• Design and implement algorithms for signal and image processing to extract, analyze, and interpret data from various sources.
• Develop methods for compressing data to reduce transmission bandwidth while preserving essential information.
• Apply techniques to remove noise and interference from signals and images to enhance clarity.

• What methods can we use to reduce the computational complexity of real-time signals without compromising security or speed?
• How can we better filter out noise from high-frequency signals to improve their clarity and reliability?
• Which machine learning model offers the best performance for anomaly detection?
• Can we develop a more robust target tracking system that compensates for abrupt movements or partial obstructions in surveillance footage?
• What strategies can be implemented to automatically adjust image processing parameters based on changing light conditions or angles?

As a Signal and Image Processing Engineer, you’ll develop the eyes and ears of robots, autonomous vehicles, and drones, permitting them to interact with their environments in real-time. This requires the integration of data from a multitude of sensors and sources, often within strict computational constraints. Your work is likely to be highly interdisciplinary, requiring knowledge of, or collaboration with professionals in the domains of hardware, optimization and AI, and various engineering fields.

You’ll wrangle and analyze complex data streams from a variety of sensors, including LiDAR, radar, and ultrasonic devices. To allow robots and automated systems to make sense of their surroundings, you’ll develop and implement algorithms that can extract meaningful information from the sensor data. Common tasks include object detection, object recognition, scene understanding, motion estimation, and obstacle avoidance. 

Data integration will prove a massive challenge, as the sensor and environmental data collected in various ways is likely to come with differing sampling rates, noise characteristics, and failure modes. Another common challenge is that of simultaneous localization and mapping, wherein an object seeks to create a map of its environment while at the same time understanding its location within it. 

The devices on which your algorithms will run often have limited onboard processing power, as well as limited energy resources. These constraints will require you to balance performance with efficiency, challenging you to develop algorithms that process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. To succeed, you’ll need a deep understanding of the theoretical foundations of signal processing and optimization as well as practical implementation techniques. 

Expect your work to be interdisciplinary in nature, with the potential to collaborate with mechanical engineers to optimize sensor placement, or with control systems engineers on how best to integrate perception algorithms into system architecture. Signal and image processing engineers also often collaborate with machine learning specialists to incorporate AI techniques into their data processing pipelines.

Signal and Image Processing Engineer; Perception Systems Engineer; Computer Vision Engineer; Robotics Vision Scientist; Data Scientist - Sensor Fusion.

• Create detailed 3D models and animations to populate AR/VR environments, ensuring they are both realistic and optimized for performance.
• Ensure AR/VR applications run smoothly across various devices, optimizing for different hardware capabilities to provide a seamless experience.
• Implement haptic feedback and spatial audio to enhance the fidelity of virtual environments, making experiences more immersive.

• How can we optimize our rendering pipeline to achieve higher framerates on lower-end devices?
• What techniques can we employ to improve the accuracy and robustness of our spatial mapping in dynamic environments?
• What strategies can ensure seamless experience in multiplayer VR environments, regardless of each user’s network conditions?
• What are the most effective ways to compress and stream AR/VR content without sacrificing quality?
• How can we improve our object-recognition capabilities to enable more interactive and context-aware AR applications?

As an AR/VR developer, your work will involve creating interactive 3D environments, integrating virtual objects into the real world experience of users, and developing applications that provide users with immersive experiences. You’ll develop interactive interfaces, implement real-time rendering techniques, and integrate motion tracking technologies as well as spatial mapping. This technology is rapidly evolving, and with it, the tools and languages you’ll use to make the virtual come to life. 

To create lifelike experiences for users, you’ll create realistic environments that are immersive and detailed, in which users can interact naturally and effortlessly with virtual elements. To build a seamless integration of virtual and physical worlds, you’ll try to improve techniques for accurately tracking and recognizing objects, using computer vision and image processing tools.

For AR applications, you’ll improve algorithms for spatial mapping in order to accurately overlay digital content onto the physical worlds. In VR applications, you’ll work to minimize latency, aiming for real-time responsiveness to user movements. You’ll also innovate real-time 3D rendering techniques that focus on lighting, shading, and texture fidelity. VR applications also necessitate the integration of haptic feedback and spatially accurate audio experiences which match the visual environment. 

All of these experiences need to be optimized for the hardware on which they run, and you’ll find yourself having to balance the computational demands of AR and VR applications with the hardware limitations of devices. You’ll ensure AR and VR applications run smoothly across various devices and platforms, from standalone VR headsets to mobile-based AR systems. Additionally, networks present their own sets of constraints, and you’ll develop efficient methods for delivering high-quality content over various networks, reducing bandwidth requirements and loading times. 

You’ll be challenged with the implementation of robust security measures to protect user data in these applications, especially those that contain spatial and biometric information. And, as many AR and VR applications are designed for multiple participants, you’ll devise solutions to ensure multi-user synchronization, including data synchronization, network latency, and user presence representation.

AR/VR Application Engineer; VR/AR Software Engineer; Spatial Computing Solutions Architect; Spatial Software Engineer; Spatial Computing/VR Programmer.

• Design automation systems that increase efficiency, reduce human error, and lower operational costs.
• Continually refine automation systems for optimal performance, adjusting speed, reducing waste, and improving resource utilization.
• Leverage AI to ensure flexibility and adaptability in automation systems to accommodate future needs.

• What are the best strategies to ensure the safety of human workers when integrating automation systems into existing workflows?
• What machine learning algorithms can be integrated into this system to enhance its decision-making capabilities?
• How can this automated system be designed to adapt to changes in its environment or task requirements?
• What measures can we take to protect this automation system against cybersecurity threats?
• How can we balance the trade-offs between custom-built and off-the-shelf components in this automation project?

As an Automation Engineer, you’ll design and develop systems to automate tasks and processes across a wide range of technologies, including robotics, programmable logic controllers, and industrial control systems. In your work, you’ll analyze existing workflows to identify areas for automation, and design solutions that incorporate both hardware and software. In the intersection of robotics, machine vision, control systems, and data analytics, you will craft the sinews of robots, programming them to perform tasks ranging from the mundane to the incredibly complex. 

You’ll design automation systems by creating complex systems that automate processes across various sectors. You’ll write and test software that controls robots and automated machinery, ensuring they perform tasks accurately and efficiently. The solutions you construct will need to be seamlessly integrated into current workflows, allowing for increased productivity without disruption to established processes. Once automated systems are established, you are likely to be involved with their troubleshooting and maintenance: you may diagnose and find ways to repair issues in smart systems to maintain consistent operation.

After deploying automated systems, subsequent tasks are likely to center on optimizing and improving them. You’ll continually refine automation systems for optimal performance. Throughout these optimization processes, you’ll have to make trade-offs related to balancing cost-efficiency with the need for high precision and reliability in robotic designs. You are also very likely to find ways to incorporate AI and machine learning to improve the autonomy and functionality of robotic systems. This is coupled with the need to ensure flexibility and adaptability in automation systems to accommodate future needs; many robotic systems are constructed with the goal of having them learn to complete tasks of increasing complexity. 

The field of robotics and automation is incredibly diverse, offering opportunities to specialize in areas such as machine learning, computer vision, control systems, and sensor technology. Similarly diverse are the impacts that your work can have: you could create robotic systems that work in hazardous environments — places too dangerous or challenging for humans. Your work may help to streamline processes, increasing speed and precision while reducing costs and minimizing human error in manufacturing environments.

Automation Engineer; Automation Controls Engineer; Fullstack Automation Engineer; Manufacturing Automation Engineer; Industrial Automation Engineer; Test Automation Engineer.

• Analyze and understand what makes interactions feel natural and engaging across a variety of interaction types and modalities.
• Integrate various modes of communication to accommodate different interaction preferences and contexts.
• Build robotic systems that can learn from interactions with humans to adapt their behavior to better suit user needs and preferences.

• How can we design robots to recognize and appropriately respond to human expressions and emotions?
• What safety mechanisms need to be integrated into robots to ensure they can work alongside humans without causing them harm?
• How can robots adapt their behavior based on the context of the interaction and the individual needs of the user?
• What strategies can improve a robot’s ability to communicate with humans across different languages and modalities?
• In what ways can we measure and improve the trust and comfort levels of humans interacting with robots?

As an HRI Specialist, you’ll design systems that enable humans and robots to interact in ways that are safe, efficient, user-friendly, and intuitive. You may develop interfaces that enable users to control robots via gestures or speech, or design robots that are safe for humans to work with in close proximity. 

Your work will require a deep understanding of human behavior, cognitive processes, and social dynamics to ensure that your designs are human-centered. In the intersection of robotics, psychology, design, and artificial intelligence, you’ll seek to foster productive and positive interactions between robots and humans. Working in human-robot interactions blends creativity with technical prowess, empathy with engineering. This is an opportunity to pioneer innovative solutions that make technology more accessible and useful, with the potential to redefine our relationship with machines. 

Work in this field can range from user research to highly technical development of sensors and algorithms. At the former end, you’ll be challenged to think deeply about what makes interactions feel natural and engaging. To accomplish this, you’ll gather and analyze user feedback to understand human needs and preferences. To create interaction models that are intuitive, you’ll focus on paradigms that allow humans to communicate effectively with robots, using both verbal and nonverbal cues. 

You’ll seek to improve communication methods, developing intuitive ways for robots to understand and interpret human language, gestures, and nonverbal cues to facilitate natural interactions. Integrating various modes of communication, such as speech, touchscreens, and gestures, will help you optimize multimodal interactions to accommodate different interaction preferences and contexts. 

Safety and adaptability are likely to be paramount concerns. You’ll implement safety protocols and systems in robots to prevent accidents and injuries when they are working in close proximity to humans. To increase robot adaptability, you’ll program robots to adapt their behaviors based on the context of the interaction, user feedback, and changing environments to increase cooperation and efficiency. 

The field is rapidly evolving, with new advancements in AI, machine learning, and sensor technology constantly expanding the possibilities for human-robot interaction. Addressing the limitations of current sensor and AI technologies will help you to improve robots’ ability to perceive and understand complex human interactions, allowing them to learn from their interactions with humans.

Scientist - Physical Human-Robot Interaction; Research Engineer - HRI; Scientist - Social and Cognitive Computing; UX Designer - Robotics; Research Scientist - Robot Foundation Models.

• Create sophisticated algorithms for the guidance, navigation, and control systems that allow precise maneuvering of vehicles in various environments, from underwater to outer space.
• Develop optimal flight or movement trajectories that meet mission objectives while considering constraints like fuel efficiency, safety, and environmental factors.
• Analyze data from simulations, tests, and real operations to refine models, improve system performance, and aid in future designs.

• How can we improve the accuracy of our inertial navigation systems under extended operation within GPS-denied environments?
• Can we design a more fuel-efficient guidance system for interplanetary travel that reduces mission costs?
• What methodologies can be implemented to ensure precise landing of a spacecraft on a rugged planetary surface?
• How do we minimize the impact of sensor noise on our navigation accuracy for autonomous underwater vehicles?
• What are the optimal control strategies for stabilizing hypersonic flight in the upper atmosphere?

In the role of Guidance, Control, and Navigation (GNC) Engineer, you’ll develop and implement systems that steer vehicles through air, space, and beyond. You could have the opportunity to design the next generation of spacecraft, guiding them to distant planets, asteroids, or even beyond our solar system. Alternatively, in the defense sector, your expertise will ensure the security and effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and other advanced systems that support critical missions. 

You’ll work with cutting-edge technology, from AI and machine learning to advanced sensors and actuators, to pioneer solutions that require unparalleled precision. You might develop algorithms that enable UAVs or spacecraft to autonomously determine the most efficient flight paths while avoiding obstacles and conserving fuel; control systems for spacecraft or drones that enable them to land accurately in challenging conditions, such as uneven terrain or moving platforms; and navigation techniques that allow spacecraft to accurately determine their position when far from Earth, using stars or planetary bodies as reference points. 

Your challenges are just beginning: you might also calculate and implement the precise maneuvers needed for a spacecraft to enter and maintain a specific orbit around a planet or moon, considering gravitational forces. You could create control algorithms for spacecraft reentering Earth’s atmosphere, ensuring they follow an optimal path that minimizes heat shield stress while targeting a specific landing zone. To enable interceptors to accurately track and and neutralize incoming threats with high precision, your work might involve designing guidance control systems for missile defense.

Or, you could tackle the challenges of controlling vehicles at hypersonic speeds, where extreme aerodynamic heating and rapidly changing flight dynamics require innovative control systems. Perhaps you’ll apply your expertise in the deep seas, developing guidance and control systems for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) used in defense or research, enabling precise navigation with limited GPS access.

Guidance Navigation and Control Engineer; GNC Simulation Engineer; Spacecraft GNC Engineer; Guidance Navigation & Controls Manager; Satellite Guidance Navigation & Control Engineer.