ATDev · 8 hours ago
Principal Robotics Software Research Engineer
Nashville Metro
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff
10+ years expATDev is creating an ecosystem of mobility devices to enable independence for the elderly and disabled. They are seeking a Principal Robotics Software Research Engineer to serve as the technical architect and research leader for their robotics software stack, responsible for defining software architecture and guiding the technical execution of learning-enabled robotic systems.
Assistive TechnologyInformation TechnologyMedical Device
Hiring Manager
William Emfinger
Responsibilities
Define and own the software architecture for:
ATDev’s commercial robotic mobility and manipulation products, their software and associated services
ATOS (distributed, safety-critical robotics middleware)
RAMMS (high-fidelity simulation, digital twin, and HIL platform)
Establish architectural principles for:
Real-time and mixed-criticality systems
Fault isolation and safety
Simulation-to-real transfer
Scalable autonomy and learning pipelines
Ensure architectural consistency across embedded devices, edge computers, cloud services, and mobile applications
Propose, define, and lead software-centric robotics research and development programs, including:
Learning-enabled mobility and manipulation
Shared autonomy and user intent modeling
Perception, sensor fusion, and multimodal learning
Simulation-driven learning and evaluation
Act as technical PI or co-PI on internal and external research efforts (e.g., government-funded programs, academic collaborations)
Break high-level research and product-development goals into coherent technical roadmaps executed by Senior and Staff engineering leads
Ensure research outputs are measurable, testable, and aligned with real-world deployment
Personally conduct advanced research and development in areas of strategic importance
Implement and validate algorithms derived from research literature, including:
Modern robot learning approaches
Perception and computer vision pipelines
Planning, coordination, and control systems
Lead complex investigations where architectural decisions, algorithmic tradeoffs, and safety considerations intersect
Oversee the integration of learning-based systems into RAMMS for evaluation, benchmarking, and data generation
Define evaluation frameworks and metrics for autonomy, safety, performance, and usability
Guide translation of simulation-validated systems into real-world robotic hardware
Ensure feedback loops between simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and deployed systems
Provide technical direction and mentorship to Senior and Staff Robotics Software Engineers
Review system designs, research plans, and critical implementations
Establish best practices for research software quality, testing, documentation, and reproducibility
Serve as a key technical advisor to leadership on feasibility, risk, and long-term strategy
Collaborate with academic partners (CMU, Pitt, NEU, Cornell, Purdue, Vanderbilt), industry partners (Nvidia, AWS, Kinova, LUCI), and internal teams at ATDev
Communicate system behaviors, research findings, and technical insights to engineers, scientists, leadership, and stakeholders
Qualification
Required
PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field
10+ years of experience in robotics software, research, or advanced engineering roles
Prior experience acting as Principal Investigator (PI) or technical lead on software-centric projects
Demonstrated expertise across real-time and embedded systems
Demonstrated expertise across robotics (mobility and/or manipulation)
Demonstrated expertise across computer vision and perception
Demonstrated expertise across machine learning and learning-based control
Demonstrated expertise across large-scale software architecture
Expert-level proficiency in: C / C++, Python
Strong track record of translating research into working systems (not just publications). This should include successful product launches, ideally in regulated industries such as medical devices
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
Organized, self-directed, and comfortable driving research and development with minimal oversight
Collaborative and empathetic - excited to build technologies that materially improve quality of life for people with disabilities
Thrives in dynamic, exploratory, fast-paced research environments
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Real-time embedded platforms (e.g., FreeRTOS, RTOS-based systems, embedded linux)
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Embedded linux for real-time robotics including u-boot, PREEMPT_RT, and rootfs
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Distributed robotic systems and middleware
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Simulation and digital twin environments
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Hardware-in-the-loop and system validation
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Mobile and edge computing platforms
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Computer vision and sensor fusion
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Learning-based robotics (RL, imitation learning, hybrid approaches)
Breadth of Technical Experience (Expected): Safety-critical or medical device software
Preferred
Leadership in open-source robotics or systems software
Experience with assistive robotics, medical robotics, or human-centered robotics
Prior involvement in ARPA, DARPA, NIH, or similar research programs
Benefits
Work on a mission-driven project that will dramatically improve independence and autonomy for people with disabilities.
Contribute to a groundbreaking open-source ecosystem for assistive robotics.
Collaborate with world-leading robotics research institutions and engineers.
Tackle hard problems spanning perception, learning, simulation, mobility, manipulation, and user-centered robotics.
Company
ATDev
ATDev provides assistive technology and medical device solutions.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$3MKey Investors
Dobrzelecki Legacy VenturesMedTech Innovator
2025-10-16Seed· $3M
2024-05-29Non Equity Assistance
Leadership Team
Todd Roberts
CEO and Co-founder
O
Owen Kent
CMO and Co-Founder
Recent News
2025-10-16
Company data provided by crunchbase