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Hi, I'm Ryan Kaelle
Always learning, both in and out of school
From drones and blockchain to AI and RF devices, I dive headfirst into new tech. This site is my digital lab — documenting my journey across hardware, software, and everything between. Whether it's 3D-printing prototypes, crafting trading algorithms, or testing swarm robotics, I'm driven by curiosity and a love for building what doesn't yet exist.
/ about me
Hey, I'm Ryan — a senior at the University of Michigan who can't decide whether I love solder fumes or compiler errors more. Most days you'll find me swapping chips on a PCB, teaching swarm robots new tricks, or writing Solidity that (hopefully) doesn't set fire to a testnet.
I hang out with the Michigan Blockchain crew, tinker on a hydrogen-electric plane at Helios, and riff on side projects like WiBit (Decentralized Wi-Fi), Validata (token-gated AI data), and a from-scratch STM32 smartwatch that boots reliably. Basically, if it blends hardware, code, and sometimes a bit of crypto chaos, I'm in.
When the laptop lid closes, I'm buzzing my fpv drones through the trees, riding single-track on my MTB, or hunting down the next sneaker drop. There's always a book half-read, a podcast half-played, and a branch called "/experiments". Got a wild idea? Let's build it.
Technologies
Focus Areas
- Embedded Systems
- RF & Wireless
- Robotics, Drones & Autonomous Systems
- Hardware Design
- Distributed Systems & Backend Infra
- On-Chain Systems
- 3D Printing
Languages
- C/C++
- Python
- Altium Designer
- Rust
- React + Next.js
- Verilog/VHDL
- Solidity
/ experience
Avionics EE Intern
@ Zipline (2026)
May 2026 - August 2026
- Developed the ADS-B receiver firmware in Zephyr C, interfacing directly with a sub-GHz transceiver over SPI, matching commercial receivers at a fraction of the cost and cutting component cost 94% (>$10M/yr projected).
- Built an IRQ-driven receive path draining the radio FIFO in 64-byte chunks, scanning 14-byte windows for DF17/18 frames, and verifying 112-bit Mode S parity, with a 256-entry queue so logging never blocks RX.
- Hardened the firmware with startup noise-floor calibration, per-packet RSSI, 5 s health stats, and automatic RX recovery, and wrote a no_std async Rust driver plus 978 MHz UAT and 915 MHz LoRa link-test images.
- Designed the schematic and PCB, then validated −84 dBm 1090ES and −93 dBm UAT sensitivity at ~1,500 pkt/s over 23.2+ hours of remote automated rig testing plus airborne flight tests in Zipline's busiest airspace.
Controls and EE Contractor
@ Optica
January 2026 - May 2026
- Owned electrical and controls architecture for a 10,000 lb/day scrap-metal sorter that reached 97% sorting accuracy on real scrap, from component selection through integration of vision, spectroscopy, encoders, lasers, and air jets.
- Programmed deterministic B&R X20 PLC control firmware tracking up to 16 objects in a 4 ms loop, driving SMC air jets from encoder-tracked conveyor position through analog outputs and industrial I/O.
- Integrated a real-time vision pipeline with a custom YOLO11s model and Basler camera, scheduling ejection over UDP.
- Consolidated control hardware onto a single CPU, eliminating 3 signal modules and ~€1,800 from the BOM.
Avionics EE Intern
@ Zipline (2025)
May 2025 - August 2025
- Combined LTE and ADS-B/UAT antennas (4 → 2 per aircraft), removing 2 harnesses and 1 manufacturing step; saved 15 g and $10 per aircraft with no loss in LTE throughput or ADS-B/UAT sensitivity.
- Shipped RF receiver toolkit: ADS-B (1090) & UAT (978) decoders + lightweight UAT front end; automated sensitivity/coexistence sweeps; validated link budgets and ~5 km coverage.
- Built antenna gain visualization tool; automated turntable and generated 3D antenna gain plots; drove final antenna placement.
Avionics Lead
@ MERO
September 2025 - Present
- Lead cross-functional avionics team of 10 students designing integrated flight control, telemetry, and power systems for high-powered rocket competing in Spaceport America Cup.
- Architected layered avionics stack: sensor drivers (IMU/GNSS/altimeter/thermocouples) → state estimation & data fusion (attitude/altitude estimators) → flight control (GNC) → actuator interfaces (linear actuators, stepper motors, EDF roll control, solenoids).
- Designed 4 custom PCBs in Altium: flight computer (Teensy 4.1-based), sensor board (LSM6DSO32TR IMU, LIS3MDL mag, MS5607 altimeter, u-blox NEO M9 GNSS), actuator driver board (DRV8876 H-bridges, stepper drivers, ESCs), and telemetry board (LoRa RFM95W for uplink/downlink + microSD logging at 50k samples/sec).
- Implemented real-time sensor fusion and flight data logging; integrated LoRa telemetry with ground station for live mission monitoring and external data analysis.
Swarm Intelligence Robotics Chassis Team Lead
@ Z Lab
January 2024 - Present
- Lead chassis team in integrating LiDAR, depth camera, and IMU for SLAM and real-time navigation using ROS.
- Developed sensor fusion algorithms in Python, optimizing environmental awareness and autonomous decision-making.
- Designed power distribution and control systems, ensuring stable operation of high-power motors and embedded systems.
- Managed sensor calibration, data acquisition, and cross-tean collaboration for to deliver standardized components.
Co-Founder
@ HELIOS
November 2023 - Present
- Co-founded the company, securing $15k+ in funding; designed and maintained the company website; filed a provisional patent (63/547158) for aviation technology.
- Researched advanced energy storage and propulsion technologies, optimized aircraft performance, and integrated advanced components into prototypes.
- Identified target markets (commercial airlines, private jets, cargo airlines), delivered stakeholder presentations, and crafted technical documentation and code.
Sales Associate
@ Ace Hardware
May 2024 - August 2024
- Assisted customers with problem-solving, product recommendations, and prototyping solutions to meet their needs.
- Managed inventory, ensuring accurate stock levels and proficiency in using various specialty tools.
- Contributed to a team-oriented environment, achieving store sales targets and high customer satisfaction.
Executive Board Member & Investment Team Member
@ Michigan Blockchain Club
August 2023 - Present
- Lead recruitment initiatives, increasing active membership to over 100 students.
- Manage a 35 ETH investment portfolio, overseeing strategic positions.
- Organize the Midwest Blockchain Conference — sourced speakers, sponsors, and coordinated with 35+ student organizations and 16 companies; achieved over 1,000 signups, making it one of the largest student-run events nationwide.
- Source developer projects, hackathons, and events to enhance club offerings and member engagement.
Research Analyst
@ Renaud Partners
May 2024 - June 2024
- Engaged in venture capital outreach and project sourcing at a crypto go-to-market firm (G2M).
- Developed and maintained a comprehensive resource database.
- Communicated with clients and collaborated with industry expert Geoff Renaud.
/ projects
Click on a project to learn more.
RFSelf-hosted ADS-B receiver and live aircraft map; observed 2,619 aircraft addresses in one day and reduced 60-second forecast error by 19.6%.
Full StackSource-first resume editor built around Markdown and CSS, with live paper preview, offline drafts, revision history, and shareable saved snapshots.
EmbeddedESP32-based heads-up display glasses with turn-by-turn navigation, custom route uploading, and GPS/IMU fusion.
EmbeddedSTM32 wrist‑worn device with HR sensor, IMU, LCD, BLE, and haptics; bare‑metal C with web companion.
Web3Programmable security vaults for AI agents on Solana; spending limits, whitelists, and Blink-based human overrides.
Web3Meme-token launchpad on Solana; social-to-token deployment, buyback mechanics, and viral growth to $2.8M volume.
Web3Decentralized Wi-Fi that rewards reduced bandwidth during congestion; Solana wallet UI.
Embedded5-stage pipeline simulator with forwarding, branch prediction, and hazard handling.
Full StackFull-stack app for Greek life news. Real-time search, auth, Firestore backend, 35k+ posts scraped.
RFG90 HF + FT70 handheld; 2500mi+ contacts using dipole antenna.
EmbeddedRacing drones up to 85mph; custom build and tuning.
EmbeddedFSM + datapath implementing add/sub/mul/div with Booth’s algorithm, overflow detection, ModelSim verification.
EmbeddedTCP‑like reliability on UDP: sliding‑window ARQ, cumulative/selective ACKs, per‑packet timers, CRC‑32.
ToolsC++ Naive Bayes classifier for forum posts with CSV parsing, tokenization, and log‑likelihood scoring.
ToolsC++ multi‑stock exchange simulator with order matching, median pricing, and profit maximization.
EmbeddedSensor suite for model rocket to study atmospheric conditions and flight dynamics.