Nicholas Chenevey

M.S. Electrical Engineering • B.Sc. Mechatronic Engineering • EIT

Controls, robotics simulation, perception, and AI systems engineer.

San Luis Obispo, CA • Open to local, hybrid, or remote roles

github.com/nchenevey1 nicholaschenevey1@gmail.com

Skills

Controls & Robotics

State-space modeling
Observability & controllability
Kinematics
Robotic manipulators
Sensor integration
Industrial automation

Simulation

MuJoCo
Drake
MATLAB / Simulink
CoppeliaSim
Blender

AI & Agentic Systems

PyTorch
TensorFlow
RAG pipelines
Agentic system design
Local LLM inference
Evolutionary / NEAT training

Perception & Signals

OpenCV
Computer vision
Object detection
Perceptual hashing
Digital signal processing

Software

Python
C / C++
MATLAB
Qt
PostgreSQL
CRDTs
AWS / Azure / GCP

Hardware & CAD

SolidWorks
PCB design (EAGLE)
Soldering
3D printing

Certifications

EIT (California BPELSG)
SolidWorks Associate (Dassault Systèmes)

Education

M.S. Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo • 2024

Core Concepts: Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Digital Signal Processing, Advanced Control Systems, Embedded Architecture.

B.Sc. Mechatronic Engineering

CSU Chico • 2020

Core Concepts: Robotics, Automation, Kinematics, Thermal and Fluid Systems, Mechanical Design, Sensor Integration.

Publications

Detection of Source Images in AI-Generated Content via Perceptual Hashing

Conference Paper — IEEE MIPR, August 2025

Presents a method for identifying original content behind AI-generated images using perceptual hashing.

Detecting Duplicate Videos Via Perceptual Hashing

Conference Paper — IEEE Asilomar, October 2025

Introduces an approach for identifying duplicate videos using perceptual hashing.

Experience

Founder - hehedge

May 2026 - Present

Built a local first AI writing environment where every assistant edit is reviewed as a diff before it lands
Engineered a CRDT record of who wrote each character, per-document embedded vector search, and local LLM inference in an isolated subprocess
Shipped gated Windows and Linux preview builds behind an automated testing suite, Cal Poly trial currently active.

Aerospace Engineer - Heliospace

Feb 2025 - July 2025

Designed and built testing systems for launch hardware
Created simulations in MATLAB, Python, MuJoCo, Simframe, and Blender
Analyzed magnetorquers and performed micrometeroid impact analysis on optical systems (e.g., JWST)
Engineered a secure offline RAG chat system with open-source models and PostgreSQL to query sensitive technical documentation on minimal hardware

Mechatronic Engineer - Onanon

Feb 2023 - Sep 2023

Medical device design and manufacturing
Developed C++/Python automated soldering systems
Led technicians, implemented GR&R, designed and fabricated custom fixtures

ML Support Engineer - Labelbox

Jan 2022 - Aug 2022

Machine learning and data engineering support
Automated dataset pipelines with Python/C++
Built ML demos using AWS, Azure, and GCP

Project Engineer - Paragon Mechanical

Apr 2021 - Jan 2022

Project estimation and IT
Designed HVAC/electrical plans
Improved estimation processes through custom VBA/C++ tools.

Projects

hehedge

A local first writing environment where every AI edit is reviewed as a diff before it lands, and the document keeps a tamper-evident record of who wrote each character.

Double Pendulum Curriculum Learning

Code on Github. Double Pendulum created with MIT Drake. Controlled using a PyTorch evolving neural network. Gravity and Air resistance incrementally modified for rapid training.