needs of the company
• Develop and communicate plans and proposals for new R&D, showing budget, schedule, risk and payoff
• Staff team as required and as budget permits
• Invent and develop new hardware component and product concepts, technologies and proofs of concept based on market needs and current product shortcomings
• Research state of the art, alternatives and competitive products and approaches
• Design, build and test rapid prototypes for evaluation and demonstration of new product ideas or technology concepts. Stay abreast of relevant internal Aldebaran research activities, and as appropriate, set up joint research and development projects with relevant deliverables
• If appropriate, initiate and manage external joint development projects including negotiation of cooperation terms
• Create and edit documentation for invention disclosure and patent applications as appropriate
• Collaborate with hardware and software engineers to ensure select concepts and technologies are transitioned successfully into future products
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Aldebaran Robotics
- Mechatronic Director, PSE and Maker of PEPPER
Paris
2011 - 2014
In charge of a multidisciplinary team of Electronics, Mechanics and Firmware Engineers, Project managers and Test Engineers. Direct responsibility of a 45M€ project and 145 people.
• Grew the team from 15 engineers to 75 in less than 4 months and reached a 130 Head count in less than a year, despite limited physical space and no HR department.
• Ensured accurate consolidation of numbers and milestones by creating a PM Office to follow budgets/Planning and KPI.
• Delivered a fully functional and final looking first prototype of PEPPER in 17 weeks, by working days and nights, 7 days a week, with 15 engineers over this period and using 3D printing techniques.
• Moved PEPPER from idea to prototyping phases, then to QA environment and into Production within 12 months, working with FOXCONN by creating a French/Chinese team of 15 people in Yantai (China).
• Solved hundreds of mechatronic problems, using scrum meeting and customized agile processes with the highly skilled and goal-oriented people I previously hired.
• Patented and co-patented 16 major inventions in mechanics and electronics, in 14 months
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Aldebaran Robotics
- Mechatronic Team Leader, Principal Hardware Engineer
Paris
2010 - 2011
In charge of 15 engineers. Drove the re-design of the high-end autonomous NAO Robots and design of ROMEO by combining mechanical and electrical innovations to achieve best-in-class system performance and efficiency:
• Achieved spectacular improvement of the mechanical reliability, temperature management and Electromagnetic Compatibility, by fully rethinking the existing hardware. Jumped from 10-fall-resistance to 3000+ fall-resistance, improvement 40°c system temperature, obtained CE marking.
• Delivered two new robots designs in 12 months, ROMEO and NAO Next Gen, by introducing a Modified Agile methods to align rapidly evolving business requirements, specifications and product architecture.
• Patented a method and apparatus to mitigate EMC propagation in Brushed DC motors.
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Zodiac Data Systems
- Deputy CTO of Space & Defense BU, member of the board, and R&D Manager.
2008 - 2010
In charge of multidisciplinary team of 45 persons:
• Re-booted the R&D department and boosted creativity of a team of 15 highly demotivated, near to retirement, engineers (electronics, mechanics, software end project managers) by changing work process and hiring 30 engineers in 2 years.
• Initiated new projects for new features and innovative architectures based on FPGA by reconnecting the R&D, sales and marketing department, and redefining users’ needs.
• Released a new line of state-of-the-art mission recorder in 12 months: 30% lighter, 50% lower consumption, 200 times bigger data capacity, with sub-micro second time stamping capability.
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ATEME
- System Engineering Manager
Bièvres
2006 - 2008
Started as Principal System Engineer to lead the design of the company’s first Product.
Evolved to Head end System Engineering Manager of company’s strategic Broadcast & Broadband products, using state-of-the-art compression technologies associated to leading edge FPGA solutions.
• Redesigned the prototype of the company first product in 6 months by introducing an innovative I-pod like tactile user interface and color display on a 1U rack for H264 compression racks.
• Personally prototyped and redesigned company’s compression Racks, for thermal management, EMC/FCC and Transportation standards.
• Built a new department for HEADEND turnkey solutions, with 5 engineers.
• Deployed multi-million € turnkey Head end in 3 major Broadcast Companies: Free, TF1, France 2 within 18 months
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IDTECT
- Principal Hardware Engineer
2001 - 2006
with direct Yearly budget responsibility of approximately €1M
• Expressly designed from scratch, in 6 months, a series of monitoring instruments, used in very harsh industrial conditions (acid projections, high ambient temperatures, extreme vacuum, high EMI,…), expressing laboratory grade signal conditioning and data acquisition.
• Created the hardware Architecture of state-of-the-art technology platforms including hardware, firmware and advanced signal-processing functionalities by working with both plants and machinery manufacturers, pooling expertise to design the most appropriate solution.
• Aligned business and technology execution on a strategic as well as day-to-day basis, by driving cross-discipline exchanges between hardware and software teams.
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Horizon Technologies
- R&D Manager
1999 - 2001
With Yearly budget responsibility of more than €500,000.
Started as a Field Application Engineer, while studying for a PhD thesis in parallel.
• Created and led the R&D department of the company. 5 hardware and 4 software Engineers.
• Specified and developed boards to support multi-DSP, high volume data throughput applications.
• Implemented and qualified real-time processing architecture.
• Assumed pre-sales and support on Bittware, Hunt Engineering, Signatec, Spectrum and Alacron products.
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CNRS
- Research Engineer
Paris
1996 - 1999
• Worked on satellite Ground segment, developing telemetry database for pre and post treatments (using ORACLE 8)
• Developed leading edge instruments for radioastronomy: Acousto-Optical Spectrometer, Digital Spectro-polarimeters
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41eme Régiment de Transmission
- Sous-Lieutenant
1995 - 1996
Officier toutes armes, armée de terre. Elève officier à Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan
Encadrement et formation des contingents d'appelés.
Volontaire Service Long.