10 September 2019
The story of Saiman Shetty is one of persistence and drive in the world of robotics and self-driving cars. Like many immigrant engineers in America, Shetty faced his share of challenges early in his career. After sending out more than 600 job applications and going through 50 interviews, he finally landed his first role at Atronics Engineering, where he worked on robots that could spot defects in manufacturing.
Soon he was working at Container Automation Systems as their only electrical and controls engineer. Here, Shetty got hands-on experience programming industrial robots and building automated systems for manufacturing lines. This early work of experience gave him the foundation he needed for work in the future.
As the electric car revolution was taking off, Shetty joined Tesla as one of their early engineers. At Tesla, he worked on the production lines for their Model S and X cars, focusing on the battery pack systems. He created software to automate the manufacturing process and built systems to monitor the production line for problems. His work helped Tesla make their batteries more efficient and with better quality control.
But Shetty had his eye on the next big thing in transportation: self-driving cars. In 2018, he joined Lyft, the ride-sharing company, rival of Uber, to work on their autonomous vehicle program. At Lyft, he led the team that built the company’s first working self-driving car platform. The project was completed in five months and grew to involve approximately 400 engineers at Lyft’s Palo Alto research facility. This work contributed to Lyft’s efforts to develop competitive technology in the autonomous vehicle sector.
Between his corporate jobs, Shetty is also entrepreneurial. He showed his entrepreneurial side by starting a company called Hygiea Inc. In a world where waste management is essential in keeping the cities clean and hygienic, his company used smart technology to make waste collection more efficient in cities and corporate campuses. His startup caught the attention of major Silicon Valley companies like Twitter and even earned recognition from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Engineers working in these fields often navigate between different applications of automation technology. The transition from manufacturing robots to autonomous vehicles demonstrates how expertise in one field can be applied across various industries.
What makes Shetty’s career interesting is how it mirrors changes happening in technology. He started with basic manufacturing robots, moved to advanced electric car production, and then to the cutting edge of self-driving technology. At each step, he used his knowledge to solve problems.
Today, engineers like Shetty are helping to turn science fiction into something which is in reality. His journey from programming simple manufacturing robots to developing self-driving cars shows how quickly technology evolves. Through his work at some of the world’s most innovative companies, Shetty has helped push the boundaries of what’s possible in robotics and autonomous systems, contributing to a future where self-driving cars and advanced robotics can function productively and are part of our everyday lives.