Senior Robotics C++ Software Engineer

Open Position – Senior Robotics C++ Software Engineer

Horizon Surgical Systems Inc.

Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. is revolutionizing the world of surgical ophthalmology by developing a novel, AI driven, and imaging-guided surgical robotic system. Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. aims to expand access to care, provide superior capabilities to the human surgeon, and enhance patient outcomes. Microsurgery in general and Ophthalmology are subfields of surgery for which the surgical outcomes can be significantly improved by robotic systems to allow superior dexterity, precision, accuracy, and visualization beyond the human surgeon’s own capabilities.

We are seeking highly motivated, and intellectually inquisitive individuals looking to make a positive impact on healthcare via the development of robotic technology. The core values of Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. are:

• Commitment to Excellence: We aim to deliver superior patient outcomes and surgeon experiences
• Passion for Creativity and Innovation: We are driven by new ideas and aim to push the boundaries of what's possible
• Teamwork and Camaraderie: We achieve our best when we collaborate and work together
• Welcoming of Critical Opinion: We are enriched by constructive criticism and support the best ideas
• Personal Accountability: We honor our commitments and take responsibility for our actions

Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. offers:

• An opportunity to build autonomous surgical robotic systems driven by image guidance and AI technology for the future of affordable, high-quality healthcare.
• The opportunity to work alongside clinicians, engineers, and global leaders in cutting-edge AI, imaging, and robotics technology.
• Competitive compensation and an excellent company-paid benefits package.

In your role as a Robotics C++ Software Engineer at Horizon Surgical Systems, you will contribute to the architecture and design of a cutting-edge surgical robotics system, implementing and verifying mission-critical software modules. The ability to enforce deterministic timing, and fail-safe behaviors, in the controls software is paramount to its clinical efficacy and regulatory approval. You will be responsible for supporting a robotic system with EtherCAT servo drives and redundant control-diagnostic checks, and so you will be debugging issues with peripheral hardware, Linux kernel latency, and real-time safety (e.g., avoiding dynamic memory allocation). Working closely with hardware and the Mechanical Engineering team, you will work to bring up new peripherals, and you will need to consider the fail-safe implications in the event of motor controller failure. Your development and testing will be performed primarily with Linux, but familiarity with embedded architectures and other software stacks will be useful for development of future generations of hardware. 

Educational Background:

• Bachelor's, Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Technical Skills:

• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (at least C++11) is a must.
• Experience developing robotics software.
• Understanding of cascaded control loop optimization for position- or velocity-tracking (bonus: kinematics knowledge to translate between joint- and Cartesian-space).
• Knowledge of ROS, or an alternative asynchronous structured IPC mechanism (e.g., gRPC).
• Ability to independently diagnose CMake build issues.
• Ability to independently debug real-time C++ on a Linux target, whether with gdb directly or a front-end that attaches to gdb.

Experience:

• 5+ years of modern C++ software development.
• 5+ years deploying and testing software in a Linux environment.
• Prior experience working writing motor control software.
• Prior experience working on mission-critical software.
• Prior experience with medical device development is a plus.
• Prior experience with embedded C/C++ is useful.

Knowledge:

• Linux systems programming basics (shared memory, pipes, pthreads, etc.).
• Robot kinematics theory and implementation.
• Understanding of the unique low-latency performance mandates of controls software.
• Experience with functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262), and/or software verification by an independent safety certifying body, is advantageous.
• Knowledge of which operations are real-time safe in C++.
• Knowledge of motion planning is a plus.

Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational abilities.
• Good communication skills to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including software engineers, electrical/mechanical engineers, and product managers.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment and adapt to new challenges.

Other Requirements:

• Comfortable working in a lab or workshop environment alongside surgical robotic systems.
• Ability to work on-site for hands-on software integration.

Responsibilities: 

• Software Implementation:
• Design and implement low-latency robot motion control software with C++ / CMake / ROS 2 / PREEMPT_RT Linux.
• Consider redundancy and fail-safe behaviors in software design decisions.
• Bridge the timing gap between non-deterministic IPC mechanisms and deterministic event-loops.

• Integration & Collaboration:
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure high performance of software modules.
• Engage in pair programming, code reviews, and design discussions to maintain high coding standards.

• Testing & Reliability:
• Test your software with and without hardware, implementing the appropriate virtual fixtures where it saves time and aids in automation.
• Strive for the simplest possible, most easily testable software design, to make unit- and integration-test coverage seamless.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-tech startup that is poised to revolutionize surgical robotics in ophthalmology.