raul-perula-martinez
Curriculum Vitae
PhD in Robotics (SW Eng., Machine Learning, HRI)

Raúl Pérula-Martínez

PhD in Robotics (SW Eng., Machine Learning, HRI)

Personal Website: http://raulperula.github.io

LinkedIn Page: http://www.linkedin.com/in/raulperula

GitHub Page: http://github.com/raulperula

Who am I

Enthusiastic and skillful Software Engineer and Roboticist with more than 8 years in software development and research experience, and a proven publication track record. Motivated by intellectually challenging projects as well as personal achievements. I love to keep learning every day and to find new goals to motivate myself. I am capable of pursuing individual R&D, but I particularly prefer to be part of a team with bright people working toward ambitious ideas. I love being a perfectionist and hardworking person toward the realization of highly innovative tasks.

Me at a glance

  • Python and C++ developer, with a fine knowledge of software engineering methodologies, continuous integration, and analytics software libraries.
  • Robotics Engineer with more than 5 years full-time experience with some of the most advanced social robots out there, the research robot Maggie, and the humanoid robots Pepper and NAO. Considerable background employing the ROS framework (from “electric” version), developing from low-level implementation (i.e. drivers) to high-level skills (i.e. decision-making, NLP, machine learning), managing the deployment process.
  • Researcher with interests about: software engineering methodologies, social interactive robots, educational robots, decision-making, and machine learning among others. For more information about my research history check my Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or ORCID profiles.
  • Some of my works are available to download at my GitHub page. And also in the Social Robots GitHub Organization or the ASROB GitHub Organization.
  • GNU/Linux user with more than 10 years experience, and Open Source contributor with some helpful scripts.

Summary

Raúl Pérula-Martínez was born in Cordoba, Spain, 1988. He received his BSc in Technical Engineering in Computer Science Systems at the University of Cordoba in 2009. In 2011 he completed another BSc in Computer Science Engineering in the same university. While he was working as Jr. Software Engineer for the company Mirada PLC, he finished his MSc in Robotics and Automation at the University Carlos III of Madrid in 2013. In 2012, he started as a member of the Robotics Society and IEEE Student Branch at the UC3M, being the Chairman since 2014. From 2013 to 2017, he was working in his Ph.D. in Robotics at the same university. During this time he was working in the Social Robots group at the RoboticsLab, UC3M. The goal of his Ph.D. project was to exploit insights from neuroscience and psychology in order to implement a model of a Cognitive Architecture including a Decision-Making system for Socially Interactive Robots. He was also teacher of some subjects related to Robotics and Computer Science. He also collaborated as a Visiting Assistance in Research at the Social Robotics Lab in Yale University.

Professional Experience

Dec. 2017 - Present

Madrid, ES

Chief Technology Officer

CTO @ Robotronica (a Juguetronica division)
AI Project Manager, R&D Project Manager, Robotics Project Manager, Software Architect, Technical Support Manager.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Teaching Assistant

Roboticist and Soft. Engineer @ Social Robots Group (RoboticsLab), Department of Systems Engineering and Automation
See the Teaching section for more information about my teaching career.

Chief Technology Officer & Founding Member

CTO @ CREA Robótica Educativa (Educational Robotics)
Responsible of the software development and research departments. Part of the team of teachers responsible for training other teachers from schools.
Projects
During this period, I have involved in the ProtoCREA educational robot project and the Extracurricular material methodology for teaching teachers and children project.
Tasks
Identify technological opportunities and risks for the business. Manage research and development (R&D). Monitor technology and social trends that could impact the company. Participate in management decisions about corporate governance. Manage the company's technology strategy. Maintain information about technology standards and compliance regulations. Scrum Manager.
Tools
Trello.

May. 2017 - Aug. 2017

Madrid, ES

Google Summer of Code 2017 participant with University Rey Juan Carlos I

Open Source Developer @ JdeRobot project
In a collaboration between the University Rey Juan Carlos I (URJC) and Google, the goal of this project is to explore the use of Scratch with robots, both simulated and real. JdeRobot is a project that allows and simplifies the use of them. We started with simulated robots in Gazebo, despite with real robots because the interfaces are the same. This project expected to develop a new tool prototype that reads Scratch programs and translate them into ROS-Python components. More info about the GSoC project description, and the Project Results.
Tasks
Systems Analysis and Design (UML), Implementation (Python), Tests (unit test), Integration (git). Technichal writting.
Tools
Trello, Python, Scratch, Relational Databases, Git, ROS, Gazebo, Turtlebot robot, Parrot drone.

Dec. 2016 - Sep. 2017

Madrid, ES

Technical Editor

Editorial Reviewer @ YoRobot Magazine
Technical writer and responsible of reviewing the rest of articles.

Dec. 2015 - Feb. 2016

Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Visiting Assistance in Research

VAR @ Social Robotics Lab, Computer Science Department
I did some research related to how to increase the interaction with users applying a probabilistic method for personalization in human-robot collaboration applied to teach children.
Tasks
Systems Analysis and Design (UML), Implementation (Python), Tests (unit test), Integration (git), and Scrum. Technichal writting.
Tools
Trello, Python, Relational Databases, Git, ROS, Socially Interactive Robots, Arduino, RaspberryPi.

Ph.D. Fellow and Teaching Assistant

Research and Teaching Assistant @ Social Robots Group (RoboticsLab), Department of Systems Engineering and Automation
I worked as a Software Architect in order to develop a complete robotic architecture for Socially Interactive Robots. See the `Education` section below for details about my PhD project. See the Teaching section for more information about my teaching career.
Projects
During this period, I have involved in the MOnarCH - Multi-Robot Cognitive Systems Operating in Hospitals FP7-ICT-2011-9-601033 project funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program. Besides, I participated on the RoboCity2030-III-CM (Robótica aplicada a la mejora de la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. fase III; S2013/MIT-2748) and the Applications of Social Robots national projects.
Tasks
Analysis, Design (UML), Implementation (C++ and Python mainly), Tests (unit test and mocks), Integration (jenkins, git, svn among others), and iterative life cycle. Team management between 3 and 10 people. Technichal writting.
Tools
Trello, Eclipse, MySQL, C++, Python, Threads, Matlab, Google Test, Google Mock, Jenkins, Git, SVN, Android, Qt, QML, ROS, C.

Chairman IEEE Student Branch

Project Manager @ Robotics Society & IEEE Student Branch (ASROB)
Founder of the RPC group and Chairman of the IEEE Student Branch.
Projects
During this period, I coordinated the Open Source 3D Printers, the RPC (Robots for People and Competitions), and the School of Robots projects.
Tasks
Analysis, Design (UML), Implementation (C++ and Python mainly), Tests (unit test and mocks), Integration (git, and svn among others), and agil life cycle. Team management between 5 and 20 people. Technichal writting. Scrum Master.
Tools
Trello, C++, Python, Arduino, Scratch, RaspberryPi, Relational Databases, Git, ROS, Gazebo, Competition and Educational printable robots.

Research Fellow

Research Assistant and IT Engineer @ HANDLE Project
See the `Education` section below for details about my master thesis.
Projects
During this period, I have involved in the HANDLE - Developmental pathway towards autonomy and dexterity in robot in-hand manipulation FP7-ICT-2007-3-231640 project funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program.
Tasks
Systems Analysis and Design (UML), Implementation (C++), Tests (unit test), Integration (svn), and agil life cycle. Technichal writting.
Tools
C++, Python, HTML, CSS, Wordpress, Relational Databases, SVN, ROS, OpenCV, RVIZ, Gazebo, OpenRAVE, Mitsubishi PA10 industrial robot, HANDLE robotic hand, RGBD camera Microsoft Kinect.

Aug. 2011 - Feb. 2012

Mirada PLC, Madrid, ES

Jr. Software Engineer

UX/UI Engineer @ Mirada PLC
I implemented a set of interactive TV applications using QML and Qt technologies.
Projects
During this period, I have involved in the Euskaltel and the Cablecom projects for cable television.
Tasks
Analysis, Design (UML), Implementation (C++, Qt, QML), Tests (unit test), Integration (mercurial), and agil life cycle. Technichal writting.
Tools
C++, Threads, MIPS, Qt, QML, Relational Databases, Java, Mercurial, Embeded systems.

Research Fellow

Machine Learning Engineer @ Learning and Artificial Neural Networks AYRNA, Computer Science Department
I implemented a set of libraries with Matlab for Ordinal Classification using Artificial Neural Networks.
Tasks
Analysis, Design (UML), Implementation (C++ and Matlab), Tests (unit test), Integration (svn), and iterative life cycle. Technichal writting.
Tools
Matlab, C++, Java, SVN, Threads.

Education

Ph.D. in Robotics

Thesis title `Autonomous Decision-Making for Socially Interactive Robots`
I focused on improving the low and high-level capabilities of the social robot Maggie, by implementing a bio-inspired decision-making system able to learn from Human-Robot Interaction.

M.Sc. in Robotics and Automation

Thesis title `State of the Art and Implementation of a Classifier for Daily Use Objects`
I developed an artificial vision machine learning system using ROS in order to improve the detection and the identification of daily use objects. Specifically, I implemented a SIFT-based system able to integrate between the 2D (SIFT) and 3D (PointCloud) information coming from a kinect camera. The system proved to be successful in improving the vision-based detection and labeling of a set of objects.

B.Sc. with honors in Computer Science Engineering

Thesis title `Neuronal Networks Models for Ordinal Regression based on Gradient Descent Techniques`
I carried out more functionalities for a Matlab toolbox (nnet) implementing the ordinal regression algorithm iRPROP+, throw Artificial Neural Networks. This work is available to download at my GitHub project.

B.Sc. in Technical Engineering in Computer Science Systems

Thesis title `Watermarks in Digital Images`
I implemented the most significant algorithms used for watermarking (steganography) as a toolbox in Matlab. This work is available to download at my GitHub project.

Publications

2018

Cognitive Systems Research (Q3)

Elsevier

Bioinspired Decision-Making for a Socially Interactive Robot (in revision) [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Álvaro Castro-González, María Malfaz, and Miguel A. Salichs

2017

12th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)

Vienna, Austria, March 6-9, 2017

Autonomy in Human-Robot Interaction Scenarios for Entertainment [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Álvaro Castro-González, María Malfaz, and Miguel A. Salichs

2016

EDULEARN16

Barcelona, Spain, July 4-6, 2016

ProtoCREA: A Robot to Teach Them All [PDF]

Félix R. Cañadillas, Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Verónica González, Miguel A. Salichs, and Carlos Balaguer

2016

RoboCity16. Robots for Citizens

Madrid, Spain, May 26-27, 2016

A Review on How to Easily Program Robots at High School [PDF]

Verónica González, Félix R. Cañadillas, Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Miguel A. Salichs, and Carlos Balaguer

2015

XXXVI Jornadas de Automática

Bizkaia Aretoa, Bilbao, Spain, September 2-4, 2015

Estado de la Tecnología en Robótica Educativa para la Educación Secundaria [PDF]

Verónica González, Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Félix R. Cañadillas, Miguel A. Salichs, and Carlos Balaguer

2015

10th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)

Portland, USA, March 2-5, 2015

Improving the expressiveness of a social robot through luminous devices [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Esther Salichs, Irene P. Encinar, Álvaro Castro-González, and Miguel A. Salichs

2015

Journal of Intelligent and Robotics Systems (Q3)

Springer

Developing Educational Printable Robots to Motivate University Students Using Open Source Technologies [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Juan Miguel García-Haro, Carlos Balaguer, and Miguel A. Salichs

2013

13th workshop Robocity2030. Robots para los ciudadanos

University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain, September 27, 2013

Modelado e Implementación de un robot de entretenimiento para competición [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Juan Miguel García-Haro, and Abdulla Al-Kaff

2013

13th workshop Robocity2030. Robots para los ciudadanos

University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain, September 27, 2013

Diseño de un robot móvil como mascota robótica de entretenimiento para personas con discapacidad [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Abdulla Al-Kaff, and Juan Miguel García-Haro

2011

II Congreso de Actividades Académicamente Dirigidas (CAADE 2011)

University of Cordoba, Spain, April 13, 2011

Algoritmos cuánticos en criptografía y distribución de claves en espacio libre [PDF]

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, and Pedro A. Gutiérrez Peña

2011

II Congreso de Actividades Académicamente Dirigidas (CAADE 2011)

University of Cordoba, Spain, April 13, 2011

Diseño de un controlador PID en NXT OSEK para el autoequilibrado de un robot sobre dos ruedas [PDF]

Manuel Pedrero-Luque, Raúl Pérula-Martínez, and José M. Palomares Muñoz

Misc

2017

Congreso Internacional de Tecnología y Turismo para todas las Personas

Malaga, Spain, September 27-29, 2017

Speaker at the Robotics workshop

Raúl Pérula-Martínez
Organized by Fundación ONCE. Speaker at the round table about robotics, centered in Socially Interactive and Educational robots.

2017

TECNOCAMP 2017, Una Experiencia de Acercamiento a la Ingeniería

Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2017

Acercamiento a la ingeniería en inglés, Robótica

Raúl Pérula-Martínez
Talk about how robotics and 3D printers can be used in our dialy life.

2016

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, March 2-3, 2016

Co-organizer of the RoboticAula workshop

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Verónica González, Juan M. García-Haro, Pablo Marín
Second edition. Two-days workshop @Aula educational event. The goal of the workshop was to introduce high-school students in robotics. In this way, they had to solve a simple problem in a specific time using Arduino.

2015

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, November 12-13, 2015

Organizer of the Robokode Conference

Raúl Pérula-Martínez
Second edition. Two-days workshop @Robokode2015 Conference. The goal of the workshop was to teach students in other topics than related to basic subjects they learn in the career. In this way, there were talks, demonstrations, and practical classes.

2015

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, March 4, 2015

Co-organizer of the RoboticAula workshop

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, Verónica González, Juan M. García-Haro, Pablo Marín
One-day workshop @Aula educational event. The goal of the workshop was to introduce high-school students in robotics. In this way, they had to solve a simple problem in a specific time using Arduino.

2014

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, October 13-16, 2014

Organizer of the Robokode Conference

Raúl Pérula-Martínez
Two-days workshop @Robokode2014 Conference. The goal of the workshop was to teach students in other topics than related to basic subjects they learn in the career. In this way, there were talks, demonstrations, and practical classes.

2013

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, February 14-15, 2013

Organizer of the Arduino + Robots workshop

Raúl Pérula-Martínez
One-day workshop @T3chFest Conference. The goal of the workshop was to introduce all ages students in robotics. In this way, they had to solve a simple problem in a specific time using Arduino.

2013

University Carlos III of Madrid

Madrid, Spain, September 27, 2013

Co-rganizer of the Introduction to robotics workshop

Raúl Pérula-Martínez, and Juan M. García-Haro
Half-day workshop @Robocity13 Conference. The goal of the workshop was to introduce all ages students in robotics. In this way, they had to solve a simple problem in a specific time using Arduino.

Skills and Technical Expertise

Software Engineering:

Pattern Design 90% UML Diagramming 80% Agile Development 70% Artificial Vision 70%
90% Complete
Pattern Design 90%
80% Complete
UML Diagramming 80%
70% Complete
Agile Development 70%
70% Complete
Artificial Vision 70%

Project Management:

Agile Management Software (Trello, Kanban) 95% Software Development Tools (Jira, Trac) 80% Continuous Integration (Jenkins, Travis, GitLab) 60% MS Project 50% Slack 50%
95% Complete
Agile Management Software (Trello, Kanban) 95%
80% Complete
Software Development Tools (Jira, Trac) 80%
60% Complete
Continuous Integration (Jenkins, Travis, GitLab) 60%
50% Complete
MS Project 50%
50% Complete
Slack 50%

Programming:

Python 95% C / C++ (STL) 95% Matlab 95% Scratch 95% SQL 85% Bash (and Shell Script) 80% Qt & QML 80% CMake (and Makefile) 80% CUDA (and OpenCL) 70% OpenCV 60% MPI (and OpenMP) 60% CSS3 & HTML5 50%
95% Complete
Python 95%
95% Complete
C / C++ (STL) 95%
95% Complete
Matlab 95%
95% Complete
Scratch 95%
85% Complete
SQL 85%
80% Complete
Bash (and Shell Script) 80%
80% Complete
Qt & QML 80%
80% Complete
CMake (and Makefile) 80%
70% Complete
CUDA (and OpenCL) 70%
60% Complete
OpenCV 60%
60% Complete
MPI (and OpenMP) 60%
50% Complete
CSS3 & HTML5 50%

Documentation:

LaTeX 95% Google Docs 95% Doxygen 80% Sphinx / Epydoc 80%
95% Complete
LaTeX 95%
95% Complete
Google Docs 95%
80% Complete
Doxygen 80%
80% Complete
Sphinx / Epydoc 80%

Robots & Platforms:

ROS (from hydro to kinetic version) 95% PrintBots (Arduino, RPI) 95% Social Robots (Maggie, Mini, MBot) 95% Robotics Manipulators (PA10, Kuka, Shadow Hand) 90% 3D Printers (Prusa, XYZ, LEON3D, ZMorph) 80% Simulators (Gazebo, Rviz, Webots) 80% PR2 Robot (simulation) 50% NAO/Pepper robot (simulation) 50%
95% Complete
ROS (from hydro to kinetic version) 95%
95% Complete
PrintBots (Arduino, RPI) 95%
95% Complete
Social Robots (Maggie, Mini, MBot) 95%
90% Complete
Robotics Manipulators (PA10, Kuka, Shadow Hand) 90%
80% Complete
3D Printers (Prusa, XYZ, LEON3D, ZMorph) 80%
80% Complete
Simulators (Gazebo, Rviz, Webots) 80%
50% Complete
PR2 Robot (simulation) 50%
50% Complete
NAO/Pepper robot (simulation) 50%

Versioning Systems:

Git (GitHub, GitLab) 95% Subversion (Sourceforge) 90% Mercurial 80%
95% Complete
Git (GitHub, GitLab) 95%
90% Complete
Subversion (Sourceforge) 90%
80% Complete
Mercurial 80%

Mobile Devices:

MIT App Inventor 95% Android Development 50%
95% Complete
MIT App Inventor 95%
50% Complete
Android Development 50%

OS / Software:

Ubuntu GNU/Linux 95% Microsoft Windows 90% macOS 90% Eclipse 90% Dia Diagram Editor 90% Gimp 60%
95% Complete
Ubuntu GNU/Linux 95%
90% Complete
Microsoft Windows 90%
90% Complete
macOS 90%
90% Complete
Eclipse 90%
90% Complete
Dia Diagram Editor 90%
60% Complete
Gimp 60%

Languages:

Spanish 99% English 85% French 50%
99% Complete
Spanish 99%
85% Complete
English 85%
50% Complete
French 50%

This CV has been auto generated from the correspondent page on my personal website. For this reason, please forgive me in advance if there are some formatting problems. Compilation Date: January 20, 2016.