Staff Perception Hardware Engineer

Apptronik•Austin, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

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 embodied 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.

Requirements

Master or Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 8+ years of hands-on experience integrating and shipping complex vision hardware systems for robotics, autonomous vehicles, or advanced AR/VR platforms.
A proven track record of taking complex perception hardware—including custom-defined sensor modules—from the breadboard phase all the way through DVT and into mass production.
Proven experience working directly with optical vendors, CMOS manufacturers, and CMs to define, build, and test custom camera or sensor modules.
Expert-level proficiency with high-end lab equipment (high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, TDRs).
Deep practical understanding of CMOS sensor tuning, optical lens artifacts (flare, ghosting, distortion), and how to physically mitigate them within tight mechanical enclosures.
Mastery of the linear algebra and 3D geometry underlying multi-camera arrays, stereo baselines, and visual-inertial sensor fusion, with the ability to write scripts (Python/C++) to validate these models on real hardware.
Exceptional ability to lead technical initiatives and align cross-functional stakeholders (Software, ID, and ME) without direct reporting authority, using empirical data from the lab to drive decisions.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where "perfect" is the enemy of "shipped," knowing exactly when a design is robust enough for the real world.

Nice To Haves

You have a "sixth sense" for tracking down ground loops, EMI noise, and intermittent signal integrity issues.

Responsibilities

Lead the physical integration of the robot’s visual perception stack.
Drive the transition from prototype designs to fully validated, production-ready camera assemblies, ensuring all FOV, thermal, and mechanical stability targets are met on the physical hardware.
Define the electrical, optical, and mechanical specifications for custom sensor modules when off-the-shelf components fall short.
Drive external optical vendors and contract manufacturers (CMs) through the build process, ensuring strict adherence to Apptronik’s standards.
Architect and own the comprehensive bring-up, DVT (Design Verification Testing), and End-of-Line (EOL) test plans for all custom-built sensor modules, ensuring they are rigorously validated before they ever integrate into the humanoid platform.
Take ownership of the image quality (IQ) on the actual robot.
Perform deep, hands-on ISP tuning (auto-exposure, white balance, tone mapping) in real-world environments to ensure the camera data satisfies both the strict requirements of machine learning models and the low-latency needs of human teleoperators.
Lead the electrical bring-up and validation of the multi-gigabit video backbone (e.g., GMSL2/3, FPD-Link).
Serve as the ultimate escalation point for complex, system-level EMI/EMC debugging, using high-speed oscilloscopes and analyzers to track down frame drops and signal integrity issues across dynamic robot joints.
Implement and rigorously measure the hardware-level synchronization across cameras, LiDAR, and IMUs.
Prove out sub-microsecond timing accuracy on the physical robot using oscilloscopes and custom test fixtures to guarantee pristine data for visual-inertial odometry (VIO).
Design, build, and deploy the physical calibration fixtures and algorithms used to align the optical system.
Troubleshoot and resolve complex intrinsic/extrinsic drift issues, ensuring the calibration process scales reliably from the R&D lab to the factory floor.
Act as the technical adjudicator in the lab between Industrial Design (ID), Mechanical, and Thermal teams.
Drive physical testing and prototyping to resolve conflicts between Apollo's iconic A-surface aesthetics, sensor FOV constraints, and thermal dissipation needs.
Lead complex, cross-functional problem-solving efforts to resolve critical "line-down" or "launch-blocking" hardware bugs.
Mentor senior and junior engineers in the lab, establishing a culture of rigorous physical testing and root-cause analysis.