# Derrick Yu > Software Engineer @Nauto | Edge AI, Robotics | C/C++, Python Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/derrickyu As a child, I saw images beamed back from the Sojourner rover as it journeyed across the Martian surface, and I knew that robotics was my calling. I continue to derive a great sense of accomplishment from using innovative automation methods to solve complex problems. As a Senior Staff Software Engineer at Nauto, I am the tech lead for several edge AI algorithms on the Nauto device. I am fluent in several programming languages, including Python, Java, and C++, the last of which I used to implement an on-device auto-calibration algorithm that has saved Nauto thousands of hours of manual calibration review time. In addition to software development, I regularly collaborate with product and research teams on algorithm development, serve as a technical point of contact in customer presentations, and facilitate my team's scrum process as their Scrum Master. I'm always open to new opportunities at the intersection of AI and robotics. Let's connect and chat about building an automated future! ## Work Experience ### Senior Staff Software Engineer @ Nauto Jan 2023 – Present | Sunnyvale, California, United States - Technical lead for Tailgating, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Vulnerable Road User (VRU) warning, protecting drivers for over 4 billion miles. - Led the architecture and development of the Auto Calibration feature, eliminating the need for thousands of hours of manual calibration review. - Debugged issues with the Driver Behavior model runtime on the Nauto edge device, resolving a 15x performance discrepancy. - Designed and implemented a distributed scrum process, resulting in a 10% reduction in software development cycle times. - Facilitated cross-functional discussions between software, perception, and product teams to coordinate feature development, testing, and release. ### Staff Software Engineer @ Nauto Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Palo Alto, California, United States ### Edge AI Platform Engineer @ Nauto Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Palo Alto, CA ### Senior Software Engineer @ Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Sunnyvale, CA - Led engineering development and support for personalized suggestions in MBUX v1, shipped in Mercedes-Benz vehicles after 2018. - Represented the software engineering team in ASPICE capability assessment, resulting in Level 2 certification. - As scrum master for the team I refined the definition of done resulting in a 15% reduction in bug escapes. - Collaborated with product management to transform predictive UX concepts into concrete software requirements. - Implemented software requirements as an automotive head-unit software module using C++. - Created a service simulation framework to enable integration and requirements testing of the software. - Traveled to other R&D locations and supplier sites to perform field testing, debugging, and software validation. - Demonstrated the suggestion capability to attendees at CES and SXSW. - Mentored junior engineers on coding standards and best practices. ### Software Engineer @ Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | Sunnyvale, CA ### Senior Software Consultant @ Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | Sunnyvale, CA - Responsible for integrating machine learning algorithms into automotive head-unit software modules in C++. - Worked with product managers to analyze and implement software requirements. - Developed a test framework for software integration testing and requirements testing. - Implemented module interface using IPC protocols. ### Consulting Software Engineer @ Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Sunnyvale, CA - Authored software in C++ to support the validation of high-accuracy (HAD) maps for autonomous vehicles. - Developed internal tools for map data validation using Google Earth. ### Software Engineer - Autonomous Rotorcraft Project @ University Affiliated Research Center (UC Santa Cruz) at NASA Ames Research Center Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Mountain View, California - Managed and contributed to projects that converted R&D code into user-friendly APIs in C++. - Took accountability for the entire software development lifecycle, including design, refactoring, testing, documentation, and packaging of code. - Added unit testing for all software APIs using the GoogleTest framework. - Implemented and administered Jira for bug-tracking and feature-tracking. ### Software Engineer @ Aerovel Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | White Salmon, WA - Developed graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in C# for aircraft mapping and internal testing. - Maintained and improved aircraft control station software (C++). - Conducted software and hardware integration and testing via Hardware-in-Loop (HIL) simulation. - Debugged vehicle to ground communication links using RS232 and Ethernet protocols. - Provided filming and technical support for flight operations. - Delivered general IT support and troubleshooting. ### Robotics Engineer @ American Android Corp. Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 | Princeton, NJ Assembly and testing of a multi-armed, tracked ground robot prototype (UGV). ### President @ Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | Princeton University, NJ - Lead and mentored 30 undergraduate students across three robotics projects. - Secured over $12,000 in funding and in-kind donations. - Presented research at Sigma Xi and IEEE Computer Society meetings. - Arranged logistical needs for team travel to competitions. - Redesigned the team website and expanded its social media presence. ### Machine Vision Specialist/Software Engineer @ Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE) Jan 2007 – Jan 2010 | Princeton University, NJ - Member of Princeton University's 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge team. - Member of Princeton University's 2008, 2009, and 2010 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) teams. - Conducted research in machine vision algorithms for lane detection. - Developed UI tools using Qt framework to interface with autonomous vehicles and visualize sensor data. - Performed software and hardware integration in C++ with GPS and data acquisition devices. - Mentored new team members and provided guidance on technical tasks. - Participated in robot assembly. ## Education ### BSE in Electrical Engineering Princeton University ### West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yulingo --- Source: https://flows.cv/derrickyu JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/derrickyu/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-01