Job Details

You'll work directly with our CTO to build robotics systems that scale from pilot deployments to coordinated fleets of humanoids and delivery bots operating across retail environments nationwide.Description Location : Bay AreaAbout Autolane Autolane is on a mission to revolutionize last-mile logistics by empowering autonomous vehicle owners to unlock the value of their vehicle. Our flagship product is the industry's first orchestration layer for autonomous deliveries—coordinating heterogeneous autonomous systems (AVs, humanoid robots, delivery bots) to achieve zero-wait handoffs and maximum fleet utilization. We integrate directly with retailers, commercial real-estate operators, and AV fleets, building the robotics infrastructure that enables autonomy at scale.The Role As Robotics Lead at Autolane, you'll architect and build the multi-robot systems that execute autonomous last-mile logistics. Starting with Unitree G1 humanoid integration for order loading and expanding to PUDU delivery bot coordination, you'll design the motion planning, manipulation, and multi-robot orchestration systems that bridge the gap between AI decision-making and physical execution.You'll work directly with our CTO to build robotics systems that scale from pilot deployments to coordinated fleets of humanoids and delivery bots operating across retail environments nationwide.Core Responsibilities Humanoid Robot Integration (Unitree G1) Motion Planning: Design and implement manipulation pipelines for order loading—grasp planning, trajectory optimization, and collision avoidanceLocomotion Control: Develop robust walking and navigation for retail environments including curbs, ramps, and dynamic obstaclesTask Choreography: Build loading sequences coordinating G1 movements with vehicle trunk access, order verification, and secure placementSensor Integration: Fuse RGB-D cameras, force/torque sensors, and proprioceptive feedback for adaptive manipulationSafety Systems: Implement human-aware motion planning and emergency stop behaviors for shared spacesMulti-Robot Coordination Fleet Architecture: Design distributed coordination systems for heterogeneous robot types (G1 humanoids, PUDU bots, future platforms)Task Allocation: Build real-time task assignment integrating with the AI/ML orchestration layer's MARL policiesSpatial Deconfliction: Implement multi-robot path planning preventing collisions and deadlocks in shared operating zonesHandoff Protocols: Design robot-to-vehicle and robot-to-robot transfer sequences with verification and fallback behaviorsState Synchronization: Maintain consistent world models across distributed robot systemsROS2 Platform Development System Architecture: Design modular ROS2 architecture with clean separation between perception, planning, and controlNavigation Stack: Customize Nav2 for retail environments—dynamic costmaps, behavior trees, and recovery behaviorsMoveIt2 Integration: Configure manipulation pipelines for G1 arm control with custom kinematics and planning pluginsmicro-ROS Bridge: Architect communication between ROS2 nodes and embedded edge sensorsDDS Optimization: Tune middleware for low-latency, high-reliability messaging in production deploymentsSimulation & Testing Infrastructure Digital Twins: Build high-fidelity simulation environments in Isaac Sim for G1 and delivery bot developmentPhysics Validation: Ensure sim-to-real transfer for manipulation, locomotion, and contact dynamicsScenario Testing: Design automated test suites covering nominal operations and edge casesHardware-in-the-Loop: Integrate real robot subsystems with simulated environments for incremental validationContinuous Integration: Build CI/CD pipelines for robotics code with simulation-based regression testingProduction Robotics Systems Reliability Engineering: Design for 99.9% uptime in outdoor retail environmentsRemote Operations: Build teleoperation fallbacks and remote monitoring dashboardsDiagnostics & Logging: Implement comprehensive observability for field debugging and performance analysisOTA Updates: Architect safe over-the-air deployment for robot software across distributed fleetsFleet Management: Build tooling for robot provisioning, configuration, and health monitoringRequired Qualifications Technical Foundation 5+ years robotics engineering with production deployment experienceExpert proficiency in C++ and Python for robotics systemsDeep expertise with ROS2 architecture, lifecycle management, and production deploymentStrong foundation in motion planning algorithms (sampling-based, optimization-based, learning-based)Hands-on experience with manipulation systems—grasp planning, trajectory optimization, force controlProven ability to take robots from prototype to reliable production operationCore Robotics Competencies Proven experience with mobile robot navigation—SLAM, localization, path planningWorking knowledge of robot kinematics, dynamics, and control theoryStrong foundation in sensor fusion and state estimation (EKF, particle filters, factor graphs)Ability to design and debug complex real-time systems with deterministic timing requirementsProduction & Infrastructure Skills Experience building robotics CI/CD pipelines with simulation-based testingStrong understanding of ROS2 middleware, DDS configuration, and network optimizationKnowledge of containerization (Docker) and deployment orchestration for robot fleetsProven ability to build observable, debuggable robotics systems in production environmentsAI Development Fluency Active daily use of AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) for robotics developmentDemonstrated ability to leverage LLMs for rapid prototyping, debugging, and documentationExperience using AI tools for test generation and code reviewPreferred Qualifications Advanced Robotics Experience Humanoid robots (Unitree, Boston Dynamics, Agility) or complex manipulation platformsLegged locomotion control and whole-body motion planningDexterous manipulation with multi-fingered hands or adaptive grippersBehavior trees for complex task sequencing and error recoveryContact-rich manipulation and force-controlled assembly tasksHuman-robot interaction in shared workspacesPlatform Experience Unitree SDK and G1-specific developmentPUDU or similar delivery bot platformsMoveIt2 advanced configuration and custom plugin developmentNav2 customization for complex environmentsIsaac Sim or Gazebo for physics-based simulationFoxglove or custom visualization for robot debuggingDomain Experience Logistics or warehouse robotics deploymentsRetail or hospitality robot operationsMulti-robot systems at scale (10+ robots)Outdoor robotics with environmental challengesFleet management and remote operationsPublications in top robotics venues (ICRA, IROS, RSS, CoRL)Experience translating research into production systemsOpen-source contributions to ROS2, MoveIt2, Nav2, or simulation toolsFamiliarity with latest advances in foundation models for robotics and manipulationAt Autolane, we're building the physical execution layer for autonomous logistics—combining cutting-edge robotics with AI to create systems that act intelligently in the real world:Rapid Prototyping: Move from simulation to real-robot validation in days with hardware arriving continuouslyAI-Augmented Development: Use LLMs to accelerate ROS2 development, behavior design, and debuggingReal-World Impact: Your robots will execute actual autonomous deliveries in production environmentsCross-Functional Innovation: Collaborate with ML engineers, embedded systems, and operations teamsResearch-to-Production: Bridge the gap between academic robotics and deployed systemsWhy Join Our Robotics Team? Cutting-Edge Hardware: Work with Unitree G1 humanoids, delivery bots, and next-gen platforms as they arriveDirect Impact: Your systems will physically execute millions of autonomous deliveriesTechnical Leadership: Work directly with CTO and Head of R&D on architectural decisionsGrowth Trajectory: Build the robotics foundation as we scale from pilots to nationwide deploymentInnovation Freedom: Experiment with novel manipulation strategies, locomotion approaches, and coordination algorithmsMission-Critical Work: Build the robotics systems that make autonomous logistics physically possibleLocation: Portland strongly preferred for hardware lab access; exceptional remote candidates consideredHardware Lab: Access to Unitree G1, PUDU bots, motion capture, and prototyping equipmentCompute Resources: GPU workstations for simulation, GCP infrastructure for fleet systemsField Testing: Regular deployment to pilot sites (Stanford Shopping Center, Barton Creek Mall)Collaboration: Direct partnership with CTO on architecture decisionsPace: Fast-moving startup environment where shipping working robots mattersInterview Process Note: Be prepared to:Walk through robotics systems you've designed and deployed to productionDemonstrate your AI-augmented development workflow for ROS2 and simulationDiscuss trade-offs in motion planning approaches (when to use sampling vs optimization vs learning)Show examples of designing manipulation pipelines and grasp strategiesExplain how you'd approach coordinating humanoids and delivery bots for order handoffsShowing working robot demos or production deploymentsMetrics from deployed robotics systems (uptime, task success rate, cycle time)Experience with humanoids or complex manipulation platformsCreative solutions to sim-to-real transfer, contact dynamics, or outdoor operation challengesROS2 packages or open-source contributionsReal-world deployments involving multi-robot coordination or logistics#J-18808-Ljbffr