Freek Van Tienen
Researcher at Technische Universiteit Delft
Randstad, Netherlands
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolFreek Van Tienen is a researcher and seasoned embedded systems engineer with 14 years of experience applying hardware-software integration and reverse-engineering techniques to UAV and IoT platforms. Based at TU Delft, he has contributed to the Paparazzi autopilot project—adding Parrot Bebop 2 sensor, IMU fusion and vision integration—and to DJI firmware tooling where he implemented encryption/decryption and signature-handling logic. His work spans low-level firmware unpacking, sensor fusion, I2C driver integration and practical security tooling, reflecting a blend of academic research and hands-on engineering. He is comfortable moving between research problems and production-focused code, often revealing undocumented behavior in commercial drones. Colleagues see him as the go-to person for understanding and manipulating flight-system firmware and integrating novel sensors into autopilots.
14 years of coding experience
Bachelor's degree, Bachelor's degree at Technische Universiteit Delft / Delft University of TechnologyMaster's degree, Master's degree at Delft University of TechnologyAtheneum, Atheneum at Dalton Lyceum Barendrecht
Stackoverflow
1reputation
0reached
0answers
0questions
Github Skills (17)
tooling10
python10
firmware10
i2c10
sys10
system-integration10
aes10
sensor-fusion10
embedded10
reverse-engineering10
encryption10
c-programming9
cprogramming-language9
computer-vision9
linux8
Programming languages (7)
Github contributions (5)
paparazzi/paparazzi
Jun 2013 - Nov 2022
Paparazzi is a free and open-source hardware and software project for unmanned (air) vehicles. This is the main software repository.
Role in this project:
Embedded Systems Engineer / IoT Developer
Embedded Systems Engineer / IoT DeveloperContributions:220 reviews, 307 commits, 204 PRs in 9 years 6 months
Contributions summary:Freek contributed significantly to the development of the Paparazzi autopilot software, specifically focusing on adding support for the Parrot Bebop 2 drone. Their contributions included the implementation of the bottom camera's sensor, integration with the I2C driver, and incorporation of the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) with sensor fusion for accurate attitude estimation. They also updated various components for the new airframe. Furthermore, they integrated a vision sensor to provide data for a new autopilot.
pprzpaparazziairdroneshardware
o-gs/dji-firmware-tools
Jun 2017 - Jan 2018
Tools for handling firmwares of DJI products, with focus on quadcopters.
Role in this project:Back-end Developer & Reverse Engineering Specialist
Back-end Developer & Reverse Engineering SpecialistContributions:7 commits, 4 comments in 7 months
Contributions summary:Freek primarily contributed to reverse engineering DJI firmware tools. Their work included adding encryption algorithms to the `dji_mvfc_fwpak.py` file, indicating a focus on firmware unpacking and modification. They also developed the `dji_imah_fwsig.py` tool and its related components and made improvements to existing decryption logic, which suggests contributions in firmware signature validation and related security aspects. The user's contributions revolve around understanding and manipulating DJI product firmware.
mavicfirmwareelfsparkinspire
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