Mechatronics Integration Engineer

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.

Key Responsibilities

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 multibody dynamic models of reconfigurable platforms, including time‑varying inertia tensors, CG migration, and joint constraints

Estimate, simulate, and support 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 layup

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

Technical Qualifications Required

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 multibody 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

Skills & Abilities Required

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

Effective…