Robotics Software Engineer

Optimal; Warren (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimal is seeking a Robotics Software Engineer to lead the development of a ROS 2-based dual-arm manipulation system capable of operating with multiple grippers in a flexible automation environment.

You will own the end-to-end software lifecycle, from architecture and simulation to real-time integration with industrial robot controllers and 3D vision sensors.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Robotics, CS, SE or related field.
• Hands-on ROS 2 development experience with complex robotics apps.
• Deep knowledge of motion planning, kinematics, and planning frameworks.
• Solid background in 3D vision and point cloud processing for manipulation tasks.
• Proficiency in modern C++ and Python; familiarity with ROS 2 ecosystem.
• Experience interfacing with industrial robots and 3D vision hardware.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of a ROS 2 dual-arm control architecture.
• Define interfaces for motion planning, perception, and gripper management.
• Develop and deploy MoveIt 2-based coordination for bimanual tasks.
• Design 3D perception pipelines and fuse outputs with planning scenes.
• Write production-grade code in C++ and Python and maintain CI/CD pipelines.

Skills

ROS 2 Expertise

MoveIt 2

3D Perception

C++

Python

System Integration

Motion Planning

Education

Master's degree in Robotics, CS, SE or Electrical Engineering

Tools

MoveIt 2

ROS 2

ament/colcon/ros2_control

RealSense/ZED/Photoneo PhoXi

Job description

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Robotics Software Engineer to lead the development of a next-generation dual-arm, ROS 2-based manipulation system capable of operating with multiple grippers in a flexible automation environment.

In this role, you will be responsible for architecting and implementing a robust, scalable ROS 2 software stack that coordinates two robotic arms and enables advanced motion planning and 3D perception for complex manipulation tasks. You will own the end-to-end software lifecycle: from high-level architecture and simulation, down to real-time integration with industrial robot controllers, and 3D vision sensors.

Key Responsibilities

System Architecture (ROS 2 Dual-Arm)

• Lead the design and implementation of a ROS 2-based dual-arm control architecture (nodes, topics, services, actions, lifecycle) that supports coordinated and independent arm motions.
• Define interfaces and APIs for motion planning, perception, and gripper/tool management.

Motion Planning & Coordination

• Develop, tune, and deploy advanced motion planning and manipulation algorithms using MoveIt 2 for dual-arm coordination (bimanual tasks, handovers, collision-aware trajectories).
• Configure and maintain the kinematic models, planning scenes, and controllers for multiple robot arms and end-effectors.
• Ensure safe, efficient trajectory generation in cluttered and dynamic environments.

Perception Pipeline Integration

• Design and integrate 3D perception pipelines (point clouds, depth maps, 3D sensors such as Photoneo PhoXi, RealSense, ZED) for robust object detection, pose estimation, and scene understanding.
• Fuse perception outputs with the planning scene to enable dual-arm, multi-gripper manipulation strategies (e.g., grasp selection, re-grasping, handover).

Software Development & DevOps

• Write clean, efficient, production-quality C++ and Python code within the ROS 2 ecosystem (ament, colcon, ros2_control, MoveIt 2 plugins).
• Establish and maintain CI/CD pipelines, code reviews, unit/integration tests, and documentation for the dual-arm system.

Required Qualification:

• Master's degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• ROS 2 Expertise: Proven, hands-on experience developing complex robotics applications using ROS 2 and its core concepts (Nodes, Topics, Services, Actions, lifecycle management).
• Motion Planning: Deep understanding of kinematics, dynamics, and motion planning frameworks, with extensive hands-on experience using MoveIt 2.
• Perception: Solid background in 3D computer vision and point cloud processing (PCL, OpenCV) for robotic manipulation tasks.
• Programming Skills: Strong proficiency in modern C++ and Python.
• System Integration: Experience interfacing with industrial robots and 3D vision hardware (e.g., RealSense, ZED).