Gait Control Engineer

Gait Control Engineer

The Gait Control Engineer will lead the development of locomotion control algorithms for Shift's robotic footwear platform. This role focuses on designing, implementing, and deploying robust control and estimation algorithms that enable safe, intuitive, and responsive human-machine interaction.

You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, and firmware teams to develop algorithms that run reliably on embedded systems while handling real-world variability in human gait and terrain.

This role requires strong intuition for human locomotion, control systems, and embedded algorithm implementation.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement gait control algorithms for wearable robotic systems.
• Develop control strategies for walking assistance across different user speeds, terrain conditions, and gait phases.
• Implement and validate locomotion controllers on embedded hardware.
• Develop real-time estimation algorithms using IMU, force sensors, encoders, and other onboard sensors.
• Implement sensor fusion pipelines for gait phase detection, motion estimation, and intent recognition.
• Ensure algorithms remain robust under noisy real-world conditions.
• Prototype algorithms in Python or MATLAB before deploying to embedded systems.
• Evaluate control strategies using simulation tools (e.g., Mu Jo Co , Simulink, or custom simulation environments).
• Design experiments and analyze data from real hardware testing.
• Translate algorithms into efficient C/C++ implementations for real-time embedded systems.
• Optimize algorithms for low-latency execution on resource-constrained processors.
• Work with firmware engineers to integrate control algorithms into production software.
• Collaborate with mechanical and electrical engineers on actuator selection, sensor placement, and system architecture.
• Ensure control algorithms meet performance, safety, and reliability requirements.
• Identify system limitations and propose improvements in hardware or software.