Locomotion & Whole-Body Control Engineer (human)

Locomotion & Whole-Body Control Engineer (human)

Neura Robotics • Metzingen

Shape the Future of Human-Robot Collaboration

In the Software Department, you will shape robotic solutions that redefine human-machine collaboration. You will work with cutting‑edge technology, setting industry‑changing standards, and will help develop our solutions while also setting new trends and driving innovations forward. In an agile and interdisciplinary team, you will engage in exciting projects, following clear Scrum processes such as daily stand‑ups, sprint planning, and reviews, staying flexible and efficient. Collaborating closely with other departments allows you to create software solutions that are both technically advanced and practically effective, providing an environment where creativity and technological excellence go hand in hand.

Mission & Challenges

We are growing our legged‑robotics capability on NEURA’s humanoid (4NE‑1) and quadruped platforms. This role spans both core layers of the legged control stack: trajectory optimisation and model‑predictive control for kino‑dynamic motion generation, and QP‑based instantaneous whole‑body control for executing those motions on real hardware at 1 kHz. The work is focused on contact‑rich dynamics, real‑time optimisation, and reliable execution on physical robots. You will collaborate closely with state estimation, simulation, low‑level control, hardware stakeholders, and application teams whose tasks ultimately depend on robust, predictable locomotion and whole‑body behaviour.

• Whole‑body motion generation and control for floating‑base legged platforms – locomotion, balance, contact transitions, and loco‑manipulation (walking while manipulating).
• Trajectory optimisation and model‑predictive control pipelines over robot state, contact schedules, ground reaction forces, centroidal momentum, and joint trajectories – using reduced‑order locomotion models such as LIPM, SRBD, and centroidal dynamics.
• QP‑based task‑space inverse dynamics for executing instantaneous whole‑body control from MPC and trajectory‑optimisation references at 1 kHz on the real robot.
• Whole‑body modelling for the platform: floating‑base rigid‑body dynamics from URDF / MJCF, joint configuration, FK / IK, Jacobians, and mass / Coriolis / gravity computation.
• Constraint formulation across the MPC and QP layers – contact, friction, torque, joint, kinematic, and stability constraints – with task‑hierarchy design appropriate to the platform.
• Solver performance work across both layers: warm‑starting, numerical conditioning, constraint handling, and real‑time reliability at 500 Hz – 1 kHz.
• Deployment, tuning, and debugging of MPC, trajectory optimisation, IK, and inverse dynamics pipelines on physical robots – including platform‑specific contact‑model calibration and validation against real robot data.
• High‑performance C++ for real‑time execution; Python tooling for analysis, prototyping, and debugging.

Requirements

• MSc or PhD in robotics, controls, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• 4+ years of hands‑on experience developing trajectory optimisation, MPC for locomotion, and / or whole‑body control on physical robots.
• Strong foundation in floating‑base articulated rigid‑body dynamics and contact modelling.
• Strong working knowledge of reduced‑order locomotion models (LIPM, SRBD, centroidal dynamics, or equivalents) and their use inside MPC.
• Strong foundation in optimal control, constrained numerical optimisation, and model‑predictive control for legged robots.
• Hands‑on experience with whole‑body QP / TSID frameworks on real robot data – including QP / DDP solver internals.
• Hands‑on experience deploying real‑time control / MPC / WBC pipelines at 500 Hz – 1 kHz on hardware.
• Strong C++ for real‑time robotics software; Python for analysis, tooling, prototyping, and debugging.
• Practical understanding of how contact dynamics, actuator limits, latency, state‑estimation error, solver failure modes, and model mismatch behave on real hardware.
• A collaborative working style: shared design, constructive code review, proactive communication, and reliable coordination across control, estimation, simulation, low‑level control, and hardware disciplines. Strong teamwork is essential for this role.

Nice to Have

• Hands‑on experience on humanoids, quadrupeds, or other high‑DOF legged robots.
• Familiarity with Pinocchio, MuJoCo, Crocoddyl, IPOPT, TSID, OCS2, or similar open‑source tools.
• Hierarchical QP, weighted QP, task prioritisation, contact force optimisation, or operational‑space control.
• Contact planning, gait optimisation, balance recovery; CPG‑based or hybrid CPG / MPC controllers.
• Multi‑contact WBC: foot contact, bimanual grasping, or base‑arm coordination.
• Contact‑consistent dynamics and impact‑aware control transitions.
• Experience with torque‑controlled robots and high‑bandwidth electric actuation.
• Publications at RSS, ICRA, IROS, or CoRL in legged locomotion or whole‑body control.

What you can look forward to

• Creative Freedom and Agility – Enjoy a dynamic, self‑reliant work culture with flat hierarchies, flexible hours, and 30 vacation days.
• Passion for Winning – A passionate and highly skilled team of international experts aiming to redefine robot assistants.
• Attractive Compensation – Enjoy a competitive salary package along with exclusive employee discounts.
• One Team – Whether it’s a summer party or company town hall meetings, we celebrate our successes together.
• Professional Growth – Support for your personal and professional development.