Robotics Engineer - ATAS

Overview

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem‑solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.

A full‑time research faculty position exists in the Unmanned Systems Integration Branch of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Division (RASD) within the Aerospace, Transportation, and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). The Unmanned Systems Integration Branch focuses on the development, integration, testing, and evaluation of unmanned systems for air/land/sea applications. Systems engineering expertise is applied to sensors, platforms, and embedded systems, with a focus on Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS).

Program areas include sUAS, Counter UAS systems, and Autonomy Algorithms. Typically, the Unmanned Systems Integration Branch integrates sensors, autopilots, and mission processors into commercially available surrogate platforms for demonstration purposes. Primary sponsors are from the US military research and development community.

A robotics engineer develops the hardware and/or software that enables electro‑mechanical systems to perform a series of tasks with little or no human involvement. The robotics engineer can develop the mechanical mechanisms that form the robot, integrate sensors such as cameras and LIDAR systems into the system, or develop the algorithms to allow the robot or autonomous system to sense its environment, plan its actions, and then execute the plan.

This position contributes to the fundamental and applied understanding of robotic and autonomous systems. The robotics researcher develops the advanced autonomous planning, coordination, perception and control algorithms that enable a mobile robot or team of robots to operate in dynamic environments. The engineer can also interface with perceptual, actuation, communication and other systems to enable the robot to sense, plan actions, coordinate actions according to mission plans and execute the plans.

This position may incorporate a fundamental understanding of robotic control and path planning as well as an applied understanding of robotics systems.

• Perform basic signal processing with supervisor direction – Document work in written and presentation form.
• Contribute to algorithm application discussions.
• Contribute to technical reports/presentations of projects, journal articles, and conference presentations.

• Participate in all steps of the project life cycle, to include design concepts and preliminary designs, scheduling, specifications, cost estimates, construction and final detailed designs as it relates to unmanned systems.
• Generate documentation (i.e. system diagrams, bill of materials, wiring diagrams, etc.) that enable technicians to assemble system components and harnesses.
• Coordinate fabrication and assembly of unmanned systems and the purchase of required materials and components.
• Perform integration and configuration of controls, sensors and payloads into unmanned systems (includes developing software scripts to rapidly configure system hardware).
• Use creative hardware and software solutions to overcome system integration challenges.
• Develop and execute test plans to validate proper system functionality.
• Debug electrical, mechanical and software issues across a range of components and interfaces using standard lab test equipment and software.
• Set up and conduct experiments; prepare progress and test reports.
• Follow designs into the field and participate in field testing; analyze flight data; diagnose system misbehaviors and devise solutions.
• Present complex technical material in reports,…