Converging software, systems, and hardware.
Garrett Wilson ships real software people use — AdventureOS and MuscleBuddy for life outside work, Red Thread Events for the business behind it — alongside a full-time role as a Staff Platform Engineer. Garrett Makes It, LLC is the independent studio behind those products, and takes on select engineering and advisory work outside them: embedded systems, control, software, and prototyping, from a working answer to a half-formed question to a focused build.
Capabilities
Engineering services and technical advisory across hardware, software, and the integration in between.
Embedded systems & firmware
Firmware and real-time control for connected hardware — from bare-metal drivers to closed-loop algorithms running on silicon. ESP32, STM32, RTOS, and the signals that make them useful.
Control systems & automation
Closed-loop control designed and tuned against real plant data — PID, state-space, observers, and sensor fusion. The algorithms that keep a physical process where you want it.
Software & web applications
Web apps, dashboards, internal tools, and the platforms that make data and hardware useful. Equally happy building a one-week internal tool, a full SaaS product, or the cloud infrastructure underneath.
Prototyping & fabrication
From sketch to working unit. PCB design, 3D-printed enclosures, CNC parts, and electronics assembly — the physical artifact you can put in a customer’s hands.
Products
AdventureOS
LiveOne platform for tracking gear, trips, and saved spots — with a focused studio for each kind of adventure
MuscleBuddy
LiveAn AI-adaptive training and nutrition platform with deep analytics, a full health module, and a social gamification layer
Red Thread Events
LiveThe platform that runs an event company end to end — planning, live scoring, attendee loyalty, marketing, and the books in one app
Recent projects
Automated Marine Aquarium Controller
ESP32-based smart controller for a saltwater aquarium — automated chemical testing, precision dosing, programmable lighting, and real-time alerts. Includes a custom RGB spectrometer prototype for in-situ water analysis.
Embedded Control System
Sample case study — closed-loop embedded controller for an industrial process. Details available on request.
Three principles
Iterate against reality
Simulations are useful, but the real test is hardware on a bench. Every design loops back through measurement.
Cross the disciplines
The bug is rarely in just the firmware or just the mechanism. Solving it usually means seeing all the layers at once.
Ship the working version
Working solutions, not theoretical designs. The deliverable is something you can plug in and use.
Build the things you'd use yourself
AdventureOS, MuscleBuddy, and Red Thread Events exist because their problems were worth solving for real, not as portfolio pieces. The same standard applies to client work.
Have something to build — or a hard call to make?
Hardware, software, both — or just stuck. Tell me about it.