Principal Machine Learning Research Engineer

$100,000 - $100,000/Yr

Boston Dynamics - Waltham, MA

Full-time - Principal

Waltham, MA

Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing

About the position

As a Principal Research Engineer on the Perception and Safety R&D Team at Boston Dynamics, you will be part of a small, cross-functional group dedicated to developing robotic perception technologies that enable our robots to operate safely around people. Your role will involve researching, designing, and building machine learning-based perception models and algorithms that will be integrated into our robots. This work is crucial for helping our robots understand their environment and recognize humans, ensuring safe interactions in various settings. In this position, you will chart a path that combines the best of machine learning with functional safety and robot behavior, ultimately creating innovative solutions to one of the most significant challenges in robotics. You will be expected to help build systems that allow our robots to operate safely around people, which includes building, validating, and deploying machine learning models to detect hazards, humans, and other environmental features. Your algorithms will be integrated into embedded systems, allowing for data collection and performance evaluation. Additionally, you will develop datasets, metrics, and validation plans for machine learning models, working to improve model accuracy and runtime performance on specific hardware. Leading cross-functional technical efforts will be a key part of your responsibilities, as you collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop robotic systems. You will also work closely with a small team to design and prototype new payloads, platforms, and product features that enhance the safety of our robots. If you are creative, thrive in a small team environment, and are passionate about a future where humans and robots work together, this role is for you!

Responsibilities

• Help build the systems that allow our robots to operate safely around people
• Build, validate, and deploy ML models to detect hazards, humans, and other environmental features
• Integrate these models onto our robots' embedded systems to collect data and evaluate performance
• Develop data sets, metrics, and validation plans for ML models
• Work to improve model accuracy and run-time performance of models on specific hardware
• Lead cross-functional technical efforts involving interdisciplinary efforts to develop robotic systems
• Work closely with a small team to design and prototype new payloads, platforms, and product features which create safety features for our robots.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience applying ML to robotic perception problems, ideally on embedded systems
• Deep knowledge of state of the art in related areas including human detection, autonomous vehicle and driver assist systems, and robot safety
• Experience developing and deploying ML-based perception software for time-sensitive control systems, such as robotics
• Experience developing specifications for perception systems from high-level product requirements
• Experience with the full lifecycle of deep learning development, including network design, data management, training, evaluation, hyperparameter search, deployment, and validation
• Strong communication skills, including ability to author technical documentation and deliver presentations on technical topics
• History of leading cross-functional technical efforts through planning, technical requirement development, and interdisciplinary collaboration
• History of working in small, interdisciplinary teams.