Unknown Company

Firmware Engineer

palo alto, ca • Posted 5 days ago
Onsite Full Time General

Firmware EngineerAt Mind Robotics, we're building generalized physical AI — robotic systems capable of dexterous, adaptive, and reasoning-intensive work in real-world industrial environments. Firmware is the connective tissue between intelligence and action; the layer where commands become motion.We're looking for a Firmware Engineer to own the embedded software that brings our robots to life — from low-level motor control and real-time scheduling to the communication buses that tie the whole system together.ResponsibilitiesWrite, test, and maintain production-quality firmware in C/C++ or Rust for microcontrollers and embedded processors across the robotImplement and debug embedded communication protocols — CAN, EtherCAT, I2C, SPI, UART — across distributed hardware nodesConfigure and manage microcontroller peripherals — GPIO, ADC, PWM, timers, and DMA — to interface with sensors, actuators, and power electronicsIntegrate sensors (encoders, IMUs, torque sensors, force/torque arrays) into the robot's real-time pipelineWork closely with electrical engineers on board bring-up, pinout definitions, and hardware-software interface designDevelop and tune real-time control loops for motors, actuators, and other physical systems under hard timing constraintsBuild tooling to support firmware validation, regression testing, and hardware-in-the-loop systemsTriage and debug complex interactions between firmware, hardware, and higher-level software during development and field deploymentQualificationsTechnical degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalentDemonstrated experience (through work, research, or projects) building firmware for real physical systems — robots, motors, power electronics, or similarDeep fluency in C/C++ and/or Rust for embedded targets; comfort reading datasheets and writing driversHands-on experience with RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar) — task scheduling, priority management, and real-time guaranteesStrong working knowledge of embedded communication protocols: CAN, EtherCAT, I2C, SPI, UARTDirect experience configuring microcontroller peripherals (GPIO, ADC, PWM, timers, DMA) and understanding their impact on system timing and performanceExperience integrating sensors and actuators at the firmware level — not just using libraries, but understanding the hardware underneathProven ability to debug across the hardware/software boundary with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAGYou are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your partNice to HaveExperience with safety-critical or deterministic real-time systems (IEC 61508, ISO 26262, or similar)Familiarity with field-oriented control (FOC) or other motor control algorithmsExperience with Linux-based embedded systems and the boundary between RTOS and application layersPython scripting for test automation, data logging, or hardware validation

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