I work in robotics professionally and something I keep noticing is a strange disconnect between:

what universities teach,
what candidates study for,
what companies actually need,
and what interviews end up evaluating.

I’ve talked to a lot of students, PhDs, and even software engineers transitioning into robotics who feel stuck when trying to prepare for robotics industry roles. They don’t know what to prepare for, how to prepare for it, or even if they have the right skillset. Companies also often post very vague job descriptions making it even harder for candidates.

I’m trying to understand whether this is actually a widespread problem or if I’m overestimating it.
So I’m curious:

If you’re trying to break into robotics, what’s been the hardest part?

What skills do you feel least confident in?

What do you think robotics interviews fail to evaluate properly?

If you already work in robotics, what skills do junior candidates usually lack?

Aeroengineering student trying to get more hands on experience with hardware and systems integration. Lately I’ve been building small cable assemblies, power distribution harnesses, and sensor integration projects to learn about embedded systems.

If anyone has advice,project ideas or needs help making something lmk

I specifically would like to work on the software aspect.

For context, I am currently pursuing a MS degree in Computer Science with an emphasis in AI/ML. My thesis focuses on computer vision, and I am a research assistant in a lab that focuses on CV in remote sensing. I have experience (one internship) as an embedded SWE for a rather large defense company.

As for course work, I have taken courses that cover filtering, tracking, and data fusion, as well as fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms.

I know I lack knowledge on actual robotics, kinematics, and probably some other glaring areas. What are the odds that I land a position in autonomous vehicles?

I know there are a lot of these “can I get in this field with xyz” or “what do I need to do to get in this field if I already have xyz” questions on this sub. So instead, I’d like to hear about your stories: how did you get into robotics?

Specifically, where did you start? High school robotics club? Major in CS with robotics projects? Graduate research?

And, where did that take you? Robotics R&D? Hobbyist with day job? Industry full time?

And for all of us dreamers, what tips would you give someone who would do anything to get into the field? Especially if some of us are already in tech jobs in unrelated domains?

I (and many others) really appreciate any stories shared :)

Hi, just curious if this is a major issue with modern robots (humaniod, exoskeleton, etc), and what is typically done to prevent it Looking for an open discussion, thanks!

DM for more

What You'll Do

• Design and implement high-fidelity robot models (URDF/MJCF) with accurate kinematics, dynamics, and contact properties
• Build and maintain simulation environments using MuJoCo, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and/or Gazebo
• Develop end-to-end simulation pipelines for robot training, testing, and validation
• Tune physics parameters — friction, damping, inertia, actuator models — to maximize sim-to-real transfer
• Integrate simulations with ROS2 for perception, planning, and control workflows
• Write clean, performant code in Python and/or C++ to support simulation infrastructure
• Collaborate asynchronously with robotics researchers and engineers on model accuracy and environment design
• Profile and optimize simulation performance for large-scale or parallelized runs
• Document simulation configurations, model parameters, and pipeline architecture

Requirements

• Strong hands-on experience with at least one major robotics simulator: MuJoCo, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, or Gazebo
• Proficient in Python and/or C++ in a robotics or scientific computing context
• Solid understanding of rigid-body dynamics, contact mechanics, and control theory
• Experience creating and validating robot models (URDF, MJCF, or SDF formats)
• Familiarity with ROS2 and its integration with simulation environments

Hello, I am making a Ball Balancing robot and recently finished modeling it in solid works and i was wondering if anyone would mind looking at my assembly and reviewing any design errors.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12eAeM7Nd5eL43z1bANB8hRmBRTs3Jf6E/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ug0ntaMDsmlVxdZc-yNNiej3\_VqsbwYS/view?usp=sharing

What You'll Do

• Design and implement high-fidelity robot models (URDF/MJCF) with accurate kinematics, dynamics, and contact properties
• Build and maintain simulation environments using MuJoCo, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and/or Gazebo
• Develop end-to-end simulation pipelines for robot training, testing, and validation
• Tune physics parameters — friction, damping, inertia, actuator models — to maximize sim-to-real transfer
• Integrate simulations with ROS2 for perception, planning, and control workflows
• Write clean, performant code in Python and/or C++ to support simulation infrastructure
• Collaborate asynchronously with robotics researchers and engineers on model accuracy and environment design
• Profile and optimize simulation performance for large-scale or parallelized runs
• Document simulation configurations, model parameters, and pipeline architecture

so i was searching for a robotic arm or maybe one of those small robotic dogs with a mini arm on top, with both i’d like to maybe implement an ai into it and let it have its own agent where it can learn (like chappie but less cool) and maybe a camera,light and speakers. the budget is around 600 i’ve seen some good options but im a complete beginner in programming and robotics in general could you guys reccomend anything?

Last year, I decided to quit my "traditional" software job in a big tech company where I had been working for 3 years on a C++ desktop app in the ML space. The job was quite heavy on the C++ side with lots of complicated software, and I had been promoted to senior team member after some time, but I wasn't learning much anymore and wanted a change. Not to mention, it was my first job after uni, and I wanted to explore other problems.

At the same time, a position opened for a software role in a robotics company in my area: a company with a solid reputation, known for it's high entry bar, and with a mission that quite resonated with me. I've never really been into robotics, I hadn't done any projects with sensors, motors, hardware, or embedded in general. I'm much more into user space and system tools software. But it looked like such an interesting challenge that I applied anyway, knowing well that my chances were slim. And yet, I actually got the job after a hell of an interview process. They liked my strong knowledge of C++ and ML, my ability to write assembly, my side projects and general problem solving skills, and decided to bet on the fact that I could pick up the robotics part on the job.

Now i've been there for a few months, and it has been HARD. In a span of weeks, I was introduced to ROS and HAL, embedded Linux, uart/spi/i2c/can, stm32 programming, logic analyzers, field tests, and a gazillion other stuff. It has been super interesting so far, but it is also kind of overwhelming? I'm pulling 10 to 12 hours of work a day, and I still can't yet follow up with deadlines. So far, I haven't delivered a single feature within the expected time frame (but I've delivered all of them, just significantly slower than planned). It's intense, exhilarating, crushing, and fascinating.

Some days, it feels like I can't keep up, that there is just too much to learn. I love it, but i'm also second-guessing my abilities. I feel like a complete junior again, spending tremendous effort to simply understand what's going on. Still, it has become easier, I'm more confident about the small parts I work on, but there is a long road ahead. Has anyone gone through a similar experience of getting into robotics "out of the blue" and basically learned it on the job? Do you think it is even a realistic thing to do?

All personal stories and advices welcome. I just want to get some feedback and hear about similar experiences.

We’re building a robotics startup and want to get non-binding LOIs from businesses willing to test our robots in real operations. The goal is not to close full contracts yet, but to validate demand, get feedback, and prove ROI through pilots. For founders/operators who’ve done this: what’s the best way to approach companies, structure the LOI, and make the ask low-risk enough for them to say yes?

Esse ano vou viajar para uma praia aqui no Brasil, entretanto vou levar algumas coisas de robótica como esp-32 s3, arduino e etc, para fazer algumas pesquisas cientificas por hobby, estou com medo de ter minhas coisas apreendidas, alguém que já levou isso em algum avião etc, poderia me ajudar? tipo se tenho que ter algum certificado e etc?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently building a small keychain robot. It features a few LEDs, a touch sensor, and ideally, a tracking system.

Right now, I'm stuck on the tracking part. I initially thought about using a GPS module, but it obviously doesn't work indoors, and honestly, it’s way too bulky for a keychain-sized project.

I want the user to be able to track or locate this keychain when they lose it inside a house or a room. Since space and power are very limited, what would be the best alternative to GPS for indoor tracking?

I’ve been thinking about BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons or maybe UWB, but I’m not sure about the hardware size and implementation for a tiny robot.

Any recommendations on specific modules or methods I should look into? Thanks in advance!

Hey Reddit Fam!

Cutting to the chase, how important a factor is location to you when you choose a job in the current Robotics / AI market? Specifically, if it's your first job as a bachelor out of grad school.

Say, comparing the general Bay Area with other locations in the USA. In your opinion, does the scale swing significantly if it's San Francisco vs any other city in the USA?

For context, I'm trying to compare two offers wherein the work and mentorship aside, in terms of compensation, both offers are from late-stage startups and are similar in the total package, but one is based in SF and the other is not in the Bay. A few things that set the bells ringing in my head about this dilemma are that it will a) take longer to repay my h u g e student loan (😞) and b) the H1-B lottery would be way more competitive in the Bay for a given base comp.

TL;DR : When choosing your next job in Robotics, what % of weight would you give to location? Would you value living in SF any more than living in any other region of the Bay for a fairly modest base salary?

TIA \:))

A background about me:
I have a bachelors and a masters in Mechanical Engineering.
Back during the peak of the Software hiring boom in Covid I was out of a job and kind of in a hole financially and basically took the first job I could get (Software dev.). It's been almost 4 years working this role. It pays well and has pretty good WLB, however I'm kind of not fulfilled with the role (not sure how to explain this - SaaS isn't that interesting).
Off late, I have been doing some online courses related to SLAM and software platforms like ROS and such. Really found them interesting. And I want to transition back to something more rewarding.
So my question is, how transition into the Robotics field? Both the software and mechanical domains seem interesting to me.
The best option I can think is to do a masters in Robotics... I'm still young (under 30) and that seems like a great way to transition.
Another option that I thought of was to move to a FAANG type company (easier said than done) and transition internally to their Robotics focused divisions.
Or maybe there's a third path.
Why love to know the thoughts of this community and if someone here has done something like this before?

A lot has been made of the impact on AI and AI coding tools on the general software engineering market, how its lowering the bar for developing software and so on and so forth. However, how are AI tools and stuff effecting the working done by Robotics Software engineers? Like is AI able to work within the contraints of a physical environment? Does it work as a smart assistant? Or is it shit for robotics?
PLease would love to know stuff from anyone currently working in the industry

hello, i use a Tower pro micro servo 9g SG90, i am making a robot and using this cardboard rectangle as its arm and ive noticed that it quite struggles carrying it leaving cracking sounds that do not sound good, i hot glued it to the armso if someone could be kind enough to please help me whats wrong with it i would be very grateful, the whole thing weights 45 grams or 1.5 ounzes, i hot glued it to the servo with the help of one of the arma screwed in i could give pictures but i cant please help me im losing my sanity over this proyect

I'm a computer science and systems engineering student and I'm really interested in getting into robotics ,not just software but electronics and the mechanical parts as well. I'm still a first year student and secured an internship in robotics which deals with simulation. But i end up asking the same question of how do I do this or how realistic is this plan of mine.

I'm currently learning analog and digital electronics to complement the software side as well. So is it possible for me to be a sort of "full stack" for robotics

I am making a robot for a competition and I stuck between two options, my robot should move 4 boxes (9x9x9) into another area. A robot arm or a forklift system , which one can be more useful. We will put the boxes into a chamber in robot and then we will put these 4 boxes over and over in the second area. It looks like this for now.

hi, you can probably tell from the caption but i’m a teenage dude with not a whole lot of money to spend currently

i’ve wanted to get into robotics for a while but it seems like you can’t really without spending money on a kit more than £35+ which i feel is a lot for something i’m not 100% sure i’ll definitely enjoy

does anyone have any advice or maybe yt channels or anything that might help me out please just to get a feel for robotics or someone who can tell me if the kits are worth it please? thank you