VR Teleoperation UI/UX Engineer, Large Behavior Models
Cambridge, MA
Large Behavior Models – Large Behavior Models /
Full-time /
Hybrid
At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this progressive shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team in Automated Driving, Energy & Materials, Human-Centered AI, Human Interactive Driving, Large Behavior Models, and Robotics.
The Mission
Make general-purpose robots a reality.
The Challenge
We envision a future where robots assist with household chores and cooking, aid the older population in maintaining their independence, and enable people to spend more time on the activities they enjoy most. To achieve this, robots need to be able to operate reliably in messy, unstructured environments. Our mission is to answer the question “What will it take to create truly general-purpose robots that can accomplish a wide variety of tasks in settings like human homes with minimal human supervision?”. We believe that the answer lies in cultivating large-scale datasets of physical interaction from a variety of sources and building on the latest advances in machine learning to learn general-purpose robot behaviors from this data.
Robotics
The mission of TRI Robotics is to invent and prove new robotic capabilities required to enable home robots to solve the challenges faced by an aging society. As part of that mission, we are developing a sophisticated suite of open source robotics software called Drake (https://drake.mit.edu (https://drake.mit.edu/)), for use in our internal robotics projects and the wider community of advanced robotics researchers.
The Team
Join Toyota Research Institute’s LBM-C division to change the world by creating and shipping useful general-purpose AI-driven robots. Lead the teleoperation experience and turn pioneering R&D into real-world products that empower human-robot collaboration.
The Opportunity
As a VR Teleoperation UI/UX Engineer, you'll be instrumental in designing and implementing the user interface and experience for our groundbreaking VR teleoperation system. Your work will enable intuitive and immersive control of dexterous humanoid robots, transforming live camera and sensor feeds into low-latency, natural control interfaces. You will be responsible for the end-to-end user-facing pipeline, ensuring remote operators can fully use our robots' physical capabilities with ease and precision.
Responsibilities
- Design and Implement VR UI/UX: Create and refine intuitive user interfaces, control schemes (controllers, hand-tracking, gestures), and interactive elements within the VR environment specifically for robotic teleoperation.
- Develop Immersive Experiences: Build VR/XR systems that provide high situational awareness and intuitive control, minimizing operator fatigue during extended teleoperation sessions.
- User Research & Iteration: Conduct user research, gather feedback from operators, and rapidly iterate on design and implementation to optimize the teleoperation experience.
- Front-End Engineering: Develop robust and performant front-end code for the VR application, ensuring seamless integration with real-time data streams and robot command relays.
- Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner closely with hardware, AI, robot control, and deployment teams to ensure the UI/UX aligns with system capabilities and overall product goals.
Qualifications
- VR/XR UI/UX Design & Implementation: 5+ years of confirmed experience designing, prototyping, and shipping user interfaces and experiences for immersive experiences (VR or XR video games preferred), with a strong portfolio showcasing your work.
- Front-End Development Expertise: Shown ability to build efficient, reusable, and performance-critical front-end systems, ideally with experience in real-time graphics and data visualization.
- Game Design Principles (Applied to UI): Understanding of game design principles related to user feedback, immersion, and intuitive interaction
- User-Centered Design: A strong commitment to user-centered design principles, with experience conducting user testing and incorporating feedback into product development.
- Collaborative Approach: Passion for robotics and ability to work closely alongside hardware and software teams to deliver high-quality user experiences.
Bonus Qualifications
- Game Engine Proficiency: Strong proficiency in Unity or Unreal Engine for VR development.
- Haptics & Spatial Audio: Familiarity with integrating haptic feedback systems and spatial audio to improve immersion and situational awareness.
- Real-Time Data Pipelines: Experience with real-time data processing and rendering pipelines.
- Robotics Experience: Prior experience with robotic systems or teleoperation interfaces.
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