Portfolio of Dr. Kimmo Karvinen
I build practical technology at the intersection of software, hardware, usability, and the physical world. With more than 25 years of experience, I help companies turn embedded systems, IoT, and automation ideas into reliable products, from prototypes to scalable deployment.
Welcome to the portfolio of Kimmo Karvinen.
I hold a Doctor of Science (Technology) from Aalto University and a Master of Arts from the University of Art and Design Helsinki. I have co-authored four internationally published books on embedded systems. These books have been translated into 14 languages and have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. I have also published research on IoT, sensors, robot prototyping, and satellite development. I currently serve as CEO of a company specializing in AV automation and usability. Previously, I held CTO roles at Finland’s leading smart locker manufacturer and an IoT and AI hardware company, and served as CEO of an AV automation company. The projects below were realized in collaboration with outstanding colleagues, co-authors, and multidisciplinary teams.
I have written four books on embedded systems, including the Amazon.com #1 category bestsellers “Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets”, “Make: Getting Started with Sensors”, and “Make: Sensors”. “Sulautetut”, later translated into “Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets”, was the first Finnish-language book on Arduino. My books have been translated into 14 languages.
Finland launched its first two satellites in 2017. The prototype was designed with Tero Karvinen. When the peer-reviewed article was published, it was the smallest and least expensive sun sensor available.
Read the peer-reviewed journal article
Our book Getting Started with Sensors was included in the Design Museum Helsinki exhibition California: Designing Freedom.
Read New Scientist's coverage of the exhibition: “How Californian design helped us to transform the world”
The system communicates with devices from any manufacturer, regardless of model or interface. It can deliver significant energy and maintenance savings, in some cases amounting to tens of percent. Our integrated hardware, software, and cloud solution is used at more than 450 locations. Management and design were carried out with Juho Jakka.
From 2013 to 2017, I worked as software director on a large-scale situational awareness system for the Finnish Defense Forces. The total value of the project was approximately €10 million.
24/7 contactless pickup lockers for e-commerce and retail, with modular compartments, API integration, automated pickup codes, real-time order tracking, and optional refrigerated storage.
Scalable outdoor parcel lockers with off-grid solar options, up to eight years of battery life, secure design, touchscreen access, and fast courier scanning.
Storage with on-site cashless payment, barcode/RFID access, customizable indoor or outdoor configurations, secure steel construction, and revenue-generating operation.
Automated gas cylinder retail lockers that reduce manual work, improve traceability, and support in-shop, online, or mobile sales. The system is modular, scalable, and easy to manage, with guided workflows and role-based access.
Using physical computing toolkits, such as Arduino, has become common among engineers and non-engineers alike. While these development platforms solve many low-level challenges, getting started with embedded system prototyping may seem overwhelming for novices. Choosing novice-friendly sensors can make a substantial difference.
Read the peer-reviewed journal article “Choosing novice friendly sensors” published in International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education (IJEEE).
Read the peer-reviewed journal article “Teaching robot rapid prototyping for non-engineers: a minimalistic approach”, published in World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education (WTE&TE).
Read the peer-reviewed journal article.
Read the peer-reviewed journal article “IoT Rapid Prototyping Laboratory Setup”, published in International Journal of Engineering Education (IJEE). The course and article were developed with Tero Karvinen.
Read the peer-reviewed journal article.
I am a shareholder in Kuulto and have served as its CEO, CTO, and a board member. Kuulto designs and automates AV environments with usability as a central design principle.
From meeting rooms and auditoriums to council chambers and large-scale situational-awareness environments, we integrate the technology within each space into one clear and reliable control experience. Kuulto has delivered systems for hundreds of public-sector organizations and government bodies, ranging from individual room-control installations to extensive operational environments.
Thousands of automated systems delivered by Kuulto are in use across Finland.
ZenBot was featured in presentations at Maker Faire San Mateo, California (“Evolution of a Robot – Learn to Prototype Anything”), and at Mozilla headquarters in Silicon Valley (“Prototyping Open Source Robots”). ZenBot was developed with Tero Karvinen and Ville Valtokari.
I am always interested in thoughtful people, unusual technical challenges, and projects where hardware, software, design, and the physical world meet. If you need CTO-level insight, technical advisory or a technical leader who understands both prototypes and scalable deployment, let’s talk. I am not active on social media. For professional inquiries, please contact me by email: kimmo.karvinen at bionicmechanic.com
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orcid.org/0000-0003-3946-4163