--- title: "Matthew Valancy — Engineer & AI Educator" url: "https://mattvalancy.com/" --- [Skip to content](https://mattvalancy.com/#main) [MATTHEW VALANCY](https://mattvalancy.com/#top) ENGINEER · BUILDER · EDUCATOR # Matthew Valancy. Real machines. Connected by better software. I build, deploy and diagnose systems across hardware and software — from underwater instruments to autonomous vehicles, rocket test equipment and applied AI. [Explore my work](https://mattvalancy.com/#experience)[Get in touch](https://mattvalancy.com/#contact) DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA / HANDS-ON, END TO END HARDWARE ↔ SOFTWAREMV / 01 [![Matthew Valancy](https://mattvalancy.com/profile.jpg)](https://mattvalancy.com/profile.jpg) THE WHOLE SYSTEM From the first circuit to the field deployment. **01** Land Vehicles & robotics**02** Sea Acoustics & instruments**03** Air Avionics & powertrains**04** Space Rocket test systems 01 / INDEPENDENT WORK ## Curiosity, put to work. [Valpatel Software](https://valpatel.com) [![Graphlings Crystal Life running in Godot, with crystal creatures, a village and a flying whale](https://mattvalancy.com/graphlings.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/graphlings.png) AI & PLAY ### Graphlings - Crystal Life Digital creatures with personalities and memories. A living world built around a portable intelligence engine, running on a device and scaling across connected worlds. [graphlings.net ↗](https://graphlings.net) - iPhone - iOS - Windows - Android - Linux [![Detailed CodeGraph Structure view showing nested code clusters and dependency connections](https://mattvalancy.com/codegraph.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/codegraph.png) DEVELOPER TOOLS ### CodeGraph Internal tooling for Tritium and Graphlings self-improving AI. Code intelligence, dependency graphs and architecture analysis help AI agents understand and improve the systems they work on. Internal tooling / Tritium + Graphlings [![Tritium in Dublin, California, with 3D drones and rovers, expanded map layers and drone telemetry](https://mattvalancy.com/tritium.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/tritium.png) FEATURED / ROBOTICS & REAL HARDWARE ### Tritium Neighborhood robotics battlefield management for kids, growing into a platform for software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. A tactical-map interface brings simulation and real robots together on our network, backed by a growing collection of connected hardware. [Explore Valpatel products](https://valpatel.com) [![Moxie simulator with a turquoise 3D robot and motor, lighting and facial-expression controls expanded](https://mattvalancy.com/moxie-sim-controls.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/moxie-sim-controls.png) ROBOT REVIVAL & SIMULATION ### Moxie An open toolkit to give retired Moxie robots a new brain. A browser-based 3D simulator, reverse-engineering docs and self-hosted services bring face, voice and motion back under your control. The cloud dependency is optional. The intense eye contact comes standard. Unofficial fan project. “Moxie” is a trademark of Embodied, Inc. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Embodied, Inc. [moxie.mattvalancy.com ↗](https://moxie.mattvalancy.com) [![MR-Cal LiDAR intrinsics animation showing colored laser beams and per-beam calibration errors](https://mattvalancy.com/mr-cal.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/mr-cal.png) ROBOTICS & EDUCATION ### MR-Cal Guide An interactive guide to camera, LiDAR and IMU calibration. Plain-language explanations, research references and 3D animations make the geometry easier to understand. [cal.valpatel.com ↗](https://cal.valpatel.com) [![GraphDone landscape graph of this homepage refresh, with 32 work items for design, content, captures, responsive checks and final approval](https://mattvalancy.com/graphdone.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/graphdone.png) PROJECT MANAGEMENT ### GraphDone Graph-based project management designed for cognitive diversity. Make dependencies visible and organize work around how people think. [graphdone.com ↗](https://graphdone.com) [![SoundBox Library view with music categories, search and audio playback controls](https://mattvalancy.com/soundbox.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/soundbox.png) AUDIO & CREATIVE TOOLS ### SoundBox An AI audio studio for music, sound effects and speech, with genre radio, reactive visualizers and a shared library for discovering and reviewing game audio. [Explore SoundBox on GitHub ↗](https://github.com/Valpatel/app-soundbox) [![Graphlings Club Fight title screen over a snowy battlefield with animal fighters and crystal spectators](https://mattvalancy.com/club-fight.png)](https://mattvalancy.com/club-fight.png) PLAY NOW · FREE IN YOUR BROWSER ### Graphlings — Club Fight Choose animals, build your matchup, and see who wins in a 3D arena. A playable slice of the Graphlings world, with crystal creatures cheering from the stands. [fight.graphlings.net ↗](https://fight.graphlings.net/) 02 / EXPERIENCE ## From the bench to the field. APR 2026 — PRESENT ROBOTICS & FIELD INTEGRATION ### Caterpillar Inc. Engineer (Contract) Through an agency via Valpatel Software LLC Design and deploy a retrofit robotics kit for existing machines: off-the-shelf compute and sensors, onboard bring-up, ROS camera and sensor pipelines, and a tablet-based vehicle console. Install sensors on construction equipment, develop software in the field, and lead on-vehicle test automation. Connect simulation, lab, vehicle and cloud workflows with multi-agent tooling and repeated engineering evaluations. ROSSensor integrationField roboticsTest automation AUG 2026 — PRESENT APPLIED AI EDUCATION ### Monterey Peninsula College Adjunct Instructor · Part-time Teach applied artificial intelligence to students of varied backgrounds, with an emphasis on practical use, understanding and ownership of AI tools. [More on teaching](https://mattvalancy.com/#teaching) DEC 2025 — PRESENT INDEPENDENT PRODUCTS ### Valpatel Software LLC Business Owner Build Graphlings digital creatures and intelligent pets, and Tritium, a neighborhood robotics battlefield management platform for kids. Develop the software, distributed compute and observability that connect those systems. [Visit Valpatel](https://valpatel.com) JUN 2022 — NOV 2025 ### Monarch Tractor Livermore, CA - **Software Architect**May 2025 – Nov 2025 - **Manager, Electrical Test Engineering**Apr 2024 – May 2025 - **Senior Electrical Test Engineer**Jun 2022 – Apr 2024 Architected MonarchOne product infrastructure and a SolidWorks → Blender → Isaac Sim pipeline, with simulated camera streams feeding ROS2 and the existing hardware-in-the-loop rig. Collaborated with a mechatronics engineer on UEI HIL hardware and system integration. Owned the Python/InfluxDB monitoring software for HIL and dyno analysis, extending telemetry to vehicles, production testing and factory equipment. Field diagnostics, test hardware & mentoring Supported 20+ networked test systems over Tailscale, real-time CAN decoding and remote diagnostics on tractors at dairy farms. Built PCBA testers and fault-injection fixtures, investigated immunity failures in high-voltage assemblies, and developed lighting-module bootloader, flashing and test software. Worked with controls and cloud engineers on end-to-end testing. Defined reusable software patterns and coached the validation and test team. MAR 2019 — JUN 2022 ### Astra Alameda, CA - **Staff Avionics Test Engineer**Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 - **Senior Test Engineer**Oct 2020 – Jan 2022 - **Avionics Test Engineer**Mar 2019 – Oct 2020 Designed avionics functional test equipment and HIL hardware around National Instruments PXI: interface boards, harnesses, load banks, pneumatic actuators, racks and fixtures. Operated vibration and thermal-vacuum equipment, including liquid-nitrogen systems. Fabrication & battery instrumentation Designed a large-format flex PCB for aircraft battery-pack cell sensing and fixtures for titanium battery cold-plate waterjet cutting. Used waterjet and CNC router equipment to make tooling. OCT 2018 — MAR 2019 ### Skyryse Hayward, CA #### Prototype Engineer Installed sensors, designed and machined avionics installation components, and set up in-house CNC machining. Built autopilot debug hardware enabling software fixes for helicopter flight controls. JAN 2018 — SEP 2018 ### Joby Aviation Redwood City, CA #### Engineering Technician Supported aircraft battery and powertrain testing, built a carbon-fiber composite shaker head expander, and participated in thermal-propagation mitigation research. APR 2014 — JAN 2018 ### Tesla Palo Alto & Fremont, CA - **Associate Test Engineer**May 2017 – Jan 2018 - **Engineering Technician IV**Apr 2014 – May 2017 Developed and deployed ECU flashing and subassembly test equipment to manufacturing sites. Built factory test panels, handheld tools and fixtures, documented installed systems, and helped colleagues get started with PCB design and rapid prototyping tools. NOV 2013 — MAY 2014 ### OpenROV Berkeley, CA #### Production Engineer Developed underwater robot hardware, PCB designs and layouts, and production test PCBs. SEP 2008 — JAN 2013 ### Desert Star Systems Marina, CA #### Partner, VP Engineering Built embedded C firmware and C# tools for underwater acoustic positioning, tracking and wildlife telemetry. Developed SeaDock, SeaTrack and SeaWatch for device control, sensor logs and acoustic tracking, with work supported by SBIR, STTR and NOAA programs. 03 / APPROACH ## Own the whole problem. The circuit, the fixture, the firmware, the data. Good engineering connects them. I’m a hands-on generalist across electrical, mechanical, embedded and software engineering. I work best in flat teams: talk directly with the person who can help, take ownership, and default to action. That’s how unfamiliar systems start working in the real world. Today, I pair work with people, tools and machines with continuously running coding agents. GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and Codex help implement and test ideas; meaningful tests and repeated comparisons of quality and compute cost guide what stays. I turn repeated work into automation, reusable infrastructure and documentation — then help other people put it to use. EQUAL PEERS · SHARED WORKTalk directly. Take ownership. Default to action. 04 / TOOLKIT ## Across the stack. Into the real world. 01 ### Robotics & simulation ROS / ROS2, NVIDIA Jetson, Isaac Sim / Lab, USD pipelines, sensor integration, CAN, hardware-in-the-loop. 02 ### Test & instrumentation NI PXI, UEI, PCBA testing, fault injection, vibration, thermal vacuum, battery and powertrain test equipment. 03 ### Software & AI workflows Python, C, C++, C#, Bash. GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codex, multi-agent workflows and measured evaluations. 04 ### Data & infrastructure Linux, Docker, InfluxDB, Telegraf, Grafana, Ansible, Tailscale, MQTT / AWS IoT, distributed compute. 05 ### Design & fabrication Altium, KiCad, SolidWorks, Siemens NX, Blender, CNC, waterjet, sheet metal, harnesses and fixtures. 06 ### Teaching & collaboration Applied AI instruction, technical mentoring, reusable engineering patterns, PCB design coaching, rapid prototyping and practical documentation. 05 / PASS IT ON ## Putting action within reach. “When your cup is full, you don’t go get a bucket — you fill your neighbor’s.” I help people turn “I wish I could” into something they can build and own: a PCB they designed, a prototype they can test, or a game they made with AI. At Monterey Peninsula College, I teach applied AI with that same focus on getting people making things. My guest talks in the sculpture program connect engineering and fabrication to students’ own creative work. Since 2024, I’ve also coached friends, family and colleagues from their first AI experiments into agentic development workflows. At Monarch, mentoring the test team led to my Software Architect role. At Tesla, I helped colleagues get started with PCB design and rapid prototyping tools. EDUCATION ### California State University Monterey Bay B.S. Computer Science & Information Technology 06 / GET IN TOUCH ## Let’s build something that works out there. [Connect on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-valancy-97226b33) Dublin, California [Valpatel Software LLC](https://valpatel.com) © 2026 Matthew Valancy [BACK TO TOP ↑](https://mattvalancy.com/#top)