About Craig Merry
Building the OpenCastor ecosystem — declarative robotics, Anthropic-native.
I'm a deaf engineer building open-source robotics infrastructure as a one-person team, with Claude Code as the force multiplier
that makes a multi-repo ecosystem tractable. The work spans a manifest spec (ROBOT.md),
three language SDKs, an MCP server, an Agent SDK dispatcher, a Claude Code plugin marketplace, and a public registry implementing
the first five EU AI Act-aligned compliance endpoints.
Day job: systems engineer at Northern California Power Agency, modernizing Microsoft 365 for member utilities. The robotics work is independent and lives at /ecosystem/.
Focus
Where I spend my time
Researching with operators, designing systems with measurable ROI, and turning prototypes into tools that teams can trust.
A one-person team building declarative robotics with Claude Code as a force multiplier.
- ROBOT.md manifest, MCP server, Agent SDK dispatcher
- RCAN protocol + Python/TypeScript SDKs
- Robot Registry Foundation — public compliance endpoints
Every Anthropic primitive gets a first-class surface — MCP, Claude Code, Agent SDK, eval harness.
- robot-md-mcp for any MCP-aware client
- Claude Code plugin marketplace
- Claude as the exclusive eval model
Spatial computing that works for everyone, built by a deaf developer.
- LiveCaptionsXR real-time spatial captions
- Inclusive design reviews and policy advocacy
- On-device speech recognition for XR
Journey
How I got here
I have led enterprise rollouts, founded a safety startup, and now focus on AI systems work that blends prototypes with field deployment.
2022 – Present
Systems Engineer · Northern California Power Agency
Lead SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and automation initiatives that keep member utilities collaborating securely while modernizing legacy workflows.
2025 – Present
ContinuonAI & ContinuonXR
2,652 commits across 76 projects in 2025. Building embodied AI runtimes (OpenCastor), spatial computing interfaces (ContinuonXR), and open robot identity infrastructure (Robot Registry Foundation). One brain, many shells—under $600 in parts.
Ongoing (nights & weekends)
Independent AI Projects & Advocacy
Build AI agents, accessibility tools, and robotics prototypes. Latest: OpenCastor (embodied AI runtime), Civqo (codebase visualization), LiveCaptionsXR, and the RCAN robotics protocol.
2018 – 2022
Application Administrator Lead · California Earthquake Authority
Led Microsoft 365 migrations, automation, and developer experience for mission-critical collaboration platforms.
2014 – 2016
Founder & Product Lead · Beacon Safety Co.
Built LiDAR and robotics prototypes, launched community safety apps, and won Startup Weekend Sacramento (hardware).
Earlier
SharePoint & Ops Roles · Apple, Sutter Health, State of CA
Shipped portals, BI dashboards, and automation that shortened manual processes from weeks to hours.
Speaking & Advocacy
Sharing work and lifting others
Whether it is a user group demo, an accessibility workshop, or a policy meeting, I try to demystify AI and make sure deaf/HoH voices are part of the design brief.
Speaking + Workshops
- AI + computer vision meetups
- Microsoft 365 community events
- Accessibility-first design sessions
Community Advocacy
- Mentor deaf/HoH technologists
- Review accessibility guidelines and policies
- Contribute to open-source accessibility tooling
Why camera systems, edge AI, and accessibility considerations belong in the same conversation.
This talk covers the architectural choices behind Dronevade, how to design spatial captions, and why inclusive research accelerates adoption.
Values
Beyond technology
Life outside work keeps me grounded and informs how I design. These are a few of the things that shape my perspective.
Cycling & Safe Streets
Created BicycleRadar after too many close calls. Still spend weekends testing prototypes on local rides.
Builder Mindset
From Arduino experiments to full-stack demos, rapid prototyping has been my native language since childhood.
Community
Active inside the deaf/HoH community, advocating for visible interpreters, caption budgets, and inclusive hiring.
Let’s build something accessible together.
I partner best with teams who value clear documentation, fast iteration, and inclusive design. Tell me about your goals and we can draft a plan.