From Circuit Boards to Moon Landings
As a Senior Project Engineer at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Steinar has spent the past 11 years working on the development of electronics for advanced products with important purposes. He describes himself as a 'technology nerd' who likes to understand the physics and theory behind the technology, and believes that Norway must be at the forefront of defence technology to maintain a strong defence structure.
'It's a truly unique experience to work with such advanced technology and to see how our solutions contribute to groundbreaking projects in space and defence'
'I am probably strongly driven by my academic interests,' says Steinar, and at the same time talks about the importance of collaboration and sharing knowledge and experience with other colleagues.
With extensive experience in electronics development, including from the Technological Institute, the transition to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was relatively significant;
'Technologically, there are many similarities, but the total complexity, and the extreme environmental requirements, surpass anything I've worked with before. Here I have really felt what it means to be part of something bigger,' he says.
And the project he is currently working on can surely be said to be 'something bigger.' In collaboration with SINTEF, he plays a key role in the development of 'Flash-LIDAR,' a distance-measuring camera that can be used for moon landings, among other things. The goal is to improve the technology so that it can contribute to safer landings on the moon by detecting large rocks and other obstacles in the landing area from several hundred meters' height.
'Knowing that the work we do can contribute to making moon landings safer gives a sense of pride and contributing to an important purpose,' Steinar explains.
As part of the interdisciplinary electronics environment eWorks, Steinar is part of a solid professional community with a total of 90 electronics and FPGA developers, spread across several locations. Steinar discusses how the various groups collaborate to create synergies and share resources and knowledge.
'It's crucial for us to work closely with our colleagues at our own and other locations. Not only within eWorks, but equally important is the collaboration with others within the company. This cooperation and knowledge sharing are essential for us to be able to deliver the best solutions to our customers and contribute to the industry,' he explains.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and eWorks are undoubtedly an attractive place for those who want to work on large, technology-demanding projects in a good work environment and with a strong network of skilled colleagues. - 'Having a solid network of experts around you is worth its weight in gold, especially when working on as complex and specialized tasks as we do here,' he says.
"For me, it has always been important to be part of a strong professional environment, and to work on projects that really challenge me. I believe that's what keeps us sharp and motivated, no matter how far we've come in our careers"
Facts about eWorks:
eWorks is the electronics and FPGA professional environment at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (eWorks@KDA).
The eWorks department designs and develops most of the electronics for all of KDA's product groups, across divisions and departments.
The main areas for the eWorks department are architecture, design, and layout/PCB of circuit boards, FPGA development, development of automated test systems for electronics, and Component Services.
Currently, eWorks consists of about 90 employees distributed across locations in Kongsberg, Asker, Kjeller, and Moss, and now we are looking for electronics and FPGA resources for all locations.
