Firmware Engineer - Actuation
Apptronik · Austin, United States · 2mo ago
Apptronik 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.
We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. 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.
JOB SUMMARY
We are seeking a Firmware Engineer to help develop actuation and motor control firmware for humanoid robots. You will collaborate with our existing actuation firmware team to design, implement, optimize, and test brushless motor control firmware, real-time current and torque control loops, and the embedded systems that bring our actuators to life. You will contribute to system identification, controller tuning, and hard real-time performance optimization across a fleet of actuators deployed in production humanoids. You will support hardware bring-up, contribute to HIL and SIL test strategies for actuation, and help own firmware quality and reliability as we scale from prototypes to fleets of hundreds and thousands of devices in the field. 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.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Collaborate with controls, systems, electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to architect the next generation of humanoid actuators.
- Collaborate with the actuation firmware team to develop, deploy, and maintain motor control firmware, including field-oriented control (FOC), current controllers, and torque control for BLDC and other brushless motor topologies.
- 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.
- Help drive firmware quality, reliability, and field performance for fleets of hundreds to thousands of actuators deployed in production humanoid robots, including telemetry, diagnostics, and root-cause analysis of field failures.
- 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 AND REQUIREMENTS
- 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 skills using tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics (Altium Designer preferred) and hardware datasheets.
- Experience with embedded communication protocols such as SPI, UART, RS485, and CAN.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills, with a desire to grow technical leadership within a team setting.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
- Experience with humanoid robotics, industrial robotics, or other high-performance servo applications.
- Strong fundamentals in classical and modern control theory, with hands-on experience in system identification and controller tuning for production motor drives.
- Experience developing in C and C++ for TI C2000 microcontrollers.
- Familiarity with safety-critical embedded system design standards, including MISRA C and ISO 26262.
- Experience with model-based design tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink) for control design and code generation.
- Experience with encoder and current sensing front ends, and gate driver ICs (e.g., DRV8353).
- Contributions to firmware tooling, build systems, or developer infrastructure.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- 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
*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.