Robotics Vision Engineer — Perception & Autonomous Control

Auto Stringer is looking for a Computer Engineer focused on robotics software, computer vision, and automation logic. The robot needs to understand where the racket holes are, where the string is, where the tool needs to move, and how to correct its position during operation.

This role is ideal for someone who wants to work on perception, path planning, vision-based alignment, and robot decision-making. You will help turn camera input into actual robot actions. The goal is to make the machine smarter, more accurate, and more autonomous over time.

• Work with YOLO/OpenCV-based detection systems.
• Build algorithms that convert camera detections into movement commands.
• Help create closed-loop alignment so the robot can correct its position using vision feedback.
• Develop path-planning logic for moving across the racket string bed.
• Test different detection strategies under changing lighting, angles, and racket types.
• Work with the embedded systems teammate to connect software decisions to motor commands.
• Help design simple testing tools, debugging visualizations, and data collection workflows.
• Improve the reliability of the robot’s autonomous stringing sequence.

• UW student interested in computer engineering, robotics, computer vision, or AI.
• Strong Python programming ability.
• Experience or interest in OpenCV, YOLO, image processing, or machine learning.
• Comfortable debugging code that interacts with real hardware.
• Basic understanding of coordinate systems, camera frames, and movement planning.
• Willing to test, fail, collect data, and improve models over time.
• Ability to write clean, understandable code that other team members can use.

• Experience with PyTorch, Ultralytics YOLO, Roboflow, or model training.
• Experience with ROS/ROS2, robotics simulation, or autonomous robots.
• Familiarity with PID/control logic or feedback systems.
• Experience with camera calibration, stereo vision, or depth estimation.
• Previous robotics lab, project team, or research experience.

Auto Stringer cannot just move blindly. It needs to see the racket, understand the string bed, and make decisions based on real-world feedback. This role is at the center of making the robot autonomous instead of just manually controlled. You will be working on the brain of the robot.