Firmware Engineer - Actuation

Apptronik
Austin
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeFunction: Hardware, Embedded & Systems EngineeringExperience: 3+ yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Collaboration","Communication","Technical leadership"]

Develop actuation and motor control firmware for humanoid robots, collaborating with the existing actuation firmware team to implement brushless motor control and hard real-time control loops. Own system identification, controller tuning, and HIL/SIL testing strategies to validate safety and reliability at fleet scale. Support hardware bring-up, build fault detection/recovery mechanisms, and improve field performance through telemetry, diagnostics, and root-cause analysis as prototypes scale into production devices.

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FursaFursa
Apptronik
Apptronik
2 months ago

Firmware Engineer - Actuation

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Source: Company careers pageValidated by: Fursa AI
Last checked: 11 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Develop actuation and motor control firmware for humanoid robots, collaborating with the existing actuation firmware team to implement brushless motor control and hard real-time control loops. Own system identification, controller tuning, and HIL/SIL testing strategies to validate safety and reliability at fleet scale. Support hardware bring-up, build fault detection/recovery mechanisms, and improve field performance through telemetry, diagnostics, and root-cause analysis as prototypes scale into production devices.
Location: Austin
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Hardware, Embedded & Systems Engineering
Seniority: Mid level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Architect next-generation humanoid actuators by partnering with controls, systems, electrical, mechanical, and software engineers.
  • •Design, deploy, and maintain motor control firmware, including FOC, current controllers, and torque control for BLDC/brushless motor topologies.
  • •Perform system identification, plant modeling, and controller tuning to ensure consistent performance across units, temperatures, and loads.
  • •Shape and execute HIL/SIL testing strategies and implement fault detection, fault injection, and recovery for safety-critical motor control systems.
  • •Improve firmware quality, reliability, and fleet field performance using telemetry/diagnostics, root-cause analysis, and support for actuation hardware bring-up from prototype to production.

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer/Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent practical experience), with a Master’s in controls or motor drives valued.
  • •At least 3 years of experience developing production-grade embedded software and contributing from concept through deployment.
  • •Proficiency in C/C++ and working knowledge of Python, Docker, and Git.
  • •Experience developing motor control firmware for BLDC or other brushless motors, including FOC, current control, and torque control.
  • •Hands-on hard real-time embedded firmware experience and familiarity with telemetry/diagnostics in the field.
Experience:3+ yearsHumanoid roboticsIndustrial roboticsEmbedded systems
Education:Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Skills:CollaborationCommunicationTechnical leadership
Languages:English
Tech Stack:CC++PythonDockerGitField-oriented control (FOC)BLDCBrushless motor controlEtherCATOscilloscopesLogic analyzersAltium DesignerSPIUARTRS485CANHILSILTelemetryMATLAB

Company Brief

Apptronik
Develops advanced general-purpose robots and robotic limbs for industrial and commercial applications, combining hardware, actuators, and control software to enable versatile, human-scale robot solutions.
Industry: Robotics
Company Size: Medium (51 to 250 employees)
Growth: Growth Stage Startup
Funding: Series A
Headquarters: Austin, United States
Founded: 2018
WebsiteLinkedIn