Neil's Portfolio

What I do

Embedded Systems

I have exposed myself to the wonderful world of enbedded and electronics systems as a Mechatronics student. I have experienced working with the Arduino Uno and Raspberry Pi for a few projects at the UW Robotics team.

I have also designed and bulit a working robot called the ShotBot(TM) with the LegoEV3 and Tetrix prime kits, which used several sensors and algorithms to process the sensor information, so that the robot can help in shooting with a high accuracy rate. I had worked on intergating the LiDAR system for the University of Waterloo's Robotics team's autonomous robot racing car- The HummingBot. More about these can be found in the projects section.

I am now in the Electrical subeam of the University of Waterloo's Formula Electric design team, where I have done BOM managament and helped the team with wire harnessing. Currently, I am looking into the problems faced by the Wheel Sensor Board (WSB) on the team's car.

Mechanical Systems

Through my previous coop placement at the UW Robotics team, I have become experienced with different CAD Software tools such as AutoCAD and SolidWorks. I have also learned how to encode G and M code for CNC machinery.

For testing tools, I have experienced the wonderful, ANSYS CFD software, for testing a part I had designed for the team

As for 3D rendering for product showcasing, I have experienced rendering in SolidWorks' Visualizer 2019. I have also done a few projects in Blender for modeling and rendering my project from the UW robotics team.

Software Development

I am fluent in C++ and C. I also have experience in a ROS software for Lego robots called RobotC.

Apart from this, I have experience in Python. Being an autonomous systems enthusiast, I have used my Python skills for artificial intelligence projects and am proficient in a few machine learning libraries such as Tensorflow, KerasAPI and OpenCV! I also have experience in programming controllers in Python for self driving cars, and have used the CARLA simulator for testing the controller.

I am skilled in HTML and CSS programming for webpages, as well as Javascript for the reactive elements of the webpage.

Work Experience

Engineering Analyst

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada | September 2022 - December 2022

Implemented an equipment and process changeover that reduced Lexus quarter glass chrome damages by 88.2% reducing repair cost/time in the process through the Toyota Business Practice

Assisted engineers in designing and testing an equipment assist that helped reduce 90.4% of downtime on the production line for Toyota RAV4 vehicles

Designed and implemented an AGV (Auto Guided Vehicle) safety barrier using SolidWorks, that helped save the company ~$XXX,XXX by reducing downtime experienced on the multi-model production line

Managed manufacturing improvements by following the engineering change order and purchase requisition procedures

Improved interpersonal and communication skills by managing projects with several departments in the plant and contractors

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Human Centered Robotics and Machine Intelligence Lab | May 2022 - July 2022

Designed and implemented test fixtures and indicators using SolidWorks, AutoCAD and the Arduino MEGA

Assisted the research team in conducting kinematic studies using the REEM-C robot using ROS

Big Data Platform Developer

Huawei Technologies | January 2022 - April 2022

Designed and implemented a fix for the platform's cube to support huge datasets without duplication

Provided a fix to the Btree Indexer to support the creation process for large datasets, using PrestoDB

Designed and implemented the UniStage scheduler that reduces query latency by 20%. Conducted benchmarks and performance tests on the feature for over 10,000 load tests using JMeter, Python and Shell

Reviewed and summarized project documentation and reports related to the platform’s features

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

University of Waterloo | May 2021 - Aug 2021

Solidified theroretical and practical skills in the field of circuits and embedded systems design, by preparing labs and live solving sessions for students in MTE 120/ ME 123 using LEARN and OBS Studio.

Maintained curriculum content for the courses utilizing D2L Learn (LMS). Also assisted instructors in analyzing student's progress and providing feedback using Crowdmark.

Designed and implemented a circuit generator for faculty members to use for problem creation. This helped in decreasing problem formulation by ~40% by generating random circuits with random values that fit the needs of the instructor.

Mechanical Engineering Intern

University of Waterloo Robotics | January 2020 - April 2020

Used SolidWorks to design a new aeroshell design for the team's autonomous racing car. Helped the team in producing CAD files and updated several parts of the HummingBot racing car using AutoCAD.

Conducted several CFD studies for the design on ANSYS CFX, successfully lowering the Reynolds number by 40% for optimizing the laminar flow on the vehicle.

Machined and Laser Cut several parts for the HummingBot racing car. Generated G-code and M-code for CNC Machining for the parts, using Autodesk Inventor CAM (Rapid Prototyping).

Electrical Team Member

University of Waterloo Formula Electric | Apr 2021 - Present

Investigated WSB problems using Altium. Checked hardware and firmware properties using the STM32IDE.

Managed Bill of Materials for the team's PCBs built in house.

Implemented Agile development principles by having 2 week sprints using Jira.

Core Mechatronics Member

University of Waterloo Robotics | Jan 2020 - Jan 2021

Updated CAD drawings in the team's master CAD list.

Redesigned the top plate for the racing car by adding a new swap feature for PCBs and embedded system boards.

Worked on the robot's aeroshell testing and the LiDAR system for the robot's perception.

Suspensions Team Member

University of Waterloo Formula Motrsports | Jan 2020 - Apr 2020

Assisted the team in manufacturing several spacers and a few parts using manual machining tools (Lathes and Mills).

Helped the team in drafting the drawings for several parts using SolidWorks.

Voluntary Experience

MLH Hardware Assistant

StarterHacks | Jan 2020

Helped hackers for the MLH Starterhacks hackathon for signing hardware off to them.

Assisted other volunteers with giving off lunch and dinner.

Mechatronics Mentor

Mechatronics Mentorship Program | Aug 2020 - Dec 2020

Helped first years in learning the social and academic atmosphere in the University of Waterloo's Mechatronics program.

Provided resources and help for students for their co-op search in the form of Resume and Cover Letter critiques.

Sports Coordinator

Holy Spirit Church Oman | Jun 2018

Managed and Organized sports activities for the members of the annual summer camp.

Helped organizers in distributing snacks and refreshments after every event.

My Résumé

Who I am

Mechatronics engineering student @ University of Waterloo

Born and raised in the lovely Arabian country of Oman, I always fell in love with robotics after attending a robotic conference at the local conference grounds. As of now, I am a student at the University of Waterloo, pursuing my B.A.Sc in (Honours) Mechatronics Engineering and will be specializing in Artificial intelligence systems. As seen from my skills, I have been trying to make my life long experience in many electromechanical systems as I always wanted to be an engineer that makes products for the betterment of humanity, especially in robotic systems.

Additionally, I would like to state that I am a team player and can assume any role in a team. I am goal-oriented and possess very strong work-ethics. I like and respect every individual for who they are. This quality has helped me grow tremendously as a person and I continue to grow along with people around me. I try not to miss any opportunity to learn a new skillset or a new piece of information. You’ll find me to be an enthusiastic, honest and friendly person with a pleasing personality.

When I am not doing academia or robotic related things, I love to use my guitar playing skills by playing for the local choir when I'm back home in Oman, or just playing the guitar casually in my free time. I also love to play Football and E-sports games such as Counter Strike, League of Legends, and even Genshin Impact!

Hi! I am Neil Fernandes!