Amazon Robotics Vulcan is a robotic stowing system that uses a robot arm with a custom end-of-arm tool to place customer items into fulfillment center storage bins, alongside human associates. We operate in live fulfillment centers today and are scaling to additional sites globally. The Vulcan Motion team owns the motion stack that makes every interaction between the robot and the bin safe, fast, and predictable: real-time force-controlled manipulation, motion planning for insert and retract behaviors, compliant contact behaviors, and the safety envelope around all of it.
We have many areas that need experienced scientists to drive from prototype to deployment at a global scale. For example: the framework our team uses to design, benchmark, and select controllers for each contact-rich behavior; the long-term controller roadmap with our industrial robot-arm vendors; the functional-safety envelope for live deployment; and the recovery architecture the robot uses when unexpected contact occurs. You may own one or two of these arcs depending on team needs and your strengths.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will write production C++ and Python, review code, and hold the technical bar on real-time control design selections that affect every cycle the robot executes. You will lead collaborations between our team and external partner teams in vision, hardware, and operations.
Key job responsibilities
- Research, propose, architect, and deliver complex features such as unified contact-control frameworks, robot-arm integration roadmaps, functional-safety envelopes, and motion recovery architectures.
- Bring recent scientific advances in force control, compliant manipulation, and sim-to-real transfer into production.
- Lead significant architectural and strategic initiatives together with more junior teammates.
- Work across cross-disciplinary teams (hardware, safety, operations, vendor engineering) to deliver novel, synergistic features and capabilities.
- Stay current with recent advances in robotics control, manipulation, and industrial automation.
- Own the technical bar on real-time control design decisions and serve as the senior technical interface to external robot-arm engineering teams.
A day in the life Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members, including domestic partners. Benefits can vary by location, the number of regularly scheduled hours you work, length of employment, and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular, full-time employees include:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
- Maternity and Parental Leave Options
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- 401(k) Plan
If you are not sure that every qualification on the list above describes you exactly, we'd still love to hear from you! At Amazon, we value people with unique backgrounds, experiences, and skillsets. If you’re passionate about this role and want to make an impact on a global scale, please apply!
About the team Motion is one of several teams inside Amazon Robotics Vulcan. We ship weekly to live fulfillment centers, operate a fast iteration loop with real production data, and work across the full motion stack, from real-time controllers on hardware up through mission-level motion planning. We are looking for a senior Applied Scientist to help drive the next generation of robot behaviors alongside a strong existing team. If you want to go deep on controls problems, stay hands-on with hardware, and contribute to architectural direction, this role is for you.
Basic Qualifications
- PhD, or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- 5+ years of experience designing and deploying motion controllers for robotic manipulators in industrial, collaborative, or research settings (e.g., warehouse robotics, exoskeletons, home robots, aerospace, or equivalent)
- Hands-on experience with force- and torque-feedback control, admittance control, or compliant manipulation on physical hardware
- Experience with real-time, high-rate control systems
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience deploying and supporting complex robotic systems at scale
- Sim-to-real deployment experience using physics simulators such as MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, or Gazebo
- Experience applying high-performance motion planning and controls to third-party robot arms
- Publications at relevant conferences such as IROS, ICRA, RSS, CoRL, ROMAN, CASE, Humanoids, or in journals such as T-RO, RA-L, IJRR on contact-based manipulation, motion planning, force control, or sim-to-real transfer
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
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The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
USA, WA, Seattle - 167,100.00 - 226,100.00 USD annually