Human-Robot Interaction Engineer (HRI)
Core Responsibilities
- Lead the end-to-end design and execution of qualitative and quantitative user studies to evaluate robotic systems’ usability, safety, and acceptance.
- Translate complex user research findings, ethnographic data, and cognitive task analyses into actionable design requirements and tangible product improvements.
- Architect and prototype intuitive user interfaces—spanning gestural control, voice commands, and graphical user interfaces (GUI)—for complex robotic platforms.
- Program, test, and refine social cues and non-verbal behaviors in robots to foster trust, rapport, and natural human-robot collaboration.
- Analyze and mitigate cognitive load, ensuring seamless and safe collaboration between humans and robots in dynamic, and sometimes unstructured, environments.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (mechanical, electrical, software) to integrate human-centered design principles throughout the entire product development lifecycle.
- Develop and maintain sophisticated simulation environments using tools like Unity or Unreal Engine for rapid prototyping and usability testing of interaction concepts.
- Author comprehensive documentation, research papers, and compelling presentations on HRI findings for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Essential Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Cognitive Science, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related engineering discipline.
- A minimum of 4 years of professional or academic research experience specifically in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) or a closely related field (e.g., UX for complex hardware).
- Proven proficiency in programming with Python and/or C++ for robotics applications and data analysis.
- Demonstrable experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS/ROS2) is a fundamental requirement for this role.
- A solid foundation in experimental design, advanced statistical analysis (e.g., using SPSS, R, or Python libraries), and conducting rigorous user research.
- A strong portfolio showcasing past projects, research, or publications related to HRI, robotics UX, or innovative interface design for hardware products.
Preferred Skills & Experience
- A Ph.D. in a relevant field with a dissertation focused on a core HRI topic such as trust in automation, explainable AI (XAI), or long-term interaction.
- Experience designing interactions for mobile robots, robotic manipulators, or autonomous vehicles in real-world settings.
- Familiarity with machine learning concepts (especially reinforcement learning or computer vision) as they apply to building adaptive and personalized interfaces.
- Hands-on experience with simulation platforms like Isaac Sim or Gazebo for high-fidelity HRI experiments.
- Prior work with specialized hardware such as eye-trackers, physiological sensors (EEG, GSR), or motion capture systems to gather objective user data.
- A deep, intuitive understanding of cognitive psychology and human factors engineering principles, and the ability to argue for their application from first principles.