Software Developer & Mechatronics Engineer · Remote, US-based

From circuit board to server.

I'm Owen Ethan Brown, a contract engineer working across embedded firmware, custom hardware, mobile apps, backend servers, and AI agents. Most of my projects span several of those layers at once — and I'm able to handle the full stack, so the pieces are designed to fit together from the start.

Get in touch See the work

Kotlin Multiplatform · iOS · Android Embedded C · PCB design · BLE Swift server · SQL AI agents · local LLMs

Capabilities

Four domains, one point of contact.

Hardware-adjacent projects usually involve a few different specialties. I work across several of them, which keeps the interfaces between layers — often the hardest part — designed as one system.

Embedded & Hardware

Firmware, PCB and circuit design, sensor integration, and industrial comms for devices that ship.

PIC · Nordic nRF52840 · Arduino
Embedded C · KiCad
BLE · UART · SPI · Modbus · RS485

Mobile & Multiplatform

Native iOS and Android, plus Kotlin Multiplatform apps that share logic across mobile, desktop, and web.

Kotlin Multiplatform · Jetpack Compose
Swift · SwiftUI · UIKit
Room · CoreData

Backend & Systems

Servers, databases, and integrations that tie the floor to the front office — including legacy and SAP-fed systems.

Swift server (Vapor) · Firebase · Python
MariaDB · SQLite
WebSocket · HTTP · IPC/AIDL

AI Agents & LLMs

Agent orchestration, tool execution, memory systems, and local or frontier model integration.

Anthropic · OpenAI · Ollama
Multi-agent orchestration
Tooling & memory

References

What clients say.

Working with Mr. Brown was a game-changer for our firmware and software architecture. He successfully engineered high-performance sensor fusion firmware and a custom application that seamlessly integrates our data streams. His expertise allows our startup to deliver the split-second, life-saving data clarity that first responders and defense teams rely on.

CTO, Innovative Public Safety Startup

Case Studies

Architectures and implementations

From raw prototypes to live production systems and internal tools.

SYS-01 SECTOR: Industrial Printing
SCOPE: iOS · Server · KMP web
STATUS: In-Use

Real-time production tracking & prediction system

A manufacturer needing an accessible interface between their SAP orders and actual tracking of progress through the production line. The system covers the full path: an iPad app for operators and managers, a Swift backend with an order completion-time algorithm, a MariaDB database synced with SAP order inputs, and a Kotlin Multiplatform web dashboard added as the system grew.

STACK: Swift · MariaDB · Kotlin Multiplatform

SYS-02 SECTOR: Sports equipment
SCOPE: Android · Firmware · Motion
STATUS: In development

Motorized indoor training platform + companion app

A multi-section motorized training product with self-configuration and tamper handling: PIC and Nordic nRF52840 firmware, multiple stepper motors synchronized with stall detection, and a Android (Jetpack) Compose app providing real-time control and feedback over BLE.

STACK: Nordic nRF52840 · PIC · BLE · Android Compose · hardware-integration

In the Field

Not everything ships as software.

Some of the work is physical: exhibit hardware, mechanical design, and showing up in person.

AHR Expo 2025 — Brasch Environmental Technologies

For Brasch's booth at the 2025 AHR Expo in Orlando, I designed the centerpiece showcase table in CAD — a working simulation of their commercial gas detection system in a multi-floor parking garage (fully wired and operating). I also worked with the team on the backdrop graphics, helped assemble and set up the showcase equipment on site, and worked the booth talking with customers and competitors alike.

Brasch Environmental Technologies booth at AHR Expo 2025 — Brasch booth · AHR Expo 2025, Orlando

Gas detection showcase table simulating a multi-floor parking garage — Showcase centerpiece · Booth sales team (Owen, right)

CAD & mechanical design

Modeling samples — experience in Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, and FreeCAD.

R&D · In open beta

Dawson Beakshield: a self-hosted AI orchestration platform.

Dawson is my ongoing R&D project — a platform for running and coordinating AI agents, built from the ground up. Building the orchestration, integrating memory, and tool-execution layers myself is where most of my working knowledge of agent systems comes from.

Persistent orchestrator with dedicated chat agents and shared MemPalace memory
Permission-aware tool execution with workspace isolation and system access modes
Swift-based server with WebSocket interface; Kotlin Multiplatform companion app
Supports Anthropic, OpenAI, and local models via Ollama; internal Python interpreter and Claude-style skill support

Explore Dawson →

Dawson Beakshield companion app: chat interface with multiple agents

NAME: Owen Ethan Brown
ROLE: Software Developer & Mechatronics Engineer
EDU: B.S. Engineering Technology, ODU · 3.89 GPA
BASE: Missouri, USA · fully remote
MODE: Contract Engineer

About

Systems that cross the hardware/software line.

Most of my work sits where domains meet: an app that talks to custom hardware, a production line that needs an interface and backend prediction algorithm, new product concept needing hardware and firmware to match.

Projects like these rarely come with a playbook, so a good part of the job is researching and picking up whatever the project needs — that's also how DAWSON, my development in KMP, and most of the projects on this page came about. Seeing a useful technology or problem needing solving and digging into it till the job is done.

▸ 2 minutes on what I do

More Builds

Other projects.

HEMOV hexapod monowheel robot, side view

Robotics · Senior design

HEMOV hexapod monowheel vehicle

A hexapod robot with integrated monowheel drive: Arduino Mega firmware, inverse kinematics, and mechanical design in Fusion 360.

iOS · App Store

Angler's Anchor

All-in-one iOS app for anglers to log their catches and what they used to net 'em.

iOS · App Store

Holmes Collection

The Sherlock Holmes canon and classic radio dramas in one iOS app.

Android · Off-grid comms

Reticulum communication & mapping app

Off-grid messaging, PTT, personnel and vitals tracking over Reticulum (RNS), with ATAK integration, plugin-style BLE device support, and a Python-to-Kotlin AIDL bridge.

Embedded · Raspberry Pi

Offline mapping device

Standalone Raspberry Pi device with an LVGL UI and offline OpenStreetMap data — C/C++ map processing via Osmium/Geodesk, optimized with tiling and selective loading.

iOS · App Store

Coin Game

Bet points, call your side, and let fate take it where it will.

Start a project

Have a system that needs building?

Send a note about what you're working on.
If I'm a good fit, we'll set up a call; if I'm not, no problem, perhaps we can work together in the future.

ethan@sylvansparkengineering.com

▸ LinkedIn: owen-brown-770b8b15a
▸ Remote, US-based · typically responds within one business day