By Kristof Koszoru 

Kristof Koszoru is an embedded software engineer at Helvar, working on wireless lighting control products. His daily job involves improving the current offering of ActiveAhead portfolio, and developing intelligent lighting control algorithms on distributed networks. He holds an electrical engineering degree from Budapest University of Technology and a computer scientist MSc degree from Aalto University with Autonomous Systems specialization.

 

My Journey at Helvar

Master’s thesis 
I studied Autonomous Systems at Aalto university through the EIT Digital Master School program. When the time came to write my thesis, I was looking for a project where, ideally, I could apply the latest machine learning concepts that I had learned to a real-world problem. Even if the plan sounded a bit too ambitious it turned out quite well with Helvar.
The initial project proposals were already interesting to me since I have been developing my small home automation system which mostly consists of lights. Being able to learn how this can be done professionally made me more interested in Helvar’s challenges and solutions. For my case, we have tuned one topic around the problem of reliable presence detection using multiple sensor sources aiming to have a real-time prediction model at the end which can run on a microcontroller when deployed.
I have received a ton of professional support during my seven month period, whether it was about writing code, building prototypes, or writing the thesis itself. The fact that my experiments involved machine learning and low-level embedded software development at the same time made it rewarding when it finally started to take shape.

 

Being a software engineer 
After completing my thesis, I was given the option to continue my journey at Helvar as an embedded software engineer working on wireless IoT products. One of the big drivers as to why I chose to continue my journey with Helvar was the openness and transparency across the organisation. Since I am only at the beginning of my career, I enjoy going to the office and starting discussions with people who are working in other departments or are in managerial positions — to see how they work, ask naïve questions and get thoughtful answers. This is extremely useful, helping me to decide which direction I would like to take my professional future.
I also really appreciate the benefits of the flat hierarchical structure implemented at Helvar. Compared to previous experiences of mine, it is motivating to see that control and responsibility are given to our team and it is up to us to decide how to overcome the challenges facing us.

Passion for Growth: a core Helvar value

My take on smart buildings 
When I was first introduced to intelligent lighting control, I did not consider it a particularly difficult topic. But, as I get to understand the field better, I start to see the challenges and future opportunities associated with it, and it looks just more promising as the technological tools improve. Pushing the limits of on-device machine learning and writing code that interacts in the physical environment with people in a distributed network is sometimes just magical when you see it work.
Interested in joining Helvar on our Brighter Spaces mission? Explore Helvar careers here.