Summary

Worked as a software engineering intern at Honeywell Aerospace, focusing on developing a improved testing UI for the ANTHEM Remote Digital Audio Unit (RDAU) using Python and C++. Networked across software and hardware, implementing realtime access control and interfacing with embedded hardware systems.

Background

Over the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to work with Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Arizona, developing software tools for the ANTHEM program, their next-gen avionics system. I was working directly under the software team, focusing on the audio (RDAU) component of the system.

The existing testing UI for the RDAU had issues with high latency, resulting in test routines taking hours to complete, costing time and resources. My task was to create a new UI that would reduce command latency, with the goal of reducing time spent on tests in the lab. The desired end result was higher modularity, usability, and testing efficiency.

Details

As stated above, the legacy testing UI had issues with high latency. This was primarily due to the use of serial communication, which created bottlenecks in the data transfer process. The existing legacy architecture is shown below with the following diagram:

My design focused on creating a new UI that would reduce command latency by implementing a more efficient communication protocol, with a more intuitive user interface. The end solution implemented UDP for communication, which allowed for faster data transfer and reduced latency, along with a multithreaded python UI to allow for real-time updates and interactions. The new architecture is shown below:

Challenges

The main challenges faced during this project were related to designing the communication protocol and optimizing the python UI code to improve performance. In terms of the communication protocol, I had to ensure that all data was transmitted reliably, while being able to pack and unpack data efficiently. This required optimizing the data structures used, as well as implementing error handling mechanisms to ensure data integrity. For the python UI, on`e of the major optimizations was to only load the necessary UI components for each page, rather than loading unseen components in the background. This reduced memory usage, and increased performance via culling, which was significant for a python based application.

Aside from the technical challenges related to the UI, I also faced challenges in terms of integrating with the existing hardware, and altering existing embedded software to work with the new communication protocols. This required close collaboration with the designer of the legacy system, as their experience with the system was invaluable in efficiently implementing the new protocols.

Outcomes

At the end of my internship, the new UI prototype was successfully implemented, resulting in an average command time of 125ms, down from 3 seconds with the legacy system. This was a significant improvement, and allowed for much faster testing routines in the lab. The new UI also provided a more intuitive user experience, with a modern design and improved usability. The project was well received by the team, and I was able to contribute to the overall success of the ANTHEM program.

Apart from the technical aspects, I also gained valuable experience in top-level design, embedded and realtime systems coding, collaborating with more senior engineers, networking protocols, multithreaded design, access control, and working in a professional engineering environment. This internship provided me with invaluable insights into the aerospace industry as a whole, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented team at Honeywell Aerospace.