Senior Low Level Control Engineer - End-Effectors

Secure Consult; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Secure Consult in London, UK is seeking a Senior Low Level Control Engineer to contribute to end-effectors development for humanoid robots in industrial settings. You will design, implement and validate low-level control systems and grasp behaviors.

Work with mechanical and hardware teams, tune control loops (PID, feedforward, impedance), integrate sensing, ensure real-time safety, and ship C++ code for hardware. On-site role.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and validating low-level control systems for end-effectors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and tune actuator- and joint-level control loops for multi-DoF end-effectors in ROS2.

Skills

ROS2

C++

Real-time control

Control theory

RTOS

Sensor integration

URDF/Xacro

BLDC motor control

Fieldbus: EtherCAT/CAN

Tools

EtherCAT

CAN bus

RTOS

Real-time Linux

Job description

Engineering - Autonomy and Controls LIVE ROLE

Senior Low Level Control Engineer - End-Effectors

London, UK On-site, Full time SC-C22897FFC9C2B24D12E8

The opportunity

Join a team focused on developing advanced humanoid robots in industrial settings. This role involves designing, implementing, and validating low-level control systems and grasp behaviors for diverse end-effectors with complex actuation and transmission mechanisms. Collaborate closely with mechanical and hardware engineers to influence design decisions early in the development cycle.

What you could work on

• Develop and tune actuator- and joint-level control loops (PID, feedforward, impedance/admittance, observers) for multi-DoF end-effectors in ROS2.
• Create grasp-level behaviors including compliant closing, slip detection, and adaptive grasping for underactuated grippers.
• Implement safety and fault-handling mechanisms such as thermal protection, stall detection, and grip-loss management.
• Model and identify dynamics of transmissions including geared, cable-driven, differential, coupled, and underactuated mechanisms.
• Collaborate in transmission design to optimize actuation routing, reduction ratios, and DoF coupling.
• Integrate and calibrate sensing systems like force/torque, tactile, encoders, and vacuum feedback in real-time.
• Perform hands-on testing, debugging, and calibration of new end-effector hardware and components.
• Experience shipping real-time-safe object-oriented C++ control software for physical hardware.
• Skilled in tuning and validating control systems on physical actuators including sensor calibration.
• Proven work with mechanical transmissions featuring gearing, cables, differentials, coupled and underactuated linkages.
• Background with end-effectors or equivalent multi-DoF mechanisms involving grasp control and sensing.
• Knowledge of debugging at fieldbus and OS levels, e.g., EtherCAT or CAN on RTOS or real-time Linux.
• Strong foundation in control theory applied to multi-DoF mechanisms using Jacobians, IK/FK, and URDF/Xacro.
• Preferred experience with BLDC motor control and ROS2 control internals.
• Familiarity with tendon/cable-driven systems, tactile sensing integration, and system identification tools.

Security vetting

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Working arrangements

London, UK, On-site, Full time. Confirm employment terms and any clearance requirements with your consultant.

C++ Control Systems Robotics ROS2 Embedded Systems Mechanism Design Real-time Software Sensor Integration