The Opportunity: Expert Research Scientist on Polyfunctional Robot Embedded Systems
Are you a visionary embedded systems engineer and researcher with a passion for bringing intelligent, real-time control to life in advanced robotics? Do you thrive on optimizing the brain and nervous system of complex robotic platforms, ensuring precision, responsiveness, and robust operation in challenging industrial environments?
We are seeking an outstanding and highly innovative Expert Research Scientist on Polyfunctional Robot Embedded Systems to join our core research team. In this pivotal role, you will be instrumental in the research, design, development, and integration of the embedded hardware and software that enable our next generation polyfunctional robots to perceive, decide, and act with unparalleled accuracy and reliability in industrial settings. This is about architecting the real-time control, sensing, and communication infrastructure that empowers our robots to achieve their full potential.
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What You Will Do:
- Architect & Design Embedded Systems: Lead the research, conceptualization, and detailed design of robust, high-performance embedded hardware and software architectures for polyfunctional robots, including real-time control units, sensor fusion platforms, and communication networks.
- Real-time Control Software Development: Develop, implement, and optimize real-time operating system (RTOS) based software for critical robot functions, such as motor control, sensor data acquisition, state estimation, and low-level motion planning, ensuring deterministic performance and low latency.
- Sensor Integration & Processing: Design and implement drivers and processing pipelines for a wide array of robotic sensors (e.g., IMUs, encoders, force/torque sensors, LiDAR, cameras), focusing on deterministic performance and low latency.
- Communication Protocols & Network Design: Design, implement, and optimize communication protocols (e.g., EtherCAT, CAN, high-speed Ethernet) for reliable and low-latency data exchange between embedded systems and other robot subsystems.
- Functional Safety & Cybersecurity: Incorporate functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 13849, IEC 61508) and cybersecurity best practices into embedded system designs to ensure robust and secure robot operation.
- Hardware-Software Co-Design & Optimization: Engage in hardware-software co-design, optimizing embedded systems for performance, power efficiency, and cost, including selection of microcontrollers, FPGAs, and other embedded components.
- Debugging & Validation: Develop and utilize advanced debugging, testing, and validation strategies for embedded hardware and software, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and fault injection.
- Collaboration & Documentation:
o Work closely with Control Engineers to implement real-time control algorithms and provide critical timing and performance feedback.
o Collaborate with Mechatronics System Engineers for hardware interfacing, power management, and thermal considerations.
o Partner with Perception & AI Researchers to ensure efficient execution of their algorithms on embedded platforms.
o Interface with System Integration Engineers for seamless integration, testing, and validation of embedded systems.
o Document designs, code, and test results.
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What You Bring:
- Education: Master or Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field with a strong focus on embedded systems.
- Research & Development Experience: Proven track record of significant research, design, and development contributions in complex embedded systems for robotic platforms, industrial automation, or other real-time critical applications.
- Core Technical Expertise:
o Control Fundamentals: Solid understanding of control theory and its implementation in embedded systems for motor control (1 kHz or higher) and sensor fusion.
o Embedded Software: Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems, experience with various microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex-R/M, RISC-V) and DSPs.
o Real-time Operating Systems (RTOS): Deep experience with RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks, QNX) and developing deterministic, low-latency applications.
o Embedded Hardware: Strong understanding of embedded hardware design principles, including custom PCB design, component selection, power management, and debugging tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
o Digital Signal Processing (DSP): Experience with implementing DSP algorithms for sensor data filtering, motor control, or signal analysis on embedded platforms.
o Communication Protocols: Hands-on experience with industrial and embedded communication protocols (e.g., EtherCAT, CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet).
o Safety & Reliability: Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing safety interlocks, fault detection, and robust error handling mechanisms in embedded systems.
- Problem-Solving: Exceptional analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex hardware-software interaction issues in real-time.
- Hands-on Skills: Demonstrated ability to bring up new hardware, debug complex embedded systems, and optimize code for performance and reliability on physical robotic platforms.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of presenting complex technical concepts clearly and collaborating effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment.
- Passion: A deep passion for embedded systems, real-time control, and pushing the computational and sensing capabilities of polyfunctional robots.
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Bonus Points If You Have:
- Experience with functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 13849, IEC 61508) and safety-critical embedded system design.
- Knowledge of power management and battery systems for mobile robotics
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Why Join Us?
- Impact: Be a foundational contributor to the physical realization of cutting-edge polyfunctional robots that will redefine industries and human-robot interaction.
- Innovation: Work on truly novel problems at the forefront of mechatronics, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
- Resources: Access to state-of-the-art design tools, fabrication facilities, advanced test equipment, and a dedicated team of experts.
- Culture: A collaborative, intellectually stimulating, and supportive environment where your ideas are valued and encouraged.
- Growth: Opportunities for professional development, continuous learning, and career advancement in a rapidly evolving and high-impact field.
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Ready to engineer the intelligent core of polyfunctional robotics?
If you are a pioneering embedded systems engineer and researcher eager to make a profound impact on the capabilities and intelligence of advanced robotic systems, we encourage you to apply! Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your research interests and relevant experience, and links to your portfolio or publications.
