Eliot Blane

Robotics Engineer

917-969-8574 | eliotblane@gmail.com | New York, NY

Robotics and software engineer with experience in AI, automation, perception, and control systems. Background in ROS, simulation (MuJoCo, PyBullet, Gazebo), with hands-on robotics experience. Passionate about building intelligent robotic systems. Open to robotics, software, and automation roles at startups or corporate engineering teams.

Professional Experience

Affiliate Robotics Researcher
NYU Center for Robotics and Embodied Intelligence
AI4CE (“AI-Force”) Laboratory
April 2025 – Current

  • Assisting PhD candidates integrate robotic hardware for teleoperation and data collection, focusing on manipulation tasks.

Solar Design Engineer
New York State Solar (NYSS)
July 2024 – March 2025

  • Developed automation tools for operations, leveraging Python and JavaScript with Salesforce and various APIs to streamline engineering workflows.

  • Worked on software automation for CAD using AutoLISP.

  • Produced AutoCAD-based plan sets for residential solar installations.

Research Team Lead
NYU AI4CE (“AI-Force”) Laboratory
”Project DoorDash”
September 2023 – May 2024

  • Led a team designing and prototyping “Buddy”, an autonomous mobile manipulator platform for indoor delivery.

  • Implemented perception and control systems in ROS (Aruco tags, SLAM, A*), created custom URDF models, and ran simulations in Gazebo and Pybullet.

  • Final prototype featured: elevator button pressing, door opening, and an interactive social display.

Co-Founder / CTO
Odyssi LLC
March 2015 – August 2017

  • Developed a social media and digital marketplace app for iOS and Android, built in Objective-C and Swift.

  • Worked with backend database systems, user authentication, front-end UI, and APIs (including maps).

  • Pitched and successfully sold the company, navigated us through acquisition.

IT Director
Kota Alliance
September 2017 – August 2020

  • Managed IT infrastructure and modernization efforts for a non-profit organization.

Freelance IT Specialist
Center for Social Innovation (CSI)
September 2017 – August 2020

  • Provided IT consulting and all-inclusive technical support for small businesses and NGOs.

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Specialization / Robotics Minor
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
September 2020 – May 2024

Artificial Intelligence EdX MicroMasters
Columbia University
March 2019 – May 2019

Technical Skills

  • Python (ROS, PyTorch, PyBullet, NumPy, SciPy, MuJoCo) – Used for perception and control in academic robotics projects, as well as data extraction and automation scripts.

  • NLP (TensorFlow) – Trained a neural net for sentiment analysis of text using the IMDB database for the Columbia MicroMasters program.

  • Objective-C, Swift (iOS development) – Led full-stack development at Odyssi LLC, including database, backend, authentication, API integration, and front-end UI.

  • R (Data analysis, research support) – Contributed informally to the data analysis for an ecology research study on soil fragmentation at Sarah Lawrence College.

  • JavaScript (Automation & scripting, API integration) – Used for data extraction and automation scripts, primarily for Google Sheets tracking systems at NYSS.

  • AutoLISP (AutoCAD) – Developed engineering automation tools at NYSS.

  • AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Ansys, Onshape – Applied in mechanical engineering and robotics design.

  • Lua (Gameplay scripting) – Just for fun, created custom game mechanics (flying ships, elevators, sorting systems) in Minecraft.