Gears of Comodule - Mihkel Kariis, Antenna Engineer whose hobby is his work
Who are you?
I was born and raised in Tallinn but actually some people call me Swede since I have lived 6 years in my teenage years plus few years for my master’s degree in Sweden. I moved back to Tallinn for my bachelor’s degree. The interest in electronics and especially wireless technology arose during my bachelor thesis, where I started the design and development of the UHF antenna for the TTÜ Cubesat.
What’s your role at Comodule?
My role at Comodule is to make sure that the IoT modules are able to connect to the internet and understand the language of the satellites. My main task is to design, prototype and validate the antennas for our IoT modules.
It usually starts with a simulation and ends up with mass production. Everything in between involves workshops with customers, certification for the markets and research about new technologies and solutions.
It is really cool to see that the drawings on the computer screen turn into real things which hundreds of thousands of people use daily.
“Working in Comodule is like working with cool hobby projects.”
How would you describe working at Comodule?
I find it very cool to be a technical partner for the most famous bike manufacturers in the world.
When working in hardware side you’ll always be involved and get a very good insight of the process from mapping down the requirements to mass production in the end.
Every step in this flow has its own challenges which make the job interesting and rewarding.
Enough about work, tell us about your sailing?
Sailing is one of the activities which due to its various sporty and less sporty aspects always creates a temptation to go back on the sea. Me and a couple of friends now have a small sailing boat in Tallinn.
Owning a boat requires time but the silence and freedom on the sea is amazing.
How do you commute daily?
I used to cycle to school almost year round in Sweden. It is actually very nice to cycle in wintertime if the sun is shining and there is lots of snow but the roads are well maintained.
I am a big fan of Tuul e-scooters. During summertime you can often see me on some of the e-bikes which the customers send us for integrations.
Thoughts about the future of connectivity for Light Electric Vehicles?
I believe the vehicles will be even more integrated with other systems. I hope that the essential features like asset tracking, and keyless locking / unlocking of the vehicle are here to stay. A garage door at home could open itself when arriving home with the bike, a temperature sensor could activate the traction control and grip heating in cold temperatures. I also believe that cargo bikes which are used by multiple couriers detects could adapt to the riders preferences automatically. In general hope that the light electric vehicles will be the essential last-mile delivery and transport solution soon.
Share us a hack for reducing your ecological footprint?
I think that one of the “hacks” to save the planet is to consume high quality products. There is a saying that if you want a good and cheap product you first have to buy the cheap and then the good one. Many people buy cheap mobile phones every year. A more expensive phone easily lasts for three years and the environmental impact is probably even bigger than three times.
Since more expensive products use raw materials which are sourced and mined in a more expensive and environmentally friendly way. We all like new stuff and gadgets and by buying high quality products less often the overall consumption and consumption of scrap decreases.
Want to work with Mihkel? Check out our careers page for open positions.
