Principal AI Engineer - Electrical / Embedded, AI.DA STC

Principal AI Engineer - Electrical / Embedded, AI.DA STC

Job Overview

We seek a talented Robotics Engineer specializing in Electrical and Embedded Systems to design, develop, and implement low-power, high-performance hardware and firmware for cutting-edge autonomous robotic platforms. In this role, you will create robust, integrated electrical solutions, focusing on advanced electronic design, sensor integration, power optimization, and embedded computing. You will ensure our platforms are reliable and efficient, capable of supporting sophisticated perception, control, and potentially AI algorithms on edge devices, with a focus on aerial applications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop low-power electrical architectures, including power distribution and management systems, for autonomous robotic platforms (especially battery-powered/aerial).
• Design, layout, fabricate, and test custom PCBs for sensor integration, power management, motor control, and embedded processing.
• Select, integrate, and interface various sensors (e.g., IMUs, LiDAR, cameras, GPS, encoders) at the hardware level, ensuring signal integrity.
• Develop and test embedded software/firmware (C/C++) for microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex-M, ESP32) and potentially SoCs for real-time control, sensor data acquisition, and communication.
• Implement and manage communication interfaces and protocols (e.g., I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, Ethernet, Wi-Fi).
• Work with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and/or embedded Linux environments.
• Integrate and test embedded systems with flight control systems (e.g., PX4) at the hardware and firmware level.
• Investigate and potentially implement firmware optimizations for edge AI tasks on resource-constrained hardware (MCUs, potentially NPUs/embedded GPUs).
• Conduct validation and performance testing (including flight tests) focusing on electrical robustness, power efficiency, signal integrity, and embedded system performance.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, control, software, and AI engineers to ensure seamless hardware/firmware integration.
• Create and maintain thorough technical documentation (schematics, PCB layouts, firmware specifications, test plans/reports).

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in robotics hardware, electrical, or embedded systems design and development, or equivalent academic R&D experience.
• Proficiency in C/C++ programming for embedded platforms.
• Strong hands-on experience with PCB design tools (e.g., Altium, KiCad, Eagle), circuit design, simulation (e.g., SPICE), and board bring-up/debugging.
• Solid understanding of microcontroller architectures, embedded systems design, digital and analog electronics, and communication protocols.
• Experience with sensor integration and signal conditioning.
• Experience with RTOS and/or embedded Linux.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• Experience designing energy-efficient systems and advanced power management techniques, especially for aerial platforms.
• Experience integrating hardware accelerators (e.g., NPUs, embedded GPUs, FPGAs) at the hardware/firmware level.
• Familiarity with deploying optimized AI models (e.g., using TensorFlow Lite, ONNX Runtime, TensorRT) on embedded targets.
• Experience with flight control systems (e.g., PX4) hardware/firmware integration.
• Familiarity with relevant robotics safety standards (e.g., ISO 10218, ISO 13849) and functional safety concepts (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508).
• Experience with high-speed digital design or RF design.
• Demonstrated ability to prototype, deploy, and iterate on electrical/embedded solutions in field environments.
• Experience with ROS/ROS2 interaction at the embedded level.
• A strong research record or portfolio in embedded systems, robotics hardware, or real-time processing.