Robotics Hardware Integration Engineer

Slip Robotics is transforming freight logistics with autonomous robotic systems that load and unload trailers faster, safer, and more reliably than traditional methods. Our robots operate in demanding real-world environments alongside people and heavy cargo every day. We are a small, high-impact team based in Atlanta building products that are already deployed in production.

The Role We are looking for a Robotics Hardware Integration Engineer to own the interface between software and hardware on our robot platforms. This means sensor drivers, motor controllers, embedded communication buses, power management interfaces, and the low-level software that makes the physical robot work. You will be the person who makes sure software commands translate into reliable real-world motion and that sensor data flows cleanly into the perception and navigation stacks.

This is not a pure embedded firmware role and not a pure software role—it sits at the intersection. We need someone who has worked at a robotics company integrating sensors, actuators, and compute hardware into a cohesive system. You should be equally comfortable reading a datasheet, writing a Linux device driver, and debugging a CAN bus trace.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain drivers for sensors (LiDAR, cameras, IMUs, encoders) and actuators (motor controllers, hydraulics, pneumatics) on Linux-based robot platforms
• Own the communication layer between onboard compute and hardware subsystems (CAN bus, EtherCAT, serial, I2C/SPI)
• Design and implement hardware abstraction layers that give upstream software teams clean, reliable interfaces
• Integrate new sensors and hardware components as the robot platform evolves, including requirements definition, component selection, bring-up, calibration, and validation
• Monitor and manage robot system health: power, thermals, hardware diagnostics, and fault handling
• Build and maintain AWS IoT Greengrass components for fleet-level device management, OTA updates, and cloud telemetry
• Collaborate with mechanical and electrical engineers on hardware design reviews to ensure manufacturability and software compatibility
• Manage Linux configurations and setup for robotics software host machines
• Develop and maintain CI/CD processes for hardware-interfacing software, including hardware-in-the-loop testing where appropriate
• Support field-deployed robots by diagnosing and resolving hardware-software integration issues
• 5+ years of professional experience in hardware-software integration for robotic systems at a robotics, autonomous vehicle, or industrial automation company
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python on Linux platforms
• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining device drivers and sensor interfaces for real robot hardware
• Working knowledge of communication protocols: CAN, EtherCAT, serial (RS-232/485), I2C, SPI
• Experience with ROS or ROS 2 for hardware interface nodes and system integration
• Familiarity with AWS IoT Core, Greengrass, or similar edge-cloud platforms for fleet device management
• Ability to read schematics and datasheets and collaborate effectively with electrical engineers
• Experience debugging hardware issues using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers
• Strong communication skills and ability to work across software, electrical, and mechanical teams
• Competitive salary and equity in an early-stage robotics company
• Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision
• Permissive time off policy
• A small team where your work has direct, visible impact on shipped products
• The chance to work on robots that are operating in production today—not a research project