Meet Skypuzzler’s Software Engineer, Thomas Tølbøl Sørensen
Thomas Tølbøl Sørensen is one of Skypuzzler’s software engineers and holds an educational background in Computer Science & Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. At Skypuzzler, Thomas utilises his strong engineering skills to conduct drone tests, using both computer simulations and real drones.
We close the year with our fifth ‘Meet the Team’ post, where Thomas shares insight into his daily work at Skypuzzler.
What is your educational background?
I have always been interested in science fiction, so when it came to choosing my education, I wanted to learn how to turn futuristic technologies into reality. This led me to pursue a Bachelor of Engineering degree, where I specialised in robotics and automation.
I then joined an early-stage startup where I got to put my skills to use by designing robot systems for manufacturing. However, this was not the end of my educational journey. I still wanted a master’s degree, but the thought of studying full-time again did not seem enticing to me. At this point, the Technical University of Denmark had just launched its new Industry Master of Science in Engineering programme, which would allow me to study part-time while also maintaining my engineering job. I jumped on this opportunity immediately. Over the next few years, I gained knowledge in algorithm design, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, and I wrote my thesis on algorithms for optical simulations. I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
What aspect of your role as Software Engineer do you find most rewarding?
Describe a typical day working for Skypuzzler
My days are varied. Some days are spent outdoors doing full-scale drone tests. Other days are spent at our indoor drone testing facility. But my typical day starts at our Copenhagen office, where I catch up with my colleagues and coordinate the day’s activities with my team. Then I grab a cup of coffee, check the status of the currently unsolved issues and start coding. My code is typically related to integrating our software with ground control systems, automated tests, or data acquisition and analysis. Writing code is only a small part of my daily work, though, as the overall software development process is an ongoing collaboration that includes code reviews, planning of the broader software architecture and discussion of the finer implementation details.
A typical day for me involves running software simulations of drone flights to identify and resolve any potential bugs before real-world testing. After test flights, the data is reviewed, and I discuss the results with the algorithm team to ensure that our product is always aligned with the needs of drone operators.
After a day at the office, I like (to)
Bouldering
I enjoy keeping my body and mind fit by climbing after spending all day staring at screens.
Photography
I have always been drawn to the visual arts, and I enjoy spending time outdoors to photograph wildlife. Especially birds. Photography is also what got me interested in drones – being able to see and capture the world from the sky.
Building and flying drones
This hobby is how I became interested in Skypuzzler in the first place. There is no greater feeling of freedom than flying a drone in first-person-view (FPV).
