Martin Burns

R&D Robotics Engineer, Ph.D. (Myomo, Inc)

Tewksbury, Massachusetts, United States

About

A Doctoral robotics researcher with an extensive academic, professional, and personal focus on robotics and control systems. My most recent experience is in embedded control systems and localization on differential-drive mobile robots in a production environment. I have developed a deep skillset with embedded systems on Linux-based RTOS's, written in modern C++ with embedded firmware development in STM32 in C/C++ and FPGA interfacing. My doctoral research is on wearable robotics for assistance and rehabilitation of individuals with paralysis due to stroke, with a focus on the hand. My work involves running biomechanical experiments on human grasping, designing and prototyping cutting-edge soft robotic hand exoskeletons, and using dynamics simulations, machine learning, and robust control systems to operate the exoskeleton using electromyography. I welcome anyone interested in this work to browse my publications and patents, my ResearchGate page, or our lab website. My industry experience includes robotics and automation R&D for Merck and mechanical design and testing of knee implants meant for surgical robots at Stryker. Please feel free to reach out to me concerning work, contacts, or to dork out over some interesting news in robotics!

Experience

  • Senior Robotics Software Engineer at Myomo, Inc.
    Apr 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos

    Senior-level Robotics and Controls software engineer, focusing on embedded control systems for the MyoPro line of assistive robotic orthotics. Contributor to firmware, control systems, movement intention R&D, architecture development for the robotic motion stack, and prototyping for new product development.

  • Senior Robotics Software Engineer - Technical Lead at Symbotic
    Jan 2025 - Apr 2025 · 4 mos

  • Senior Robotics and Controls Software Engineer - Technical Lead at Walmart Advanced Systems & Robotics
    May 2023 - Jan 2025 · 1 yr 9 mos

    Technical Lead of Embedded Controls Team, responsible for planning, collaborating on, and delivering software features, control systems, and higher-level behaviors for Walmart Advanced Systems and Robotics' Alphabot mobile robot platform. Individual Contributor to sensor fusion localization, traction control, system identification and modeling, and Controls state machine logic. Frequently collaborates cross-functionally with embedded software engineers, electrical/mechanical engineers, and structure engineers to deliver impactful software behavior to our fleets of mobile robots.

  • Alert Innovation (Full-time · 3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Staff Robotics and Controls Software Engineer - Technical Lead
      Feb 2022 - May 2023 · 1 yr 4 mos

      Technical Lead for the Embedded Controls group for the production Alphabot mobile robot. Architects and coordinates the Controls group on advanced algorithm development, porting Controls software to new hardware platforms, and providing support for production issues and improved performance. Key areas of technical contribution include sensor fusion for improved localization, wheel slip estimation and traction control algorithm development, dynamics system identification and online mass estimation, disturbance estimation, classical and modern control loop design and tuning, CAN/SPI/I2C device interfacing, and rapid prototyping software for new hardware platforms.

    • Senior Software Engineer
      Jun 2021 - Feb 2022 · 9 mos

      Developed controls and localization algorithms for production differential drive mobile robots using C++14. Performed failure analysis in lab and production to root-cause software bugs and execute fixes. Developed and maintained device interfaces including CAN communications, SPI/I2C communication between application and FPGA/sensors. Designed and executed experiments to study robot localization performance in adverse conditions.

    • Software Engineer II
      May 2020 - Jun 2021 · 1 yr 2 mos

      Robotics software engineer contributing to experimental investigations on traction control and development of model-based control algorithms for differential drive mobile robots in production. Software engineering contributions in the QNX RTOS written in C++14 with Python and Matlab for scripting and analysis.

  • Research Assistant at Stevens Institute of Technology
    May 2015 - May 2020 · 5 yrs 1 mo

    Doctoral candidate and Lab Manager in the Sensorimotor Control Laboratory at Stevens. Performed experimental studies of human reaching and grasping biomechanics in the arm and hand, including kinematics and biosignals such as electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG). Designed, prototyped, and tested soft wearable human hand exoskeletons for assistance and rehabilitation of individuals with hand paralysis.