Software Engineer, Robot Autonomy (Planning & Navigation)

About the role

As a Software Engineer on Robot Autonomy, you will be responsible for ensuring robots navigate dependably across real customer sites. You will shape technical choices for reliable navigation, including sensor selection, traversability estimation, and path planning to handle complex, real-world environments. The role focuses on moving beyond simulation to ensure robots complete patrols successfully in challenging, live conditions.

Responsibilities

• Design navigation and path-planning systems for complex sites.
• Integrate sensors to support ground segmentation and traversability estimation.
• Develop environment understanding to distinguish ground from obstacles.
• Predict behavior of dynamic obstacles to plan safe and efficient routes.
• Reproduce and fix field failures at the sensor, map, or planner layer.
• Validate design choices through logs, simulation, and physical field tests.
• Collaborate with backend and operator application teams on navigation design.

Required skills

• ROS 2
• C++
• Python
• Mobile robot navigation
• Path planning
• LiDAR
• IMU
• Cameras
• Obstacle avoidance
• Costmaps

Nice to have

• Legged robots
• Nav2
• Motion prediction
• Trajectory forecasting
• Socially aware navigation
• Elevation mapping
• Semantic segmentation
• Thermal cameras

Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in mechanical engineering, computer science, robotics, electrical engineering, or a related field
• Equivalent practical experience

Benefits

• Equity package

About the Company

Laelaps AI is a robotics company building intelligent software for physical security in the real world. Based in Zurich, the company is backed by visionary investors and aims to enable robots to handle critical tasks that humans should not have to perform.