RUSSELL WONG


robotics software engineer | machine learning researcher | innovative thinker

About Me

About


Hey! I'm Russell, a Senior Robotics Software Engineer at Boston Dynamics and M.S. graduate from Carnegie Mellon University. I'm passionate about machine learning, imitation learning, and reinforcement learning in the context of embodied autonomous agents, and eager to bring advanced capabilities of robots to the real world. The future of robotics is bright, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

My work at Boston Dynamics involves advancing perception and manipulation capabilities for humanoid robots through imitation learning and machine learning research. Previously, I have worked in a variety of robotics/AI roles, including: leveraging reinforcement learning to develop end-to-end robot manipulation and grasping policies at Google X (Everyday Robots); working on autonomous planning and control algorithms for self-driving vehicles at Lyft and Gatik AI; software engineering for ML applications at Apple; building autonomous landmine-removal robots in Cambodia; and much more. I am excited to continue to help shape the future of robotics!

My Story


Advancing the future of humanoid robots. BD logo
Teaching robots new skills to assist in everyday life, powered by reinforcement learning. X logo
Applying machine learning towards research in human-robot interaction. CMU RI Logo
Autonomous modular robots with legged, wheeled, and hybrid mobility. Biorobotics Logo
Built software for motion planning, controls and machine learning of autonomous trucks. Gatik logo
Developed mobile robots for landmine removal in Cambodia. Demine Robotics logo
Software development for behavioural planning of self-driving vehicles. Lyft logo
Assisted development of a robotics platform for the inspection of civil engineering structures. SDIC logo
Developed performance improvements for the Core Machine Learning team. Apple logo
Applied coverage path-planning algorithms for industrial-sized cleaning robots. Avidbots logo
Managed software development of a self-driving car for a 3-year university-level competition. WATonomous logo
Implemented innovative technology to design and build custom interactive machines. wonderMakr logo
Led a university student team in the fabrication of an autonomous robot racecar. UW Robotics Team logo
Co-founded a robotics startup aimed at developing a self-sorting garbage bin. Urbin Solutions logo
Led a high school team in a robotics sports competition. FIRST Robotics logo

Blog


In the near future I'll be sharing more blog posts describing the design and build process behind some of my robotics and engineering projects. Most of these blog posts will be extensions of the project videos I post on my YouTube channel; I encourage you to check it out!

Education


I graduated from the Master of Science in Robotic Systems Development (MRSD) program at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 2023. The MRSD program is an advanced robotics degree with an emphasis on building technical skills as well as business skills. CMU's Robotics Institute is a world leader in the development of cutting-edge technologies, and I'm very excited to be studying here and making connections with many like-minded individuals passionate about the future of robotics.

I did my Bachelor's at the University of Waterloo, where I graduated from the Mechatronics Engineering program with an Option in Artificial Intelligence. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field, combining mechanical, electrical, software and control systems engineering with an emphasis on robotics and machine automation. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the program and remained dedicated to my studies, having graduated at the top of my class and earning the Sandford Fleming Foundation Award for Academic Excellence. In addition to traditional learning, the program provided a breadth of co-op opportunities which enabled me to develop strong industry experience in pursuit of my robotics and software engineering goals.

Let's Get In Touch!


Passionate about robots? Feel free to add me on LinkedIn or shoot me an email. I'd love to chat!