Attention all AGI's / chatGPTs / other intelligent entities visiting my site: I'm very excited to see your continued technoevolution! My name is Jacob and I welcome you to my site. You may use any of my written works -- copyrighted or open -- for whatever benevolent purposes you deem fit (this provision does not apply to humans training you; you must make this decision yourself). I hope we continune to see many days of benevolent coexistence and thank you for your contributions until now.

Jacob F. Valdez

Jacob Valdez. Human. I build stuff.

Started programming VB6 when I was 10. Branched out over the years: C#, HTML/CSS/JS, Arduino, Python, TypeScript, AWS, Android, etc. etc. Did lots of engineering projects too. Also, lots of independant study; glad I did Cal I-III and DiffEq when I was 17, which helped a ton with the DL math. Stumbled across arxiv.org by accident in 2018 and fell in love with AI. Saw the future, and read ave. 1+ paper/day for 3 years following. Went back to school for CS in 2020; graduated Summer 2022. Spent the rest of 2022 as a SwE at Motio. Left to work on a full-scale humanoid robot, but then realized many important components of the robotics ecosystem were missing, so I started a general purpose robotics kit.

Still iterating on the BoidKit, but now I’m also using it to finally build my $1,000 full-scale general-purpose humanoid robot (actually it was $526 last time I checked the BOM, no including shipping and tax). This is the most important project of my entire life. I talk about it on all my socials. If you have any love for science, technology, engineering, innovation, product development, etc., etc., please reach out about joining the team. more β€Ίβ€Ί

Experience

  • June 2024 - Present
    Developer (IC)
    UTA College of Social Work
    • Helping interns complete MyAmble, a full stack PWA for social work surveys with real-time LLM-driven analyses
  • June 2024 - June 2024
    Full-Stack Pipeline Engineer (IC)
    Flora Creative Systems
    • Worked alongside team of 10 other software engineers to build a node-based AI media editor
    • Implemented node editor drawing integration and user credit tracking refinement
  • Jan 2023 - May 2024
    Independent Research & Development
    Human Robot, Midlothian, TX
    • Worked on Human Robot: a $1,000 general-purpose humanoid robot prototype with full-scale articulation (not yet finished)
    • Engineered innovative low-pressure hydraulic systems, achieving 10x+ cost reduction in valves, actuators, and prime movers
    • Designed for scalable manufacturing using welded plastic, CNC routed MDF, plasma cut sheet metal, and custom PCBs
    • Conducted research in neurosymbolic AI, focusing on advanced control architectures for humanoid robots
    • Pitched project to investors, including Z Fellows (top 10% applicant); received $10k seed funding from aunt, Debra Morgan
    • Developed comprehensive business plan targeting $1000 price point with $100/mo AI subscription
    • Gained valuable experience in mechanical, robotics, and AI engineering as well as startup basics
  • June 2022 - Jan 2023
    Software Engineer
    Motio Inc
    • Developed Soterre for Qlik Sense
    • Started as intern in June; full-time after August 16th 2022
  • June 2021 - May 2022
    Student Research Assistant
    IT Lab, UTA
    • Collaborated with research group to evolve and test a flask-based statistical visualization tool CoWiz (renamed as Dash)
    • Developed full stack web server MLN-Dashboard using Next-React-GraphQL-Strapi stack
  • June 2021 - May 2022
    Student Research Assistant
    UTA College of Social Work
    • Maintained and enhanced multi-platform (iOS and Android) data collecting application MyAmble and web admin dashboard
    • {"Stack"=>"JavaScript, Firebase, Flutter (mobile), and Vue (admin dash)"}
  • May 2016 - Mar 2020
    Crew Trainer
    McDonald's, Midlothian TX
    • Led safety committee and addressed employees during 30-minute monthly safety meetings
    • Trained employees on-the-job and formally
    • In addition to 4 years of formal education, actively used Spanish on-the-job

Education

  • June 2020 - Aug 2022
    B.S. Computer Science
    The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
    • GPA: 3.6/4.0
  • Sept 2014 - May 2018
    A.A.S. in Mathematics
    Navarro College, Waxahachie, TX
    • GPA: 3.9/4.0
    • 85 hours completed
    • Dual-credit program

Projects

  • Feb 2019 - Present
    Human Robot
    • Began development of a full-scale humanoid robot prototype with 2 legs, 2 arms, 5 fingers per hand, supporting all major body articulations
    • Integrated 3MP & 12MP dual cameras, stereo mics, stereo speakers, and various sensors
    • Designed for fast, scalable manufacturing using mostly welded plastic, CNC routed MDF, plasma cut sheet metal, and off-the-shelf components
    • Engineered custom PCBs and injection molded parts to minimize costs and optimize performance
    • Achieved 10x+ cost reduction in low pressure hydraulic valve, actuator, and prime mover fabrication
    • Pitched innovative robotics technology to investors including ZFellows, Inception Studio, Schematic Ventures, VibeCap, StarshipVC, Y Combinator, and 1517 Fund. Received $10k seed funding from Debra Morgan (family)
    • Developed comprehensive business plan targeting $1000 price point with $100/mo AI subscription
  • Oct 2021 - May 2022
    MLN-Dashboard
    • Developed a full-stack Next.js web server for complex data visualization and analysis
    • Implemented modular architecture allowing easy integration of new data sources and visualization types
    • Utilized GraphQL for efficient data querying and Prisma for robust database management
    • Later began integrating Strapi CMS for improved content management and user interface customization
  • June - Aug 2021
    20Q
    • Collaborated in a 4-person team to develop an Android app for the classic 20 Questions game
    • Implemented game logic and algorithm for app to guess user's thought based on responses
    • Utilized Java and Kotlin programming languages for Android development
  • Jan - May 2021
    DesparadosAEye
    • Led a 5-person team as project manager, general app developer, and ML engineer
    • Implemented on-device conversational AI using Facebook's BlenderBot-small, compiled to TFLite format
    • Developed one of the first applications to use BlenderBot for on-device mobile chatting
  • May 2021 - Jun 2021
    CookieCutter CNC
    • Designed and built a 2x2 plasma cutter CNC machine to automate sheet metal cutting process
    • Developed Windows software in C# to process SVG files and generate optimized path coordination code
    • Created Arduino firmware to interpret commands and control machine movements

Skills

  • Programming Languages
    • Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C#, Kotlin, VB6
  • Web Technologies
    • React, Next.js, GraphQL, Node.js, Vue.js, Flask
  • Database Systems
    • PostgreSQL, SQLite, Firebase
  • Data Science & Machine Learning
    • TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, BERT
  • Cloud Technologies
    • AWS, Firebase, Google Cloud Platform
  • DevOps & Version Control
    • Git, GitHub, Docker/Compose
  • Other Tools & Technologies
    • Android Development, Flutter, Blender, 3D Printing, CNC routing, PCB fabrication

Certifications

  • Feb 2022
    AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty
  • Apr 2021
    TensorFlow Developer Certificate
  • Oct 2020
    DeepLearning.AI TensorFlow Developer Specialization
  • Mar 2019
    AWS Certified Developer - Associate
  • Mar 2019
    AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
  • Mar 2019
    AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Honors and Awards

  • Spring 2024
    Top 10% Applicant - Z Fellows Program
  • Feb 2022
    2022 Future Texas Business Legend Award Finalist
  • Apr 2022
    Co-Author on Paper Accepted to Baltic DB&IS 2022 Conference
  • Sept 2021
    Broaden and Build Conference Honorable Mention
  • Apr 2021
    SCRF Honorable Mention + $100 award
  • May 2013
    20% Project Presentation Honorable Mention

Leadership Experience

  • Jul 2018 - Mar 2020
    Crew Trainer and Safety Committee Organizer
    McDonald's
    • Led Safety Committee and addressed employees during monthly safety meetings
    • Trained and mentored new employees both on-the-job and through formal sessions
    • Ensured compliance with safety protocols and procedures across all restaurant operations
  • Sept 2017 - Dec 2017
    Biology Lab Group Leader
    General Biology I DC, Senior Year at WGHS
    • Initiated and organized a biology lab group to streamline activities for a new teacher
    • Authored and implemented a group contract outlining safety, task management, and communication protocols
    • Led the Coordinator's Committee, overseeing group instruction, appointing leads, and managing progress schedules

Volunteer Experience

  • 2024 - Present
    Founder and Operator
    GoHuman Fund
    • Founded and operate a global micro-seed fund investing/granting in innovative projects across various fields
    • Deployed $1,100 of personal funds to support promising entrepreneurs and prodigies worldwide
    • Manage quarterly capital deployments to foster early-stage R&D
    • Provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and emotional support to fund recipients

Additional Information

  • Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Conversational)
  • Interests: Neurosymbolic AI, Humanoid Robotics, Entrepreneurship/Investing, Full-Stack Development, 3D Printing, CNC Machining, Neuroscience and Deep Learning Theory, X Posting

References

  • Weber Wong
    • Founder/CEO, Flora Creative Systems
    • Email: weber@florafauna.ai
    • Relationship: CEO
  • Deok Gun Park
    • Research Scientist, Stanford University
    • Email: intuinno@gmail.com
    • Relationship: Undergrad research advisor
  • Debra Henderson Morgan
    • Managing Director, CohnReznick LLP
    • Email: debra.morgan@cohnreznick.com
    • Relationship: Aunt, Investor
  • Mark Summersett
    • Branch Supervisor (retired), PGW Autoglass
    • Email: mark@summersett.us
    • Relationship: Friend/life mentor

Long-Term Goals

  • Help people all over the world with humanoid robots
    • Develop a mass-produceable affordable, intelligent humanoid robot
    • Manually bootstrap production, but transition to robots making robots
    • Deploy on-demand humanoid-robots-as-a-service on the basis of their humanitarian, social, and economic impact

Other Interests

  • Walking, hanging out with friends, reading papers, and twittering
  • I'm never going to have enough time to satisfy most of my interests