Firmware Engineer - Actuation

Job summary

App*** is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience; Master's degree with a focus on controls or motor drives is especially valued.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant industry experience developing production-grade embedded software, with experience contributing to firmware systems from concept through deployment.
• Proficiency in C/C++; working knowledge of Python, Docker, and Git.
• Experience developing motor control firmware for BLDC or other brushless motors, including field-oriented control (FOC), current control, and torque control.
• Hands-on experience developing hard real-time embedded firmware in production environments.
• Experience deploying firmware to devices in the field, including exposure to telemetry, diagnostics, and field reliability.
• Experience with EtherCAT for real-time motor control communications.
• Strong hardware debugging
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate

Responsibilities

• You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.
• You will contribute to system identification, controller tuning, and hard real-time performance optimization across a fleet of actuators deployed in production humanoids.
• As you grow on the team, you will participate in code and design reviews and contribute to the architectural direction of our actuation stack alongside your peers.
• or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Collaborate with controls, systems, electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to architect the next generation of humanoid actuators.
• Contribute to system identification, plant modeling, and controller tuning for production actuators, ensuring consistent performance across units, temperature, and load conditions.
• Help shape and execute the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing strategy to validate actuation performance, safety, and reliability at scale.
• Design and implement fault detection, fault injection, and recovery mechanisms for safety-critical motor control systems.
• Work with cross-functional engineering teams to bring up actuation hardware from prototype through production.
• Participate in code reviews, design reviews, and pair debugging; help raise the bar for firmware quality across the team.
• Contribute to technical decision-making on tooling, processes, and architectural patterns that scale with the team and product.

Skills

Degrees

Industry

Contract length