Principal Research Engineer (Manipulation) - Python
At RightHand Robotics, we have a rapidly growing and highly capable engineering team building robotic piece-picking solutions and deploying them around the globe. Our product has to be reliable enough to run non-stop on production fleets of robots in the world’s largest warehouses. If you’re simultaneously excited and a bit terrified about what this could mean for you, good! If working hands-on with robots on a daily basis intrigues you, read on!
Our Research and Development (R&D) team -- which is an interdisciplinary group responsible for all motion planning, computer vision, and AI product features -- is seeking a principal-level research engineer to develop and maintain our motion planning system. You will take ownership of our core path planning system, with the goal of continuing to improve our industry-leading pick performance in a variety of customer workflows by optimizing path planning for rapid plan execution, as well as developing new algorithms to meet our ever-expanding customer needs. This provides an opportunity to have a major impact on our product by contributing software that regularly ships to all of our customers.
You will:
- Design, develop and maintain our core motion planning system
- Optimize RightHand’s path planning algorithms to continue improving our pick rate
- Work directly with our robots at RHR headquarters to prototype and validate algorithms
You have:
- A Ph.D. in robotics or a closely-related discipline with a minimum of 7 years professional experience (or a Master’s degree with a minimum of 10 years professional experience)
- 5+ years production-grade software engineering experience with a focus on robotic motion planning
- Experience implementing high-speed / real-time algorithms in Python, specifically with respect to kinematic motion planning
- Familiarity with classical and contemporary motion planning approaches, such as optimization-based planners, sampling-based planners, partially-observable Markov decision processes, and deep reinforcement learning
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
It would be great if you have:
- Previous experience in motion planning for manipulation
- Proficiency in production-grade C++ software development
- Expertise in numerical optimization algorithms used in planning
The role is perfect for you if:
- You love working on robotic planning problems that are currently unsolved, and thrive in fast-paced environments with individuals constantly focused on product improvement
- You know the differences between the filtering and nonlinear optimization approaches to SLAM algorithms, but are tired of working on vacuums
- You are a great fit for an autonomous car company, but know there’s no way that will be fielded anytime soon in Boston
Our perks include:
- Flexible vacation
- Generous premium coverage for medical and dental plans
- Robots, galore!
RightHand Robotics (RHR) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We have an ongoing commitment to the creation of a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. RHR recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals in all job titles without regard to race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, height, weight, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law. At RHR, we are committed to a fair and equitable workplace where everyone is a respected and a valued member of the team.