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James Harcourt

Hardware & software engineer · Dublin, Ireland

Profile

I design and build embedded systems and health-tech, from low-cost IoT glucose monitors to solar trackers and iOS companion apps. Bringing hardware, firmware and clean interfaces together into things people can actually use.

Experience & achievements

  1. 2026

    Co-founder

    Equilibrium

    Co-founded an autonomous retrofit building management system during Patch. The team deployed custom environmental sensors, a live dashboard, and predictive controls at Dogpatch Labs.

  2. Summer 2026

    Patch Accelerator Participant

    Dogpatch Labs

    Selected as one of 36 cohort members for Ireland's most competitive Youth Tech Accelerator, developing GlucoBit and co-founding Equilibrium, with a building management prototype deployed at Dogpatch Labs.

  3. Jun 2026 – Present

    Lifeguard

    Aura Leisure

    Lifeguarding and Water Safety Training across Aura facilities.

  4. Jan 2026

    Competitor, Technology Category

    Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition

    Entered GlucoBit, a standalone blood glucose visualisation and alert device, placed in the Technology category and won the Medtronic special award.

  5. Feb 2026

    Pharmacy Assistant

    Meaghers Pharmacy

    Assisted customers with product queries, managed stock levels with daily inventory checks, and operated tills in a busy retail pharmacy environment.

  6. Nov 2025

    Work Experience

    Head Diagnostics

    Hands-on internship at a medical device company, gaining exposure to regulated healthcare engineering, device testing workflows, and product development in a clinical context.

  7. Jun 2025

    Completed Junior Cycle

    Castleknock College

    Completed the Junior Cycle curriculum with a focus on STEM subjects, achieving 7x distinctions and 2x higher merits

  8. May 2023

    Most Commercial Potential Award

    Local Enterprise Offices, National Student Enterprise Awards

    Competed at the National Student Enterprise Awards and won the Most Commercial potential prize.

  9. May 2023

    Competitor

    SciFest

    Presented a science project at SciFest, Ireland's national STEM competition for students. Presented solar tracking as a method to improve solar panel efficiency, winning the Eirgrid sustainable future award.

Projects

GlucoBit

Source ↗

A low-cost IoT system for non-invasive glucose visualisation. A CircuitPython device pulls live readings from the Dexcom cloud over WiFi, renders them on a colour LCD, and fires audible + LED alarms on lows, paired with a native iOS companion app over Bluetooth.

CircuitPython · Swift / SwiftUI · BLE · Custom PCB · OTA Updates

CertifyMe

Source ↗

A KiCad plugin and CLI that links component datasheets, generates priced bills of materials, and verifies parts against DigiKey. Built to take the repetitive work out of preparing a PCB.

Python · KiCad · DigiKey API · BOM verification

Gate Lab

Source ↗

An interactive Boolean logic workbench. Draw gate circuits, build expressions, generate truth tables, and practise logic problems directly in the browser.

TypeScript · Next.js · Boolean logic

CodePaper

Source ↗

A browser-based Python IDE for Leaving Certificate Computer Science practice. Run code locally with Pyodide and check answers against exam marking rubrics.

TypeScript · Python · Pyodide · Web Workers

ytascii

Source ↗

Play videos as live truecolour ASCII art in the terminal, with audio. Frames are streamed and converted in real time using Python, yt-dlp, and ffmpeg.

Python · ffmpeg · yt-dlp · CLI

Zana

Source ↗

A Swift project exploring health and medical report assistance.

Swift · Health-tech

DiabeTech

Source ↗

An iOS app to support diabetes management and data visualisation

Swift · SwiftUI · HealthKit

Solar Tracker

Source ↗

A dual-axis solar tracking system in C++, sensing light direction and driving motors to keep a panel aligned with the sun for maximum yield. Hands-on embedded control, sensors and actuation.

C++ · Microcontroller · Sensors · Motor Control

Pointy R1

Source ↗

A thrust vector controlled model rocket with telemetry and flight data analysis.

Python · PCB Design · CAD · Microcontroller · Sensors · Motor Control

Technical skills

CircuitPython · Swift · SwiftUI · C++ · BLE / Bluetooth · WiFi / HTTP APIs · PCB Design · I2S / SPI / ADC · OTA Updates · Git · Python · TypeScript / Next.js · KiCad