Perception Engineer

Lightspeed; Northbrook (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

LightSpeed Build Technologies seeks a Perception Engineer to own the robot vision stack, calibrate multi-camera systems, and integrate perception with ROS2-based control. You will develop 3D vision, object detection, and pose estimation for on-site manipulation in real-world environments.

Ideal candidates bring 3+ years in robotic perception, Python/C++, and deep learning with PyTorch, plus experience with CUDA and tensorRT for real-time inference.

Qualifications

• 3+ years building and deploying perception systems on real robots or real-time systems.
• Hands-on experience calibrating multi-camera setups (intrinsic/extrinsic/hand-eye) and sensor synchronization.
• Experience with RGB-D and stereo cameras in real deployments.
• Strong fundamentals in camera geometry and 3D reconstruction.
• Deep learning experience with detection/segmentation/pose estimation (PyTorch).

Responsibilities

• Design, calibrate, and deploy multi-camera systems on robot cells and tooling.
• Develop perception to guide manipulation and verify kinematics via vision.
• Localize robots and tools using fiducials and multi-view fusion.
• Build 3D object detection, segmentation, and 6-DoF pose estimation.
• Create point cloud pipelines for manipulation and scene understanding.
• Profile and optimize latency from sensor input to action.

Skills

Perception

Robot vision

Python

C++

PyTorch

Camera calibration

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Vision / Robotics

Tools

ROS2

OpenCV

PCL

CUDA

TensorRT

Job description

About LightSpeed

LightSpeed Build Technologies is revolutionizing the construction industry through AI-powered robotics. Our flagship systems - BRUTE for automated wall panel manufacturing and DEX for on-site collaborative construction - are addressing the global housing crisis by delivering unprecedented speed, precision, and affordability in homebuilding.

Position Overview

As a Perception Engineer, you will own how LightSpeed's robots see. You will design, calibrate, and deploy the multi-camera systems on our robot cells and end-of-arm tooling, and build the perception that guides manipulation in real time. Your camera streams also feed our teleoperation and robot learning pipelines, so the quality of what you build directly shapes how well our robots learn. This role sits at the intersection of sensor hardware, 3D vision, and deep learning, all deployed on physical robots where reliability matters.

What you'll work on

Camera & Sensor Systems

• Select, specify, and deploy multi-camera systems (RGB, stereo, depth) for robot cells, including wrist- and tool-mounted cameras on end-of-arm tooling and dexterous hands

• Own intrinsic, extrinsic, and hand-eye calibration, and keep calibration reliable across tool changes and daily operation

• Synchronize cameras with robot state and teleoperation streams

• Work with mechanical engineers on camera placement for coverage, occlusion, and lighting

Perception Development

• Estimate and track robot and end-effector pose using vision systems to verify kinematics and identify drift

• Compare 3D scans against CAD or BIM models to check part placement and as-built accuracy

• Localize robots and tools in the workspace using fiducials (AprilTag or ChArUco) and multi-view fusion

• Build object detection, segmentation, and 6-DoF pose estimation for parts, fasteners, and tools in cluttered, confined, and poorly lit workspaces

• Build point cloud pipelines (filtering, segmentation, registration such as ICP, and meshing) for manipulation and scene understanding

• Track hands and objects in egocentric video of human demonstrations

• Build CUDA-optimized perception pipelines: GPU preprocessing, custom CUDA kernels where needed, TensorRT inference, and minimal host-device copies

• Profile and optimize end-to-end latency, from photon to action, using tools like Nsight Systems

Data & Robot Learning Support

• Deliver calibrated, time-synchronized camera data in the formats our teleoperation recording and training pipelines consume

• Partner with AI/ML engineers to define observation spaces for imitation learning and vision-language-action policies

• Set perception accuracy targets tied to task success, and build benchmarks to measure them

Integration & Deployment

• Integrate perception with ROS2-based robot control

• Harden systems for real-world conditions: lighting changes, reflective surfaces, occlusion, and vibration

• Collaborate closely with robotics, mechanical, and controls engineers

Required Qualifications

Perception Expertise

• 3+ years building and deploying perception systems on physical robots or real-time systems

• Hands-on experience calibrating multi-camera systems (intrinsic, extrinsic, hand-eye) and synchronizing sensors

• Experience with RGB-D and stereo cameras in real deployments

• Strong computer vision fundamentals: camera geometry, multi-view geometry, and 3D reconstruction

• Deep learning experience with detection, segmentation, or pose estimation using PyTorch

Software Engineering

• Strong Python and C++

• Experience with OpenCV and point cloud libraries such as Open3D or PCL

• Experience with ROS or ROS2

• Proficiency with Linux, Docker, Git, and CI/CD workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Computer Vision, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field

• Perception for robotic manipulation, especially dexterous or tool-based manipulation

• Experience with hardware video encoding (NVENC, Jetson Multimedia API), GStreamer, or WebRTC

• Experience with NVIDIA Isaac ROS / NITROS, VPI, or CV-CUDA

• Experience with point cloud registration and scan-to-CAD/BIM comparison

• Experience with vision foundation models (for example SAM, DINOv2, FoundationPose)

• Experience with egocentric video or hand pose estimation

• Experience producing sensor data for robot learning datasets (e.g., rosbag or MCAP)

• Edge deployment on NVIDIA Jetson with TensorRT

• Simulation and synthetic data generation with Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, or similar

• Background in manufacturing, industrial automation, or construction technology

Why Join LightSpeed

• Build the eyes of robots that are addressing the housing crisis

• Own the full perception stack, from sensor selection to deployed models

• Work on rare real-world challenges: confined-space manipulation, dexterous hands, learning from human demonstration

• Hands-on culture with direct access to robots, sensors, and manufacturing environments

• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits

Employment Relationship

This position is at-will, meaning either you or the Company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice.

Equal Opportunity

LightSpeed Build Technologies is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences.