# Daniel Gruner — Hands-on architect and engineer for production-grade edge AI systems

> Daniel Gruner is a hands-on solution architect and engineer for production-grade edge AI and computer vision systems, based in Heilbronn, Germany. He owns such systems across their full lifecycle - from architecture and pilots to rollout and operations in up to 14,000 Lidl and Kaufland stores. He designs systems and runs experiments that inform sound technical decisions.

Applied AI · Solution Architecture · Hands-on Engineering · Currently: Senior Solution Architect & Product Engineer @ Schwarz Digits · Experience: Engineering since 2009 · Focus: Edge AI and computer vision systems across the entire lifecycle · Location: Heilbronn, Germany

## Core expertise

- **Edge AI & computer vision architecture:** System architecture for cameras, edge servers, models and vendor systems in real-world operation; edge-vs.-cloud decisions; integration into enterprise infrastructure (POS, cameras, Kubernetes, monitoring).
- **Production-scale AI rollout (pilot → production):** Taking AI solutions from pilots (>50 stores, >5 countries) to scaled operations - rollout, automation, monitoring, maintenance and support across thousands of sites.
- **Evaluation, architecture reviews & technical due diligence:** Experiments that prepare decisions: gold-standard datasets and automated test harnesses (precision · recall · F1), model and vendor comparisons, edge-vs.-cloud benchmarks; independent assessment of architectures, production readiness and technical risk.

## Availability

- Open to selected projects (advisory, prototypes, architecture reviews) alongside his current role.
- Open to the right permanent role where edge AI / computer vision, system architecture and hands-on engineering come together.
- Location: Heilbronn, Germany. Languages: German, English.

Best reached by email with a short description of the initiative, role and timeline.

- Email: daniel.gruner@mindactuate.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gruner
- GitHub: https://github.com/mindactuate
- Web: https://mindactuate.com/

## About me

I studied mechatronics and automotive engineering and started out as a development engineer at an automotive engineering company - working with alternative materials, prototypes, and my first chatbot, the FOXBOT. After that, I built an enterprise chatbot platform from the ground up at Schwarz IT.

Today, I work as a Senior Solution Architect & Product Engineer on edge AI and computer vision solutions for Lidl and Kaufland stores - from concept, system architecture, and implementation through integration, piloting, and rollout to scaling, operations, monitoring, maintenance, and support. After five years in technical leadership, I made a deliberate decision to refocus fully on technical deep work and building solutions.

Ever since 2019, I've always had an IT side project in the works - driven by curiosity and a desire to build the things I want to see in the world.

## My path

### Senior Solution Architect · Computer Vision Retail — Schwarz Digits (2025 – present)
Neckarsulm · https://mindactuate.com/work/computer-vision

A deliberate step: handing over leadership to focus 100% on technical deep work, architecture, and hands-on engineering for production-grade edge AI and computer vision systems.

### Team Lead & Solution Architect · Computer Vision Retail — Schwarz Digits (2020 – 2025)
Neckarsulm · https://mindactuate.com/work/computer-vision

Five years leading the Computer Vision Retail team - building, developing, and steering it - while remaining hands-on as a consultant and architect. Reporting up to C-level.

### Software Engineer & Tech Lead · Enterprise Chatbots — Schwarz Digits (2017 – 2020)
Neckarsulm · https://mindactuate.com/work/enterprise-chatbots

Started solo (with support from DFKI Berlin) and built a small team. Took a company-wide chatbot platform from zero to go-live (Dec. 2019): React + Java Spring Boot, hybrid rule- & ML-based NLU, OAuth, and numerous enterprise integrations.

### Development Engineer · Technology & Innovation — csi entwicklungstechnik (2014 – 2017)
Neckarsulm · https://mindactuate.com/work/csi

Applied research on shape-memory alloys in vehicles, lightweight material consulting for Lamborghini & Audi, and hand-built prototypes (3D printing, Arduino, self-soldered circuit boards). Then came the FOXBOT - my first chatbot, with facial recognition, speech recognition, TTS, and a custom dialog system.

### M.Eng. Automotive Engineering · Student — Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (2012 – 2014)
Darmstadt · https://mindactuate.com/work/uas-darmstadt

CAD, FEA, lightweight design, and Formula Student. Master's thesis at csi: a mechatronic kinematic air-vent system for a luxury vehicle.

### B.Eng. Mechatronics · Cooperative-education student · Manufacturing engineering — Continental AG & DHBW Mannheim (2009 – 2012)
Mannheim / Rheinböllen / Frankfurt / Asheville (USA) · https://mindactuate.com/work/continental

Where it all began: brake systems, CNC, welding, robot & PLC programming, optimization projects with 3D-CAD - and a few months in the USA, developing an automated cleaning station for brake calipers.

## How I can help

Alongside my current role, I'm open to selected projects involving edge AI, computer vision, solution architecture, and technical validation.

The best fit is work at the intersection of AI, software, hardware, and real-world processes, where a challenging technical question needs to be structured, tested in practice, or assessed independently.

### Architecture & technical advisory
For edge AI and computer vision initiatives that need clarity on technical feasibility, system boundaries, and the path to production.

- Assessment of edge AI and computer vision use cases
- Edge-vs.-cloud decisions
- Make-or-buy and vendor assessments
- System and integration architecture
- Pilot and evaluation concepts
- Operations and scaling concepts

### Prototypes & technical validation
For clearly scoped proofs of concept that test technical assumptions quickly and reliably.

- Hardware and runtime environment selection
- Integration of existing models and vendors
- Edge-vs.-cloud benchmarks
- Monitoring and health-check concepts
- Internal tools and automation
- Technical proofs of concept

### Architecture reviews & technical due diligence
For an independent assessment of existing systems, technical risks, and their realistic production readiness.

- Assessment of existing architectures
- Rollout, operations, and support readiness
- Integration and scalability
- Technical risks
- Vendor and hardware dependencies
- Realistic production deployment

## What I work with

- **Edge AI & Computer Vision:** Computer Vision · Edge AI, Camera and edge systems, Model and vendor integration, ML evaluation · Precision · Recall · F1, Tooling for labeling and evaluation, Deployment · Monitoring · Remote diagnostics
- **Architecture & Lifecycle:** Use-case design · technical validation, System Design · Solution Architecture, Enterprise Integration, Edge-vs.-cloud architecture, Piloting · Rollout · Scaling, Operations · Maintenance · Support
- **Cloud & Platform:** Google Cloud (Run · Functions · Pub/Sub), Docker · Kubernetes, Terraform · Ansible, CI/CD, Grafana · Monitoring, Firebase
- **Product Engineering:** AI-native cloud SaaS, LLM integration · RAG concepts, Full-stack TypeScript, Node.js · Fastify · Python · FastAPI, React · Material UI, PostgreSQL · Prisma · Playwright
- **Engineering Roots:** Mechatronics · Automotive, SolidWorks · CAD, ANSYS · FEA, C#, Arduino · Prototyping

## My side projects

Since 2019, I've always had an IT side project in the works - driven by curiosity and a desire to turn ideas into real, working solutions.

### Stetig (2026) — Habits, todos, and daily wins in one private place
Live · Active development · https://stetig-app.com

After years of tracking habits, todos, and accomplishments in separate apps (and on old envelopes), I brought them together in one deliberately simple app. Stetig shows not only what is left to do, but also what you have already achieved - with local-first storage and optional encrypted GitHub sync.

Stack: Local-first, Encrypted Sync, GitHub Gist, CSV, JSON

### Review Distiller (2023 – 2026) — AI-powered SaaS for analyzing & monitoring customer reviews
Live · No longer in development · https://reviewdistiller.de

Conceived and coded solo - system design, frontend, backend, and infrastructure - in full-stack TypeScript. It analyzes reviews from Google Maps, Play Store, App Store, and more. My real goal was to experience firsthand what it means to build, operate, and market a complex SaaS product. Biggest lesson: a product alone isn't enough - distribution and product-market fit are everything.

Stack: TypeScript, React, Fastify, PostgreSQL, Docker, GCP, Terraform, GitHub CI/CD, Paddle, Playwright

### nico RSS (2026) — An AI-native news aggregator that counters information overload
Project complete

Turns the daily flood of feeds into structured, prioritized knowledge. AI ranks every article based on your goals (with a learning feedback loop), writes daily & weekly digests, generates spaced-repetition flashcards, and even creates action items. Multi-provider AI (BYOK). Named after my friends Nikolas & Constantin - ni + co.

Stack: TypeScript, React, Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, LiteLLM, PWA, Docker

### Globallytics Fund No. 1 (2019 – 2021) — An AI-powered equity fund
Project complete

Technical co-founder (with two other technical founders and a family office). I was responsible for data & ops: a complex, self-orchestrating web-scraping system, an extensive data API serving the ML model, and a full-stack web app for fund management. The family office ultimately decided to switch off the AI.

Stack: Node.js, Express, MySQL, React, OAuth, Linux

### Smaller tools & open source

- [Quip Exporter](https://mindactuate.github.io/quip-exporter/): Bulk-export helper for Quip. Probably my most-used tool ever.
- [Project Scheduler](https://mindactuate.github.io/multi-project-milestone-calculator/): Capacity-constrained multi-project milestone planner, entirely in the browser.
- [logmailer](https://npm.io/package/logmailer): Aggregate log/error emails from your Node app and send them whenever you want.
- [patiently](https://npm.io/package/patiently): API rate-limit handler for Node - a legal way to wait for resets.
- [TextToMusic](https://mindactuate.github.io/texttomusic/): A small fun project that turns text into sound.

## Detail pages

- [Where it all began](https://mindactuate.com/work/continental): Cooperative-education degree in mechatronics (B.Eng.) - brake systems, manufacturing engineering, robots and a stint in the USA
- [Hungry for more](https://mindactuate.com/work/uas-darmstadt): Studies in automotive engineering (M.Eng.) - advanced mathematics, Engineering Mechanics 3000 and Formula Student
- [Innovation, prototypes & my first chatbot](https://mindactuate.com/work/csi): Lightweight design, shape-memory alloys, mechatronic prototypes - and the FOXBOT
- [Enterprise chatbot platform](https://mindactuate.com/work/enterprise-chatbots): From zero to a company-wide chatbot for the Schwarz Group
- [Computer Vision in the store](https://mindactuate.com/work/computer-vision): AI that translates the physical world into data - across 14,000 Lidl & Kaufland stores
- [Stetig](https://mindactuate.com/work/stetig): Habits, todos and daily wins - together in one private place
- [nico RSS](https://mindactuate.com/work/nico-rss): An AI-native news aggregator that turns information overload into prioritized knowledge
- [Review Distiller](https://mindactuate.com/work/review-distiller): An AI SaaS to analyze & monitor customer reviews
- [Globallytics Fund No. 1](https://mindactuate.com/work/globallytics): Technical co-founder of an AI stock fund - up to €12M in volume
- [Calisthenics & health](https://mindactuate.com/life/calisthenics): Skills, my own course and a 440-page nutrition compendium
- [FPV drones](https://mindactuate.com/life/fpv): Founding a drone racing team
- [Race cars](https://mindactuate.com/life/race-cars): Formula Student & a hill-climb prototype - lightweight parts and track records

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Deutsche Version: https://mindactuate.com/profile.de.md