Controls Engineer jobs in United States
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Physical Intelligence · 23 hours ago

Controls Engineer

positionSan Francisco, CA
timeFull-time
remoteOnsite
seniorityMid Level

Physical Intelligence is bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world, and they are seeking a Controls Engineer to design and implement algorithms for their robots. The role involves developing control algorithms, debugging complex system behaviors, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure stable operation in unpredictable environments.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Machine LearningRobotics
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H1B Sponsor Likelynote

Responsibilities

Design & implement control algorithms: PID, LQR, MPC, inverse dynamics, and feedforward controllers
Build & validate models: Create and refine physical and inverse dynamics models for simulation and control design
Develop real-time loops: Write and optimize runtime control loops, including neural-network-driven control
Own robotic bring-up: Integrate and tune arms, mobile bases, teleop systems, and full-body platforms
Debug complex system behaviors: Diagnose and resolve hardware/software/runtime issues using first-principles reasoning
Build sensor/actuator subsystems: Work with embedded systems, drivers, and communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet)
Partner cross-functionally: Work with researchers, platform engineers, and operators to ensure stable, predictable real-world behavior
Support R&D: Prototype configurations, collect structured datasets, and iterate directly with researchers

Qualification

Model-based control algorithmsReal-time control loopsPythonC++Embedded communication protocolsDebugging electromechanical systemsCollaborative problem solvingClear communication

Required

Deep understanding of model-based control algorithms and inverse dynamics
Ability to validate control approaches in simulation and translate them to real hardware
Proficiency in Python and C++, including firmware-adjacent development
Skill in writing and tuning real-time control loops
Hands-on capability to debug electromechanical systems end-to-end
Familiarity with embedded communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet)
Clear communication with researchers, hardware teams, and operators
A structured, collaborative approach to solving complex system issues

Preferred

Background in manipulation or mobile robotic platforms
Exposure to robot learning or integrating learned policies into control stacks
Ability to design or refine custom actuator or sensor hardware

Company

Physical Intelligence

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Physical Intelligence is an AI company developing machine learning for robots and other physical devices.
dateFounded in 2024
location
San Francisco, California, USA
people-size11-50 employees
web-link
https://physicalintelligence.network

H1B Sponsorship

Physical Intelligence has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (4)
2024 (1)

Funding

Current Stage
Growth Stage
Total Funding
$1.07B
Key Investors
CapitalGThrive Capital
2025-11-20Series B· $600M
2024-11-04Series A· $400M
2024-03-12Seed· $70M

Leadership Team

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Lachy Groom
Co-Founder
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Recent News

Crunchbase News
North American Startup Funding Soared 46% In 2025, Driven By AI Boom
2026-01-08
SiliconANGLE
Beyond automation: Physical AI ushers in a new era of smart machines
2025-12-29
Techmeme
AI robotics startup Physical Intelligence says it saw improvements in its vision-language-action model by including human video data in the fine-tuning process (Physical Intelligence)
2025-12-20
Company data provided by crunchbase