Robotics Software Engineer, Manipulation

About the role

We're looking for exceptional people who dream big, thrive on challenges, and love seeing their designs come to life. We are primarily interested in candidates who have shipped products in the fields of autonomy, robotics, consumer products, medical devices, automotive, or aerospace. We also value advanced degrees and deep expertise.

As an inaugural engineer at Persona, you will have an incredible opportunity to shape the design of Persona’s humanoid robots, while also helping set the culture of the company. If you're passionate about cutting-edge technology and want to be part of a world-class team we'd love to hear from you.

Your Role

• Design and implement advanced, dexterous manipulation algorithms for humanoid robots with high DOF and multi-fingered hands.
• Develop and optimize the manipulation pipeline, encompassing perception, grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control. Tackle complex tasks such as precise grasping, dual-arm manipulation, and in-hand object manipulation.
• Implement robust control strategies for precise and dexterous manipulation, including force/motion control and visual/tactile servoing.
• Integrate the manipulation pipeline with the humanoid robot's whole-body controller and contribute to loco-manipulation development.
• Develop digital-twins of the manipulation scenes for algorithm development. Utilize simulators such as MuJoCo and Isaac Sim.
• Conduct rigorous testing in both simulated and real-world environments.
• Work closely with the machine learning team to help train and deploy models for advanced manipulation tasks.
• Stay informed about the latest research and advancements in manipulation, leveraging both traditional methods and deep learning-based approaches.

We’re Looking For

• BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience (5+ with advanced degree) in robotics with a strong emphasis on control and manipulation of robotics/humanoid arms.
• Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization.
• Demonstrated expertise in implementing advanced manipulation algorithms for tasks such as pick-and-place, bin picking, door opening, etc.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and relevant robotics libraries (e.g., MoveIt!, Drake, OpenRAVE).
• Experience with trajectory optimization libraries (e.g., IPOPT, SNOPT, qpOASES).
• Proficiency with modern deep learning techniques for manipulation.
• Experience with computer vision algorithms, sensors, point clouds, segmentation and object detection.
• Familiar with ROS, LCM, or other middleware for robotic systems.

Preferred or Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in developing algorithms for contact modeling and force/torque estimation with a focus on tactile sensing and feedback for dexterous tasks.
• Experience with machine learning for dexterous manipulation, including learning-based grasp strategies, behavior cloning and reinforcement learning.
• Publications in top-tier robotics conferences focusing on dexterous manipulation.
• Experience in a humanoid robot startup environment.