Senior Software Developer - Robotics Controls

There are two areas of focus for Controls Engineers within Impossible Mining.

The first is related to our unique underwater robotic arm. Traditional underwater arms are slow serial arms where our robotics require high speed parallel robotics working underwater to achieve the speed that we need. We also require the arms to not disturb the seabed sediment as they pick rocks from the surface of the seabed. Driving these combined and conflicting performance characteristics is one of the core challenges for this position.

The second area of focus is the vehicle localization and control. Subsea vehicles employ a unique set of sensors since GPS is not available underwater and at depths of 5000m and greater underwater special acoustic positioning is required. Acoustic positioning aided with doppler velocity, inertial and optical measurements are combined to determine the position of the vehicle. The control system needs to vary the states of operation switching between operation at the surface, through the water column and then at the seabed, tracking over the seabed at a constant height while the vehicle drives along. The control algorithm increases with complexity as the mass of the vehicle increases through the collection process and thus the inertia and location of the center of mass of the AUV changes. We also need to offset the added weight though adjusting both a combination of buoyancy and vertical thrust. This needs to be done to both minimize battery consumption and minimize or eliminate environmental impact.

As we further develop the controls algorithms, understanding the feed forward impacts of the arms on the state of the vehicle may be important for overall vehicle performance.

Our core values are:

Planet comes first: environment & people before profit We encourage, share and accept all perspectives We embrace and learn from every failure We seek good enough designs to move fast We are always expanding our scientific knowledge We act as owners because we are We are looking for people who are passionate about using underwater robotics to collect polymetallic nodules in an environmentally responsible way and who share our values and are the best at what they do. Our organisational culture is as important to us as the outcomes we are seeking to achieve. If you share our values, come join us on this journey to build a $100B business and change the planet for good in the process.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Develop, document, implement and enhance the performance of the control algorithms for one or both of the areas of controls focus within IM (arm and vehicle). Develop state estimation algorithms including developing sensor models and state variable filters. Develop plant models for the vehicle and the arm. Working with AUVsim within Gazebo, improve the accuracy of the simulator to assist with simulated operation of the vehicle and testing of the algorithms. Participate in designing the overall system paying particular attention to the software requirements and interfacing. Set code development and testing standards and processes for the organization and help implement these. Act as a participant and a leader in the collaborative development processes. Design, review, build and test aspects of the robotic system, participating in or leading field deployments of the vehicle in either the lake or the ocean. Required Skills and Experience:

Experience developing software architectures for robotic or other hardware based systems. Past experience developing mobile robotics control systems and/or developing control systems for robotic arms. Demonstrated experience with collaborative team development. Alignment with the company core values. The ability to thrive in both team and autonomous environments. Experience in working with cross functional teams. Ability to analyze and break down problems, with a focus on continuous improvement and solutions. Desirable Additional Experience:

ROS or ROS2 with simulation experience Experience developing underwater technology and autonomous underwater vehicles in particular. Past experience working in a small, high-growth technology company. Past experience with the listed responsibilities and duties. Demonstrated consideration for the commercial implications of design decisions Knowledge of some or all of the following technical areas: EKF PID ROS Robot Operating System / Python Networking and interfacing with hardware Robotics localization and mapping Visual inertial odometry