Martin Dahlseng Hermansen
Mechatronics Engineer · Telemark, Norway
About
I'm a mechatronics engineer from Telemark, Norway. My background is in engineering, but over time I've ended up doing a lot of software — mostly because the problems I find interesting tend to sit right at the boundary between the two.
I like building things that actually get used. I gravitate towards problems where the feedback loop is short and the stakes are real: safety systems, autonomous machines, industrial processes. I try to keep things simple and maintainable, partly out of principle and partly because I've seen what happens when you don't.
Current Role
Joined through the Pathway program and was pulled into Red Zone Manager about nine months in. RZM is a camera-based barrier system for offshore and land rigs that was on ice and needed to move. Since then I've been one of the main drivers on it: software, system integration, risk analysis, documentation, customer follow-up.
We took over a product with no sales and have since piloted and delivered it to several rigs. I've done I&C myself offshore in the Americas and on land rigs in the US — configuring networks, troubleshooting sensors, integrating against other systems, and making sure things work under real operating conditions.
Before RZM I worked on Rig Cadence (a web-based rig analysis tool) and Anti Collision System. Part of the job is also keeping existing installations running, both offshore and on land.
Technical Skills
Languages
C++, Python, Rust, Structured Text, C#, TypeScript
Tools & Frameworks
Git, Docker, Linux, TwinCAT, TIA, Step7, .NET, Angular, ROS2, Flutter, React and much more
Areas of interest
Process control & optimization, industrial automation, robotics, image processing, autonomous systems, embedded software
Selected Experience
Part-time (~30%) during master's degree
VOCA builds vision systems for cranes and container handling. I worked on image recognition, camera calibration, OCR for container IDs, and training AI models on synthetic datasets.
Summer internship on the LocalHawk drone project. Ran CFD analysis to improve aerodynamic efficiency and range on a long-endurance fixed-wing UAV.
Co-founded with two classmates. We made carbon fibre components and had some early traction, but chose to focus on finishing our degrees. I don't regret either decision.
Education
Relevant coursework: Control Theory · Modelling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems · Applied Machine Learning and Robotics · Computer Vision and Embedded AI · Advanced Robotics
Thesis: "Towards Robust and Reliable Camera Calibration: Reducing Human-Induced Errors" — a method for automating camera calibration using a screen-based pattern display and iterative matrix estimation.
Relevant coursework: Control Engineering · PLC Programming · Actuating Systems · Servo Technology · Embedded Systems
Selected Projects
Camera based barrier system for offshore and land rigs. Took over while the product was on ice and drove it through to pilot and commercial rollout. Covered everything from PLC integration and software architecture to risk documentation and customer-facing commissioning on drillships and land rigs internationally.
Removes human error from camera calibration by displaying patterns on a screen and updating the camera matrix iteratively from observations. Prototyped in Python, implemented in C++.
Scaled demo of autonomous ship-to-shore container transfer: a 5-DOF robot arm on a mobile base, working against a Stewart platform simulating ship motion. I handled image processing and 3D pose estimation.
Three Pixhawk/Raspberry Pi drones with a ground station for charging, communication and coordinated launch. I did the software on both ends and designed the PCBs.
Other
Served as leading enlisted in charge of seven divers. Strengthened ability to work under pressure, take responsibility in high-stakes environments, and lead in demanding conditions.
Formula Student team at UiA. Part of the founding year of the aerodynamics division — worked on the aero package for the car.