The secret lives of SWEs: industrial automation and moving million dollar machines

Coding Chats episode 64 - Jakob Sagatowski discusses his unique collaboration with YouTuber Mark Rober to build a robot goalie that plays against Cristiano Ronaldo. He delves into the technical challenges of motion control and computer vision, the role of software engineers in industrial automation, and the importance of real-time systems. Jakob emphasizes the need for better software development practices in the industrial automation sector and shares insights on how aspiring engineers can break into this field.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the YouTube Collaboration Project

03:22 Challenges in Motion Control and Computer Vision06:29 Trial and Error in Robotics Development

09:15 Understanding Industrial Automation

12:05 Programming Languages in Industrial Automation

14:31 The Role of Real-Time Systems17:49 Constraints in Real-Time Programming

21:22 Understanding Hardware Constraints in Industrial Automation

24:46 The Role of PLCs in Industrial Control Systems

28:45 Challenges in Software Development Practices

35:32 Breaking into Industrial Automation Careers

Jakob's Links:

Website: www.sagatowski.com

PLC-programming course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLimaF0nZKYHz3I3kFP4myaAYjmYk1SowO

Unit testing framework for Beckhoff PLC’s (the course talks about this), if you want to apply TDD in industrial automation:www.tcunit.orghttps://github.com/tcunit

John's Links:

John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncrickett/

John’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johncrickett

John's Twitter: https://x.com/johncrickett

John's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johncrickett.bsky.social

Check out John's software engineering related newsletters: Coding Challenges: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/ which shares real-world project ideas that you can use to level up your coding skills.

Developing Skills: https://read.developingskills.fyi/ covering everything from system design to soft skills, helping them progress their career from junior to staff+ or for those that want onto a management track.

Takeaways

Jakob collaborated with Mark Rober on a robot goalie project.

The project involved significant motion control and computer vision challenges.

Real-time systems require deterministic execution within strict time frames.

Industrial automation is evolving, integrating more software engineering practices.

Software engineers are increasingly needed in industrial automation roles.

The development environment in industrial automation is often proprietary and closed.

AI's impact on industrial automation is still developing, with challenges in integration.

Real-time programming constraints differ significantly from web development.

PLCs are essential for controlling industrial processes and machinery.

Aspiring engineers can learn about industrial automation through online resources and experimentation.