Skip Navigation

People

Austin Owens

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Website:

Click here

Member of:

347A - Embedded Robotic Systems

Austin Owens

Robotics Engineer

Biography

As an Embedded Robotics Engineer in the 347A Embedded Robotic Systems group, Austin Owens has a broad range of experience developing complex robotic systems. Notably, he led the effort to develop the operating system for the CADRE rovers and base station. He also has experience with development of flight software, FPGA firmware, and automated testing frameworks. Currently, Austin is researching High Performance Embedded Compute (HPEC) platforms, applying innovative solutions to challenging applications such as Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Prior to his work at JPL, he developed autonomous systems for harsh environments and was involved in various R&D efforts.

While in undergrad, Austin founded an internationally competitive robotics organization in 2011 called Mechatronics in order to give students an opportunity to apply engineering theory in real-world applications on campus. During his time in Mechatronics, he designed and developed software for multiple AUVs for competing in the RoboNation RoboSub Competition. In 2015, he led Mechatronics to place 1st out of 38 domestic and international teams.

Education

Master of Science Electrical Engineering
University of New Mexico
Space Systems Engineering

Bachelors of Science Mechanical Engineering
San Diego State University

Minor in Computer Science
San Diego State University
Robotics

Professional Experience

  • LinkedIn
  • Skills
    • Languages: Python, C/C++, VHDL/Verilog, Rust, CUDA, SQL
    • Embedded Design: Xilinx (Vivado, Vitis, HLS), Microsemi (Libero SoC, SoftConsole), Riviera Pro, STM32CubeIDE, Keil, MPLAB, Atmel Studio
    • Mechanical Design: Fusion 360, SolidWorks, OnShape
    • Electrical Design: E3.series
    • Analysis/Modeling: Matlab, Simulink, SolidWorks FEA
    • Target OS: Custom (Yocto, Buildroot, BusyBox), Linux, Xen Hypervisor, FreeRTOS, seL4
    • Target Platforms:

      SoCs
      Xilinx (Versal, Zynq MPSoC, Zynq-7000), Nvidia (TK1, TX1, TX2), Qualcomm Snapdragon, Samsung Exynos 5422, Broadcom BCM2837
      FPGAs
      Xilinx (Kintex Ultrascale(+), Virtex), Microsemi (PolarFire, ProAsic3)
      Microcontrollers
      STM32, RISC-V, MicroBlaze, Atmel AVR, Microchip PIC, ARM Cortex-(A7, A15, A53, A72, R5, M0, M1, M4)
      GPUs
      Nvidia (Kepler, Maxwell, Pascal), ARM Mali-400

  • Publications
    • Pritts, J., Owens, A., Quinn, H., et. al., “SEE characterization of NVIDIA Tegra K1 (28nm) SoC with Benchmarks”, Journal of Radiation Effects, Research, and Engineering (JRERE), 2018.

Research Interests

  • High Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC) Development
  • Embedded Operating System Development
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
  • Control System Theory

Awards

  • JPL Technology Spotlight Award
    • For identifying and building infrastructure to apply the HPSC to challenging robotic applications(2024)
  • JPL Bonus Award - CADRE Avionics Team
    • For the successful completion of subsystem DDR, delivery of all DM hardware, and delivery of (first) FM hardware to I&T (2023)
  • Zahn Spirit of Innovation Award
    • Each year San Diego State University recognizes one graduating senior for exceptional entrepreneurial achievement (2016)
  • San Diego Mayor's Cup