---
title: 'Senior Perception Learning Engineer - SLAM at Apptronik'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-perception-learning-engineer-slam-apptronik-sunnyvale-emhae7pjz13f'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Senior Perception Learning Engineer - SLAM at Apptronik

- **Company:** Apptronik
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-06-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6013277004?gh_jid=6013277004

## Job description

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

## JOB SUMMARY

You will drive research and development of advanced perception systems that empower Apptronik's humanoid robots to understand and interact with complex human environments. Your work will focus heavily on SLAM, visual-inertial odometry, world modeling, and learning-based perception, alongside object detection and multi-sensor fusion, creating the foundation for robust autonomy in real-world settings.

You will design and optimize deep learning models for real-time detection, tracking, segmentation, scene understanding, and state estimation while contributing to scalable pipelines for training, evaluation, and deployment. You will also integrate data from multiple modalities — cameras, LiDAR, depth sensors, and IMUs — into unified world models that support navigation, manipulation, safety, and human-robot interaction.

This role requires balancing research innovation with practical engineering to deliver deployable, high-performance SLAM and perception stacks. You will collaborate across Reinforcement Learning, Platform Software, and Systems teams, and contribute to shaping Apptronik's perception and autonomy roadmap. Your work will directly accelerate the development of humanoid robots that can safely operate in human spaces, adapt to dynamic environments, and extend human capability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

- Lead the design, development, and optimization of perception and SLAM pipelines for humanoid robots, including visual-inertial odometry, mapping, localization, object detection, tracking, segmentation, pose estimation, and scene understanding.
- Develop multi-sensor fusion frameworks integrating cameras, LiDAR, depth sensors, and IMUs for robust real-time state estimation and mapping in dynamic, human-centered environments.
- Contribute to scalable data pipelines, training infrastructure, and inference frameworks to accelerate model development, evaluation, and deployment.
- Drive research and deployment of learning-based models for SLAM, 3D scene understanding, and perception optimized for humanoid locomotion, manipulation, and human-robot interaction.
- Implement performance profiling, regression testing, and telemetry systems to ensure perception and SLAM modules meet strict latency, accuracy, and reliability requirements on edge devices.
- Collaborate with planning, control, and hardware teams to define perception-to-action interfaces, ensuring real-time compatibility with locomotion and manipulation pipelines.
- Guide the integration of synthetic data (e.g., IsaacSim) with real-world datasets to enhance model generalization and robustness.
- Contribute to best practices in code quality, model versioning, reproducibility, and deployment.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

- MS/PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 3–5+ years building and shipping perception and/or SLAM systems in robotics or real-time vision applications.
- Strong background in SLAM, VIO, probabilistic state estimation, and deep learning for computer vision.
- Practical expertise in detection, segmentation, multi-object tracking, 3D perception, and learning-based mapping/localization.
- Hands-on experience with modern AI frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow) and CV / multi-modal libraries such as OpenCV, Detectron2, YOLO, and foundation models for perception and language (e.g., SAM, CLIP, DINOv2, Flamingo).
- Proficiency in Python and modern C++, with strong software engineering fundamentals (version control, testing, CI/CD).
- Deep understanding of 3D geometry, camera models, and probabilistic estimation (EKF/UKF, factor graphs, SLAM, VIO).
- Experience deploying optimized perception or SLAM models on edge hardware (GPU/NPU/embedded) under compute, latency, and thermal constraints.
- Track record of shipping ML/Perception or SLAM systems from R&D into production robotics platforms.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with humanoid robots, bipedal locomotion, and manipulation tasks.
- Experience with modern SLAM frameworks (e.g., ORB-SLAM, VINS, Rtabmap, GTSLAM, Cartographer) or learning-based SLAM systems.
- Strong classical computer vision skills (geometry-based methods, feature extraction) complementing learning-based approaches.
- Expertise in model acceleration, quantization, or compression (TensorRT, ONNX Runtime).
- Familiarity with real-time frameworks and middleware such as ROS 2, GStreamer, or zero-copy pipelines.
- Knowledge of synthetic data generation and domain adaptation techniques for training perception and SLAM models.
- Contributions to open-source robotics or vision software stacks.

## PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
- Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
- Hearing and speech to communicate

The annual salary range is $190,000 - $235,000

*This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

## About Apptronik

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations
- Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain.

## Products & Services
- **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated)
- **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators.
- **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot.
- **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them.
- **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market).
- Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home.
- Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo).
- Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life.
- **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential.
- **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values.
- **Perks & Benefits**:
  - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited)
  - 401k retirement plan
  - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
  - Parental leave
  - Flexible work hours
  - Collaborative and innovative work environment
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment.
- **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin).
- **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7).

## Sources
1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage
2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission
3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture
4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings
5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown)

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