(M/W) AI & Control Engineer – Perception and Navigation

Wandercraft; Paris; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Wandercraft in Paris seeks a senior researcher to advance perception and navigation for our humanoid robotics platform. You will develop algorithms for object detection, pose estimation, and environment mapping, enabling safe autonomous operation of our robots across healthcare and industrial settings.

You'll collaborate with AI, control, embedded, electronics and mechanics teams, publish literature-driven work, and prototype novel approaches using Python/C++.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or PhD in perception, navigation, machine learning, robotics, or related field.
• Experience with Python/C++ in a team, CI, modular code, and testing.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to prototype and iterate.
• Experience with perception or the use of point clouds, SLAM, or optimal control is valued.
• Ability to travel to customer sites for field validation.

Responsibilities

• Select suitable vision/perception sensors.
• Carry out literature reviews related to projects.
• Present latest innovations to the team.
• Develop algorithms for object detection, pose estimation, or feature recognition.
• Map environments to aid navigation.
• Develop navigation and control algorithms for robots, incl. autonomous navigation for humanoids and navigation assistance for exoskeletons.
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure algorithm performance.
• Test on real robots and in simulation.
• Travel to customer sites to validate algorithms in real-world conditions and adjust as needed.
• Automated testing and verification pipelines to prevent regressions.

Skills

Python

C++

Vision/SLAM

Navigation

Machine learning

Robotics fundamentals

Linear algebra

Control systems

CI/CD

Research & analysis

Education

Engineering degree or PhD in perception, navigation, machine learning, robotics, or related field

Tools

ROS

Git

Linux

Job description

Version française de l’offre disponible sur demande. Our Perception and Navigation Team is expanding to meet new challenges!

Job Description

Version française de l’offre disponible sur demande. Our Perception and Navigation Team is expanding to meet new challenges!

To serve new industrial use cases ever more reliably, our humanoid robot must be able to detect multiple objects of interest and estimate their poses.

It must also be able to understand its environment in order to navigate safely and autonomously.

Our team is responsible for developing the knowledge and the codebase needed to address these challenges. We explore a range of state-of-the-art techniques, whether based on machine learning, classical computer vision, or model-based control.

The Perception and Navigation team is part of the AI & Control department and works closely with other members of this department. It also collaborates regularly with other R&D teams: embedded software, electronics, and mechanics.

Your Responsibilities May Include

• Selecting the most suitable vision/perception sensors for our needs
• Conducting literature reviews related to ongoing projects
• Presenting the latest innovations from the literature or internally developed algorithms to the team
• Developing algorithms for object detection, pose estimation, or feature recognition
• Creating a map of the environment that can be used to understand and navigate it
• Developing navigation and control algorithms for various robots, including autonomous navigation for humanoid robots and navigation assistance for exoskeletons
• Working closely with other teams to ensure the overall performance of the algorithms
• Testing on real robots and in simulation
• Traveling to customer sites (e.g., healthcare centers or factories) to ensure algorithms function properly in real-world conditions and making corrections as needed
• Automated testing, code quality, and designing verification pipelines to ensure non-regression

Preferred Experience

Qualifications :

Engineering degree or PhD in perception, navigation, machine learning, robotics, or a similar field.

Experience

We are looking for various seniority levels. Academic experience will be highly valued, particularly in relation to perception or the use of point clouds, navigation or optimal control, machine learning, etc.

Ideally, you have experience in software development (Python/C++), particularly in a team (version control tools, modularity, responding to specifications, continuous integration, etc.).

You are creative and innovative. You are comfortable in developing new things with a limited existing base and making prototypes (personal or professional robotics projects are valued).

You enjoy experimental work and adapting algorithms to the constraints of real-world environments and commercial products.

You are comfortable with general algorithmic, and in particular with linear algebra (matrix calculations), and physical modeling (reference frame changes, odometry, etc.). You are rigorous, able to proofread your work, and explain your calculations or algorithms clearly.

You are curious and have good analytical skills, enabling you to monitor technological developments effectively and learn from scientific literature or meetings at conferences.

Skills (hard And Softskills)

• Python - Expert level
• C++ - Expert level
• Vision (feature detection, mapping, SLAM) - Expert level
• Navigation (path planning, path tracking…) - Expert level
• Machine learning (data analysis, augmentation, labeling, validation) - Autonomous level
• Robotics (kinematics, odometry, real data analysis) - Autonomous level
• Linear algebra, numerical optimization - Autonomous level
• Control systems (observers, controllers) - Basic knowledge
• Continuous analysis of the state of the art in the field - Autonomous level
• Software development best practices, continuous integration, automated testing - Autonomous level

Who are they?

At Wandercraft we pioneer intelligent robotics to help people do what they can’t do.

We apply the most advanced robotics and AI to expand what’s possible for humans in the fields of healthcare and now industry.

Founded in 2012, Wandercraft is globally recognized for creating the world’s first self-balancing walking exoskeleton, Atalante X, which is used in more than 100 rehabilitation centers across four continents helping individuals with disabilities re-learn how to walk, with over a million steps taken each month.

Building on over a decade of real-world experience and a proprietary neural network trained on billions of steps, we’re bringing mobility beyond clinical settings and into the home. Our personal exoskeleton, Eve, is a first-of-its-kind device designed to assist wheelchair users in standing and walking in everyday life.

Now we’re expanding our platform to support industrial and assistive tasks with the Calvin family of humanoid robots. Built in just 40 days, Calvin-40 is designed to relieve factory workers from hazardous labor.

Future versions of Calvin will assist persons with reduced autonomy in their daily activities.

Our growth into home and industrial robotics opens new horizons while reinforcing our ability to scale innovation, improve reliability, and accelerate our impact, across our entire portfolio of products and industries.

From Paris and New York, our team of over 110 engineers, clinicians, researchers, and operators is united by one mission: to design robotics that improve human life, wherever people need them most!

We’re not just hiring people: we’re building a team of pioneers, curious minds and problem solvers who want to change the world, step by step.

Join us to shape the next generation of medical and humanoid robotics powered by AI and purpose.