Mechatronics Integration Engineer Morphing UAVs

Job Summary

We are seeking a Mechatronics Integration Engineer to join the Autonomy Team at KRUSH Labs in Eindhoven. This role will play a key part in designing, prototyping, and integrating the adaptive mechanisms — morphing airframes, articulated propulsion, and reconfigurable gimbal‑mounted sensor heads — that enable KRUSH Labs’ next‑generation autonomous platforms to operate in GPS‑denied and perceptually challenging environments.

The Mechatronics Integration Engineer will work closely with controls, perception, and firmware engineers to translate multibody dynamics, aerodynamic behavior, and mass‑distribution insights into flight‑ready hardware, and to support online system identification across changing platform configurations.

This role combines hands‑on mechanical design with cross‑domain R&D, making it ideal for a mechatronics engineer who enjoys building novel hardware from first principles, working at the intersection of mechanics, aerodynamics, and control, and seeing their designs operate in the real world.

• Analyze project requirements related to robotic mechanisms, gimbal/sensor mounts, and their interaction with the autonomy and control stack
• Design, prototype, and iterate on novel mechanical assemblies — including morphing airframes, variable‑baseline stereo rigs, and multi‑axis gimbal cameras — from concept through flight‑ready hardware
• Develop full kinematic and multi‑body dynamic models of reconfigurable platforms, including time‑varying inertia tensors, CG migration, and joint constraints
• Estimate, simulate, and validate aerodynamic coefficients across morphing configurations (CFD, wind‑tunnel, and flight‑log identification)
• Implement online system identification pipelines that update mass, inertia, aerodynamic, and actuator parameters during flight and feed them into the control allocator and estimator
• Co‑design mechanism behavior with flight‑control engineers to ensure stable operation across the full configuration envelope and during transitions
• Produce CAD assemblies, tolerance stacks, and manufacturing drawings; drive prototyping through 3D printing, CNC machining, and composite lay‑up
• Specify and integrate servos, BLDC actuators, encoders, IMUs, and load sensors; close the loop with embedded firmware and ROS2 nodes
• Build hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) and bench rigs to characterize mechanisms before operation
• Document mechanical interface contracts, failure modes, and maintenance procedures
• Contribute to the development and validation of advanced R&D drone platforms

• MSc or PhD in Mechatronics, Aerospace, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience designing flight‑relevant mechanical systems, with at least 1 year on UAV or robotic platforms
• Strong grasp of multi‑body dynamics and 6‑DoF rigid‑body kinematics; comfortable deriving and implementing equations of motion for articulated and morphing systems
• Experience with online system identification techniques (grey‑box modeling, RLS, EKF/UKF parameter estimation) and their integration into flight control loops
• Working knowledge of PX4 or Ardu Pilot internals, uORB/MAVLink messaging, and control allocation for non‑standard airframes
• Proficiency with CAD tools (Solid Works, Fusion 360, or Onshape) and FEA for structural and modal analysis
• Mechanism design experience: bearings, linkages, gear trains, compliant mechanisms, cable‑driven actuation
• Familiarity with actuator selection and characterization (servos, BLDC, brushed DC, stepper) and the associated power electronics
• Experience integrating IMUs, encoders, and force/torque sensors, including bias, scale, and misalignment calibration
• Comfortable in a Linux/ROS2 environment; able to read and write C++ and Python for sensor interfacing and data analysis
• Practical prototyping skills: 3D printing (FDM/SLA), CNC, composites, hand‑assembly to flight‑grade tolerances

• Strong analytical skills and a bias toward first‑principles reasoning before simulation or build
• Ability to translate between mechanical, aerodynamic, and control domains and communicate trade‑offs to each
• Effectiv…