Tell us a bit about yourself

I work as a firmware engineer for Prevayl®, I have a mixed technical background between theoretical physics and electronics.  

I specialise in digital signal processing, which for Prevayl includes designing bespoke algorithms to ensure that the data going into the Prevayl ecosystem is the best that it can be.

What is different about Prevayl compared with your previous roles

In previous roles I have had a focus on embedded Linux systems rather than bare metal code.

At Prevayl, it has been freeing to engage in projects with a wider spectrum across our engineering department and interact daily with a multidisciplinary team.

Tell us, what does a firmware engineer do? What’s your day to day?

A firmware engineer writes code for devices that you normally wouldn’t expect to contain code. Often on devices that operate at considerably lower frequencies than the typical processors you would find in a laptop or desktop PC.

My work can vary quite widely, as you would expect in a young company. Some days it is writing code for the algorithms that run on our tech, but I am also heavily involved with the in-house test of those algorithms.

The hardware department at Prevayl is quite unique, what makes it different

Due to the nature of our product, the hardware department covers quite a wide range of areas outside traditional electronic engineering and mechanical engineering.

With everyone needing to know a great deal about how the human body works, and what working with bio-signals might entail.

Each member of the team has their own area of expertise, but a lot of the team have a long history in wearables, which has allowed us to develop a product from the ground up, a lot faster than another more conventional team.

You have played a huge part in testing the product, how has that been?

It can often be quite hectic since I must manage my time between working on the algorithms themselves, alongside monitoring the tests for any bugs in the algorithms. It can often be quite insightful since I can pick out errors in real time and determine the likely cause.

It has been great to be able to test with people rather than relying on patient simulators, this allows us to test our tech in more real world scenarios.

Why has physics always been an interest of yours and how do you apply it to Prevayl?

I have always had a deep interest in maths, as well as learning how things work. Physics allows for an understanding of how things work on a fundamental level and is also heavily reliant on maths.

Given my specialism in signal processing within Prevayl, a lot of the topics I covered in my physics background have resurfaced in my day-to-day work.

It also helps inform more general topics like material choice and how it would affect performance of our tech.

What was the one thing you learned in 2020, you will be using as advice to yourself for 2021?

I have learned a lot more about how the heart works, and in the process, it inspired me to be more active. Hopefully, that is something I can continue over the next year.