BPLIO
A central portfolio platform for Big Picture schools: student work, moderation, administration, security and portfolio publishing in one place.
Watch demo ↗Software Engineer · Newcastle, AU · Open to work
{Hi, I’m Lucas.} Online I go by Squidly1408.
I design and build reliable software and hardware: full-stack web, cross-platform apps, embedded electronics and applied AI. I care about clarity, performance and whether the thing actually helps someone.
- full-stack-web
- flutter
- python-ml
- computer-vision
- embedded-iot
17projects shipped or prototyped
6industry & research roles
8references from mentors
2022building since
about {
Engineer by trade, builder by habit.
I’m a software developer while I study at UoN (University of Newcastle), and I’ve been building things since high school, when a Big Picture project put me in a lab with UoN lecturers.
Most of my work sits where people meet technology: a sensor glove that turns gestures into speech, portfolio platforms for schools, computer-vision pipelines that count what cameras see, and small developer tools that remove busywork.
I like the whole path from sketch to shipped product. I prototype quickly, test properly, and keep code clean enough that the next person can pick it up.
const lucas = { alias: "Squidly1408", role: "Software Engineer L2", based: "Newcastle, NSW", focus: ["AI", "Flutter", "Web", "Embedded"], remote: true, status: "building cool things", }; // ship it
}
skills {
The toolbox.
Software, machine learning and hardware, chosen for shipping real products.
</>Frontend
Responsive interfaces with clean layouts and purposeful animation.
[ ]Apps
Cross-platform mobile and desktop apps with solid testing.
( )AI & Vision
Detection, tracking, annotation and automation systems.
=>Backend
APIs, automation scripts, server tools and data workflows.
~>Embedded
Microcontrollers, sensors and Raspberry Pi prototypes.
!!Quality
Testing, debugging and keeping production code reliable.
}
projects {
Selected work.
Design, engineering and research. Most have a demo video on YouTube.
Strocoge
A wearable glove that reads hand position and movement and turns gestures into speech. Built with lecturers and an Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle.
Watch demo ↗BPL Slides
A presentation and exhibition builder that helps Big Picture Learning students showcase projects, achievements and growth.
Watch demo ↗BPL-Flower
An editable digital version of the IBPLC graph, so Big Picture students and teachers can track, edit and present learning progress.
Watch demo ↗UConSoft
A spin-out from Luvium focused on universities: student marketing, portfolios and work-integrated-learning selection.
GitHub ↗Academic Integrity Hub
Reviews written work for originality, AI use and plagiarism, and gives an overall assessment to support academic integrity.
Watch demo ↗Red Car Counter
A distributed vision system that detects, classifies and counts red vehicles across several video feeds, aggregating results in real time.
Watch demo ↗Luvium
A social platform that helps students find projects, share knowledge and connect. Started at Cooks Hill Campus, now being redesigned for the University of Newcastle.
Watch demo ↗PHOTOLIO
An in-browser portfolio builder for photographers. Pick from 8 design systems, drop in photos and preview a finished site live, no account needed.
Watch demo ↗Furni4
A client-side 2D and 3D room planner. Design spaces to real-world scale and test furniture layouts before you lift anything.
Watch demo ↗SQDLC-CAD
A free browser CAD app for creating, editing and viewing 3D models through an approachable web interface.
Watch demo ↗Bindary
A gamified uni productivity app. Finish a task and earn a procedurally generated collectible book or poem.
Watch demo ↗Babel-Search
A word-hunting game set in the infinite Library of Babel. Find real words in random pages, race the clock, score more per letter.
GitHub ↗AAC App
An augmentative communication app for any device, from Windows to iPhone, that improves on current apps through deep customisation.
GitHub ↗Traceboard
A browser vector-tracing tool that turns reference images into clean, editable SVG with precision and automatic tracing.
Watch demo ↗Flutter CLI
A command-line toolkit that automates repetitive Flutter tasks and simplifies common project workflows.
Watch demo ↗Folder Tools
A Python suite of developer and ML utilities for everyday jobs you shouldn’t have to search for, without the sketchy websites.
GitHub ↗// nothing here yet
}
experience {
Learning by building.
In industry, at university and with local teams.
-
Software Engineer, Level 2
SAPHI Engineering
Joined through an internship at a tech-agnostic solutions provider in Newcastle, one of the most influential ICT companies in Australia.
-
Freelance Software Developer
Big Picture Education
Built an interactive tool to help teachers and students track learning progress.
-
School-based Intern
NUbots
Shadowed the team building robots for international competition and learned core robotics concepts.
-
School-based Intern
RedCrow, Maitland
Worked on testing and found several bugs in production code.
-
Big Picture Education Intern
University of Newcastle
Worked with Associate Lecturers, Senior Lecturers and Associate Professors on research projects, including Strocoge.
-
School-based Intern
Clickk Newcastle
Designed and developed websites and learned professional process from experienced staff.
}
quotes {
What people say.
From lecturers, mentors and the people I’ve built for.
Lucas is a rare kind of student, motivated, innovative, and determined to make a positive impact on the world around him. It is a rare joy to find a student with such focus and drive, I look forward to seeing his education and career prosper.
Lucas contributed an interactive JavaScript module for the Big Picture Learning Australia’s website. He was a pleasure to work with — highly responsive to feature requests and his code was clean, effective and elegant.
Lucas is a talented future engineer with a bright future ahead. He has a passion for technology and it shows!
I met Lucas when he was a high school student conducting a project under the Big Picture program… Lucas demonstrated deep knowledge of both the hardware and software, plus rare enthusiasm and curiosity.
Lucas was an absolute pleasure to deal with. He assisted us with some website and graphic design tasks. He performed them to a very high standard. I have no hesitation in recommending Lucas to any local design or development companies.
As Lucas’s teacher when he began his journey in project-based learning, I had the pleasure of seeing him demonstrate incredible adaptability, a deep thirst for knowledge, and a keen ability to solve problems… showcasing both intellect and a commitment to positive impact.
Lucas is very intelligent and self-managed. He is very process driven and provides a high standard of work.
Lucas’s willingness to help and support others, strive for personal excellence and take on feedback make him an excellent learner. It has been a pleasure to see his growth.
}
contact {
Got something worth building? Let’s talk.
Based in Newcastle, Australia. Open to remote and hybrid roles, freelance work and research collaborations.
GitHubgithub.com/Squidly1408 ↗
YouTubeProject demos
↗
{ ready to build }
}