As part of Propulsion Québec’s flagship project En route!, several trades will be presented to introduce you to promising career opportunities within a growing industry. The electric and intelligent transportation sector is the future in Quebec! To learn a bit more about the job of optical designer, we met with the people at LeddarTech.
A leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems, LeddarTech relies on the expertise of optical designers to develop its innovative solutions used in the electric and intelligent transportation sector for autonomous driving assistance. Optical designers at LeddarTech design various key optical elements for LiDARs such as mirrors, lenses and filters — all the optical components that steer the laser signal and collect the reflected light. For example, the Leddar™ Pixell, a 3D flash LiDAR with a 180-degree field of view designed specifically for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) applications.
The job of optical designer will have you working alongside passionate people from diverse fields, to collaboratively design multidisciplinary products aligned with the needs of your employer’s clients. The challenges and achievements associated with this position are numerous, both in design and in scaling products for production, for varied applications such as measuring wind speed, synchronizing antennas of a radio telescope, detecting objects in a vehicle’s blind spots, etc.
Becoming an optical designer is rarely a childhood career dream! A very specialized but highly sought-after trade within the electric and intelligent land transport sector, it requires passion, as well as a thirst to learn and to explain your own observations. If you like physics, if you’re curious to understand how your environment works and if you want to master certain optical principles to contribute to the design and manufacture of innovative solutions, this job is for you!
Because optical performance is very close to the final performance targets for a product, optical design therefore requires understanding the implications of mechanics, electronics and software on the system’s performance to be built, hence the challenge of great versatility and planned, constant collaboration among the various stakeholders involved.
A typical workday as an optical designer is highly variable: never boring! Depending on the period, between 10% and 80% of the work consists of experimental tasks, the rest of the day being taken up by calculations and design as well as periods of simulation and analysis.
Testimonial
"I have always been fascinated by the beauty of light, whether it’s a sunbeam or the light in a room or in a painting. When I was young, I was interested in many fields. I began my studies with an integrated DEC in Science, Letters and Art, only to realize that physical science matched my interest in explaining my environment rationally. I enjoyed the methodology, the required rigor and the deductive process. I chose engineering because I like the concrete!"
Optical design: a real team effort
Maryse Aubé, senior optical designer at LeddarTech, speaks to the importance of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints in her field: "High-technology companies are often very open to welcoming people from varied training and experiences. It’s the kind of context where everyone involved has generalist profiles that complement each other.
Effective product design naturally requires open listening, as well as constant communication and collaboration among team members. Tackling a design challenge involves being creative and, naturally, taking advantage of a diversity of approaches and viewpoints."
Changing careers — is it possible?
If you have knowledge in optics, optoelectronics, optomechanics or training in engineering and you are interested in putting that to use to reinvent mobility and the transportation of tomorrow, you can redirect your career to evolve within a company like LeddarTech and work there as an optical designer. A degree in mechanical engineering can also lead to a career in optomechanics.
Brief job description
The main tasks related to the job of optical designer are:
- Design of optical systems (assembly of lenses and others) in collaboration with other disciplines, clients and suppliers;
- Experimental validation, integration and tuning of systems to produce prototypes as well as functional and optimized products.
The skills required to practice this profession are:
- Technical knowledge in optics, optoelectronics, optomechanics and manufacturing techniques;
- Proficiency with calculation, design, simulation and analysis tools
- Laboratory skills
- Teamwork
Education required to practice this profession
Bachelor’s degree in engineering physics or in physics, often with a specialization in optics. Some choose to pursue graduate studies, from master’s to doctorate.
About LeddarTech
LeddarTech is a leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems. Founded in 2007, LeddarTech has evolved into a company active in end-to-end integrated environmental sensing solutions that enable customers to solve critical sensing and perception problems across the automotive and mobility market value chain. Thanks to its sensor-fusion and perception platform LeddarVision™ and its efficient, scalable and versatile development solution for automotive-grade solid-state LiDARs based on the LeddarEngine™, LeddarTech enables Tier 1 and 2 automotive system integrators to develop complete sensing solutions for autonomy levels 1 to 5. These solutions are actively being deployed in applications for autonomous shuttles, trucks, buses, delivery vehicles, smart cities or factories, and robotaxis. Holder of more than 95 patented technologies (granted or pending) that enhance driver-assistance and autonomous driving system capabilities, the company has contributed to many innovations related to advanced automotive remote sensing and mobility applications.
Additional information available at www.leddartech.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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