Location SATCARD, IIT Palakkad

Duration 4–6 Months

Stipend As per project norms

About the Role

We are seeking a versatile Embedded Software Engineer Intern with strong expertise in hardware-software co-design to drive the development of next-generation agricultural robotics and autonomous ground vehicles. In this role, you will bridge the gap between low-level embedded hardware systems and high-level autonomous navigation stacks. You will be actively involved across the complete product lifecycle—from designing microcontroller firmware, sensor fusion nodes, and bus communication protocols (CAN/UART/I²C) to integrating drivers with ROS 2 for real-time control, simulation, and field deployment.

This internship offers hands-on experience in building robust, production-grade embedded architectures for field-deployed autonomous machinery operating in challenging agricultural environments.

Roles & Responsibilities

● Embedded System & Firmware Development:

○ Design, write, and optimize low-level C/C++ firmware for microcontrollers and single-board computers (ESP32, STM32, BeagleBone, Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson).

○ Implement effective, real-time communication protocols (CAN bus, UART, I²C, SPI, MODBUS) for motor drives, actuators, and custom sensor payload boards.

● ROS 2 & Middleware Integration:

○ Build and maintain ROS 2 nodes, dynamic reconfigure interfaces, custom messages, topics, and micro-ROS/serial bridges between low-level microcontrollers and high-level autonomy stacks.

○ Integrate hardware drivers for depth sensors (ToF, RGB-D cameras), IMUs, wheel encoders, GPS/GNSS, and actuator controllers into ROS 2 (Nav2/MoveIt) pipelines.

● Hardware Interfacing & System Integration:

○ Wire, configure, debug, and validate hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setups, sensor-fusion nodes,



and motor controllers on robotic platforms.

○ Diagnose physical layer and hardware signal issues using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and multimeter tools.

● Simulation & Testing:

○ Develop software components tested against Gazebo / Isaac Sim environments prior to hardware deployment.

○ Conduct field testing, debugging, system validation, and log analysis on physical robotic platforms operating in real-world field conditions.

● Documentation & Technical Reporting:

○ Maintain clean, version-controlled code repositories (Git/GitHub), system architecture block diagrams, API documentation, and technical deployment guides.

Required Skills

● Embedded Software & Programming:

○ Strong proficiency in Embedded C/C++ and Python.

○ Hands-on experience with microcontrollers (ESP32, STM32, or Arduino platform) and single-board computers (BeagleBone, Raspberry Pi, Jetson).

● Robotics Middleware & Architecture:

○ Practical exposure to ROS 2 (rclcpp / rclpy), custom nodes, publishers/subscribers, services, and actions. ○ Fundamentals of Linux environments (Ubuntu), multi-threading, memory management, and build tools (CMake, Colcon).

● Communication Protocols & Hardware Interfacing:

○ Experience with CAN, UART, I²C, SPI, and serial interfaces.

○ Understanding of hardware sensors (IMU, ToF/LiDAR, encoders, cameras) and actuator control mechanisms (PWM, motor drivers, relays).





● Development Tools:

○ Familiarity with Git version control, Linux terminal CLI, and PlatformIO / STM32CubeIDE / VS Code.

Preferred Skills

● Micro-ROS & Edge Deployment: Hands-on experience implementing micro-ROS on embedded microcontrollers.

● Sensor Fusion & Control: Experience with Kalman filtering, sensor fusion algorithms, or PID loop tuning for mobile robots.

● Simulation & Vision: Exposure to gazebo simulation environment, URDF modeling, OpenCV, or edge AI inference tools (NVIDIA TensorRT / TFLite).

● PCB & Hardware Debugging: Basic understanding of PCB schematics, board bring-up, and power distribution systems (BMS/DC-DC convertors).

● Agri-Robotics Experience: Prior exposure to unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), field robotics, or automated farm implements.

Eligibility

● B.Tech / B.E. / M.Tech in:

○ Mechatronics Engineering

○ Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)

○ Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE)

○ Computer Science / Robotics Engineering

○ Agricultural Engineering (with specialized robotics/automation focus)

● Final-year students, postgraduate candidates, or recent graduates.

Learning Outcomes

● End-to-End Robotics Software Experience: Direct involvement in bridging low-level hardware control with high-level ROS 2 autonomous navigation stacks.

● Real-World Platform Deployment: Practical experience programming, testing, and debugging field-ready agricultural robots.

● Advanced Firmware & Sensor Fusion: Mastery in multi-sensor integration, high-speed bus communications, and micro-ROS implementation.

● Research & Intellectual Property: Opportunities for joint research publications, technical disclosures, and patent contributions.

📌 Embedded Software Engineer - Intern (West Bengal)
🏢 Revin Krishi
📍 West Bengal