Robotics Controls Engineer

The Skills Coalition; Doncaster; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering technology company is seeking a Senior Robotics Controls Engineer to develop innovative control software for humanoid robots. The role involves hands-on work with both hardware and software, requiring a strong background in robotics and a passion for advancing robotic technology. You will contribute to cutting-edge projects that impact the future of robotic systems globally, joining a collaborative team dedicated to creating the world's most capable humanoid robots.

Qualifications

• Must have a graduate degree in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 3+ years experience in controls and estimation software for high DoF robots.
• Proficient in C++ and Linux development.

Responsibilities

• Develop humanoid controls algorithms for balancing and locomotion.
• Create software for health monitoring and visualization.
• Integrate hardware and evaluate sensors.

Skills

Rigid body dynamics

Linear algebra

Numerical optimization

Optimization-based whole body control

State estimation

C++ proficiency

Modern software development practices

Education

Graduate degree in Robotics or related field

Tools

Linux development environment

C++ codebases

Job description

About The Role

Our client, a leader in developing innovative android technology, is seeking a Senior Robotics Controls Engineer. In this role, you will be responsible for developing the real-time software stack that enables their advanced hardware to manipulate and locomote through various environments efficiently and elegantly. This hands-on position involves everything from low-level motor control to whole-body dynamic control and estimation for loco-manipulation. Your goal will be to simplify the complexity of a high DoF series of sensors, actuators, transmissions, and links, allowing the humanoid robot to be controlled via high-level APIs used by teleoperation and AI engines.

Why This Job Is Exciting

• Be the first user of new hardware, playing a key role in hardware design and sensor evaluation.
• Test your controls software on over 30 humanoids operating 24/7 in-house.
• Your software will eventually run on thousands of humanoids performing tasks globally.
• Collaborate with hardware, firmware, AI, platforms, and production teams to build the world’s safest and most capable humanoid robot.
• Work with a 50+ DoF biped with hands, driven by motors designed and manufactured in-house.
• Controls Team Responsibilities:
• Develop humanoid controls algorithms for balancing, locomotion, and manipulation.
• Design efficient state estimation algorithms.
• Perform system identification and calibration of actuators, transmissions, and full-body kinematics.
• Integrate hardware and evaluate sensors.
• Develop tools for hardware bring-up and debugging.
• Create software for robot health monitoring, visualization, and logging.
• Build and maintain APIs for other parts of the software stack to command the robots.
  
  

Requirements

Must-Haves:

• Graduate degree in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 3+ years of practical experience deploying and debugging controls and estimation software on high DoF robots.
• Solid understanding of rigid body dynamics, linear algebra, and numerical optimization.
• Familiarity with optimization-based whole body control, EKF-based state estimators, or model predictive control for legged systems.
• Proficiency in working with large C++ codebases in a Linux development environment.
• Familiarity with modern software development practices, source control, and testing methodologies.
  
  

Qualities We're Looking For

• Excellent intuition for how controls software impacts robot behavior.
• Enjoy hands-on work with hardware as much as software R&D.
• Extreme care for how your software impacts tele-operation, production, deployment, and servicing in the field.
• Perseverance and attention to detail.
  
  

Nice-To-Haves

• Experience with Java, Unity/C#, Python, real-time Linux, ROS2, and DDS.
• Experience writing embedded C for interfacing with sensors or actuators.
• Familiarity with the Yocto OS build system.
• Passion for building and tinkering with robots in your spare time.