Introducing Our Team: Telmo Ribeiro

Say hello to Telmo, Exaud’s Software Developer! With a background in Computer Science and a passion for embedded systems, Telmo thrives on tackling new challenges and discovering emerging technologies. Ready to learn more about his journey, interests, and perspective on embedded engineering? Read here!

Tell us a bit about your academic journey at FCUP. What led you to pursue both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Computer Science?

When I first started college, I was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Network Engineering & Informatic Systems. While I was undertaking this course, I noticed that I always seemed to be more passionate about subjects related to theoretical computer science, such as Turing machines, lambda calculus, computability & complexity, operational semantics, concurrent programming, and so on. By my third year, I had made up my mind and had enrolled in Computer Science. I couldn’t have made a better decision! The people I met throughout this journey, colleagues and professors alike, instilled in me values and practices that shaped me as a person. I am particularly thankful to Professor José Proença, my thesis supervisor, who encouraged me to strive toward the person I was capable of becoming. He also taught me that while delivering something good is easy, delivering something great takes a particular kind of resilience and that I should only put work into the world if I am truly proud of it. Deciding on my Master's was a much less troublesome path. My desire to take what computer science and programming gave me and start altering our physical reality through it, naturally led me to Embedded Systems. Being passionate about concurrency and parallelism came as a natural consequence of that path.

You are currently working as a Software Developer at Exaud, focusing on embedded systems. What attracts you most to this area? 

I really like to learn new concepts, I really like to fidget around with concepts that I have just learned, and I really like discussing ways to improve and optimize what my fidgeting has produced. The intersection between software, hardware, and electronics offers me exactly that: the certainty that I will never run out of new things to learn and do. Each new topic that I uncover in my research sheds new light on worlds that I can immerse myself in. I never get tired and/or bored of what I do. Tired of coding a feature? Go solder/integrate the newest component! Tired of soldering? Go test the newest release! There is also something about the vibes… Something with prototyping, bootstrapping mindset, fixing electronics, and being curious about the physical world that surrounds us is just my thing! The community is great too!

What has been the most challenging aspect of working in embedded systems so far? 

Whenever a new problem emerges, someone in the room will always ask: Hardware or Firmware? We have to be mindful of how both systems interact and keep remembering that finding the root cause of a problem may begin as a quick inspection of the code and prototype assembly, only to end on page 323 of the SD Card reader’s specifications manual or on the bottom of the RFC publication for the protocol you are relying on.

Are there any specific technologies or hardware platforms you’re eager to explore in the future? 

Certainly! Everything! The thing with Embedded Engineering is that you are never just eager to experiment with what has been tried and tested for decades but also with the Development Kit that was just released last month. Software-wise, I find it interesting how artificial intelligences and agentic controllers are changing and transforming the technological landscape and I am excited to see what new developments will come out of it and how it may change how we perform our everyday tasks (and maybe work on some of those). Hardware-wise, I want to keep honing my skills and messing around with whatever new toy is in store.

If you had to describe your engineering style in three words, what would they be?

Motivated, responsible and inquisitive come to mind. You’ll have to take my word for it! Inquisitive seems fun until you are my supervisor...

When you’re not coding or working on embedded projects, what does a typical weekend look like for you? 

I like to tag along with my best mates for some much-needed outside activities. Airsoft and Karting are always fun in the afternoon and there was never a dinner & cinema evening that wasn’t fun with them. I join my dad whenever we feel like rooting for our favorite football team or watch an episode of whatever series both my mum and my sister are currently binge watching. More often than not, you will find me debating the current state of everyday philosophy with someone I care about on WhatsApp or longing for weekend afternoons at the beach. When I have some alone time, reading a book or listening to music are always safe options to pad my time.

You also have an interest in analog and vintage technology, including vinyl records. Where did that fascination start? 

I have always enjoyed tinkering with technology. It just turns out mechanical devices make a little bit more sense when you are young and have no clue on how to fix most newest devices. When you spend your day working with firmware, software, documentation and bugs, it feels good to come home for something that just works (until it doesn’t ...). Plus, I believe that no kid born between the late 90s and early 2000s can look to an old-school camera and not long for a time before they were born…

What advice would you give to students who are considering specializing in embedded systems?

RTFM! This seems trivial, I know, but read the documentation, the specifications from the original manufacturer and everything you can get! We tend to “go with the flow” given the “prototypy” nature of the role, however, this is a pitfall! LLMs/agents can make the job easier/faster when you already have the bases and can sanity check their output. However, you don’t want to spend five hours discussing with ChatGPT just to end up reading the documentation regardless.

Lastly, if you could build any hardware project just for fun, what would it be? 

Some type of wearable that would provide you feedback through the phone about mistakes you might be making while running. For example, relying too much on your left foot, unbalanced weight, etc… I believe multiple Inertial Measurement Unit devices would be needed, among other sensors, but I am still in the planning phase. Just food for thought!