About Vector Machines

Vector Machines develops autonomous mowing robots for solar parks. Our robots navigate independently through complex environments using lidar, GPS and vision (sensor fusion). We're in a crucial growth phase, demonstrating our technology to customers throughout Europe.

The Challenge

We're looking for a ROS Engineer to help us tackle the complex challenges of autonomous navigation in real-world environments. Our robots operate in solar parks where they need to navigate reliably through challenging conditions: dealing with GPS inaccuracies, dynamic obstacles, varying terrain, and the need for centimeter-level precision when mowing around valuable solar installations.

From localization and path planning to safety systems and autonomous docking, there are exciting technical problems to solve. We're building a robust, scalable solution that needs to work autonomously across diverse solar parks throughout Europe: each with its own unique challenges.

What will you do?

• Develop and optimize ROS nodes and algorithms for our autonomous mowing robots
• Work on localization, path planning, navigation, safety systems and docking functionality
• Implement sensor fusion (GPS, lidar, vision) for robust position estimation and obstacle detection
• Develop adaptive systems that can handle deviations between map data and real-world conditions
• Contribute to autonomous features such as collision avoidance and automated docking
• Collaborate with embedded engineers and backend developers on the complete robot stack
• Test and validate during demonstrations at solar parks throughout Europe

What do you bring?

Required:

• Demonstrable experience with ROS2 (Robot Operating System)
• Knowledge of GPS, IMU, lidar and/or vision-based localization
• Programming skills in C++ and/or Python
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of technical challenges

Strong advantages:

• Experience with outdoor robotics and GPS-based navigation
• Experience with localization techniques (SLAM, sensor fusion, state estimation)
• Knowledge of Kalman filters, particle filters
• Affinity with practical robotics in real-world environments
• Willingness to occasionally join customer demonstrations

What we offer

• The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge robotics technology for sustainable energy
• Direct impact on a product that customers evaluate on concrete KPIs
• Collaboration with a driven team of ROS engineers, embedded specialists and backend developers
• Work on challenging real-world robotics problems
• Public transport card (if desired)
• Market-competitive salary

Interested?

Practical Details

• Location: Heerenveen (hybrid)
• Type: Fulltime
• Languages: Dutch and English
• Start: As soon as possible