Sr. Applied Scientist, Amazon Industrial Robotics

Amazon•N.reading, MA

About The Position

Amazon Industrial Robotics is seeking exceptional talent to help develop the next generation of advanced robotics systems that will transform automation at Amazon's scale. We're building revolutionary robotic systems that combine cutting-edge AI, sophisticated control systems, and advanced mechanical design to create adaptable automation solutions capable of working safely alongside humans in dynamic environments. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of robotics and automation at an unprecedented scale, working with world-class teams pushing the boundaries of what's possible in robotic dexterous manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction. This role presents an opportunity to shape the future of robotics through innovative applications of deep learning and large language models. At Amazon Industrial Robotics we leverage advanced robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to solve complex operational challenges at an unprecedented scale. Our fleet of robots operates across hundreds of facilities worldwide, working in sophisticated coordination to fulfill our mission of customer excellence. We are pioneering the development of robotics dexterous hands that: - Enable unprecedented generalization across diverse tasks - Are compliant but at the same time impact resistant - Can enable power grasps with the same reliability as fine dexterity and nonprehensile manipulation - Can naturally cope with the uncertainty of the environment - Leverage mechanical intelligence, multi-modal sensor feedback and advanced control techniques. The ideal candidate will contribute to research that bridges the gap between theoretical advancement and practical implementation in robotics. You will be part of a team that's revolutionizing how robots learn, adapt, and interact with their environment. Join us in building the next generation of intelligent robotics systems that will transform the future of automation and human-robot collaboration.

Requirements

PhD, or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
Experience in applied research
Experience working effectively across cross-functional teams and partnering well with people at all levels within an organization
Experience in control, learning, mechanics, software and hardware
6+ years of experience in robotic hand development and dexterous manipulation
Experience in finger actuation, under-actuation, active and passive compliance
Experience in tactile sensing
Background in real-time control, torque and impedance control, and contact-rich manipulation
Background in grasp planning
Experience in physics engines - Mujoco, Drake, Isaac Sim or similar
Experience in ROS/ROS2
Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
Experience with at least one of the following: Matlab, R, Python, Stata
Experience in MPC, RL and genetic algorithms
Experience in tendon-driven, electrical and series elastic actuators

Responsibilities

Combine mechanical principles and control with learn capacity during the robotic hand design process.
Lead to the identification of underlying dexterity patterns to develop control strategies for X-fingered robotic hands
You will reason about the envisioned hand morphology by asking engineering questions and looking for answers in biology.
You will test and implement MPC and RL based policies, but will also explore further learning capacities to increase versatility and reliability
You will be the architect of a high-quality robotic hand team, leading technical choices around HW, SW and control.
Define counter-metrics and dashboards to support continuous integration and TDD.
Push parallel paths for technologies and morphologies to boost development.
Define testing manifolds and methodologies on both, digital and physical twins, to validate performance across multiple morphologies and benchmarks.
Research: Stay current with latest developments in dexterous hands and manipulation, assist in literature reviews and research documentation, prepare technical reports and presentations, and contribute to research discussions and brainstorming sessions.
Collaboration: Work closely with senior scientists, engineers, and leaders across multiple teams, participate in knowledge sharing, support integration efforts with robotics hardware teams, and help document best practices and methodologies.