| layout | date | categories | author |
|---|---|---|---|
default |
2023-08-30 |
recruitment |
Will Heitman |
Recruitment for 2023-2024 has ended. Thank you to all who participated!
We're Nova, UT Dallas's applied autonomous driving project. We aim to create the first open-source, modular, and research-ready autonomous driving platform in-the-world. We've already come a long way, but we need your help to go further than ever.
Our open-source software, "Navigator," is under active development, with over 1000 commits across our branches. However, there's plenty of work ahead. Not only does our software need work, but our firmware and hardware systems could use some love too. If you're passionate about autonomous-driving, or just want to get involved, we need your help!
<iframe width="100%" height="285px" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Zgo2KQQiSss" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Developers work on the heart of our robot. They don't just write code, but also engineer the algorithms that drive our whole system (pun maybe intended?). Everything from sensor processing to behavior planning to object tracking is formed and improved by this group. If you love robotics, artificial intelligence, controls, machine vision, Nova presents a unique opportunity to combine them all to create something amazing. You don't have to be a CS or CE major to be a developer!
- Experience in C++ or Python, preferably both
- Experience using version control systems, preferably Git
We're looking to expand Nova's work in web development. Apart from our website, our next target is an interactive GUI that'll make it easier for any user to engage with the various systems in our software stack. Web developers would be tasked with leading such a charge, as well as helping to maintain and/or possibly build upon our pre-existing website infrastructure.
- Experience in HTML, CSS, & JS
- Experience using libaries/frameworks for interactive components
- Experience using version control systems, preferably Git
Our project already has a street-legal vehicle equipped with state-of-the-art sensors. It shoots 16 lasers at 300 RPM out of both corners. It has 3D cameras in both the front and the rear. It's a complex beast that hasn't been entirely tamed.
We're recruiting members with expertise in either firmware, mechanical, or electrical systems. If you feel confident in more than one, apply for two or even all three. Your job is to carry our software from the simulator to the real world. In other words, vehicle engineers handle our hardware interface.
Can you use an oscilloscope to find the baud rate on a CAN bus line? If not, can you figure out how? Our firmware engineer will be asked to do anything from controlling our steering wheel with an Xbox controller to adding a Wifi antenna to our onboard computer.
Our vehicle's electrical system is mind boggling. There is both a primary and secondary power circuit, two battery banks, several I/O buses, high-voltage lines, linear actuators, electronic steering... Whew! Does this scare you, excite you, or both? Our electrical engineer will be responsible for diagnosing faulty batteries, locating loose wires, tackling electrical interference, and more.
We're always looking to mount new sensors, model brackets for touchscreens, find the right motors to actuate our pedals, and so on. No matter how good our code is, our vehicle is still mechanical at heart. As our mechanical engineer, you will be asked to maintain and improve the mechanical systems of our vehicle.
Our project tends to get people excited, and yet most UTD community members are unaware of our work. In PR, you will present our work to the world through Instagram posts, videos, web articles, and however else you see fit. You'll be expected to attend our outreach events, take photos of our test runs, post on social media, and generally promote our mission.
Above: Josh testing our pedal actuators. Much of our firmware is written from scratch.
- Strong interpersonal skills
- We're a team. No matter the situation, we support each other and expect everyone to be a team player.
- Communicate effectively with others
- Dedication
- Our goals are tough-- way harder than most people realize. The work will be difficult. The work is often frustrating and slow. We're looking for the ones who'll stick with it, who know that the frustration will be worth it.
- Though we are a team, you'll sometimes find yourself working independently. We expect you to take initiative, and be ready to take on a problem with no one else around (except Google!)
- Willingness to learn and apply new concepts quickly
- Time Commitment
- This one's simple. We expect you to show up.
- Nova should be your top priority outside of class. It is just practically very difficult to "dabble" with a project this complex.
- Pride in our mission
- If you think self-driving cars are awesome, then we're looking for you!
If you're worried that you don't have enough experience, but you're still really interested and ready to commit yourself to the task, apply anyway. Dedication is more valuable than experience and we will have onramp sessions to get everyone up to speed.
Our application has two parts:
- Fill out our application form (below)
- Submit samples for each of the positions you'd like to apply (also below)
Our application closes on Tuesday, September 5th. Please complete the above two steps by then.
After you complete the above steps, we may contact you to request an interview.
We will send out decisions by September 15th.
Samples should be submitted using the form below, with your name as the filename. If uploading more than one file, please send them as a single .zip file with your name in the filename.
All samples will be anonymized before review.
If applying for a developer position, please see our instructions here.
Please send us examples of your previous work in web development, including but not limited to websites, web applications, GUIs, telemetry dashboards, and sensor data visualization.
Please send us examples of your previous work, such as schematics, 3D models, and/or firmware code. If your work includes additions from other people (e.g. teammates), be sure to mention this.
Please show us some examples of your past work. These could be blog posts, photos, illustrations, screenshots of social media posts, events, and so on.
We're really looking forward to hearing from you. If you'd like to chat about anything regarding our team, our application process, or anything else about Nova, we're all ears. Send an email to our team lead at [email protected]. Best of luck!