👋 Hi, this is Gergely with a subscriber-only issue of the Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter. In every issue, I cover challenges at Big Tech and startups through the lens of engineering managers and senior engineers. If you’ve been forwarded this email, you can subscribe here. Skills useful to learn for robotics engineeringHelpful software engineering, AI engineering, and robotics fundamentals to know for getting into robotics. Also: advice about studying this exciting discipline at university
Robotics is a very hot industry, and today, the hottest place within it is humanoid robotics. We previously published two deepdives on this topic with Sandor Felber, who’s been a Robot Learning Researcher at MIT, and a Robotics R&D Engineer at Tesla in California, among other roles. The articles cover relevant topics at the intersection of AI, robotics, and software engineering. Since the last deepdive, Sandor has cofounded Nyro Humanoids, an early-stage startup headquartered in San Francisco that aims to build and deploy humanoid robots in the real world. In the third and final deepdive in this series, we take a close look at skills useful for joining this field, covering:
Previous issues cover: Robotics basics for software engineers (part 1):
Robotics for software engineers: humanoid robots (part 2):
The bottom of this article could be cut off in some email clients. Read the full article uninterrupted, online. With this, it’s over to Sandor: We're standing on the threshold of a robotics revolution. Just as OpenAI's ChatGPT “moment” transformed how we think about artificial intelligence (AI), the robotics industry is approaching its own breakthrough. This looks less like a step-like change, and more of a gradual transformation – one that will fundamentally change how we approach physical AI. At Nyro Humanoids, we're creating the intelligence that powers humanoid systems capable of operating where humans cannot – or should not – go. From disaster response missions to save lives, to potentially dangerous construction sites, and toxic industrial environments that require hazardous activities which can put health at risk, our autonomous humanoid robots represent the cutting edge of what we call ‘physical AI’. Our mission is to deploy intelligent humanoid robots in high-risk environments to protect human life and expand the boundaries of what's possible. Whether it's navigating collapsed buildings during search and rescue operations, handling hazardous materials, or operating in challenging conditions, we are developing the cognitive capabilities that enable robots to think, adapt, and act autonomously when every second counts. The same breakthroughs that have revolutionized language models are now being applied to physically embodied intelligence. There are computers with arms and legs – robots! – which can understand their environment, make complex decisions, and execute precise physical actions in real time. What follows is a comprehensive guide to the skills, technologies, and mindset that I’ve developed on my journey. Whether you're a software engineer looking to make the leap into robotics, a student considering the next move, or you’re simply curious about this rapidly-evolving field, this deepdive is a roadmap for becoming part of the robotics revolution. The future isn't just about smarter software, it's about intelligence that can move, manipulate, and operate in the physical world. At Nyro Humanoids, we are building it one training run at a time – and we’re also hiring. Building robots is a multidisciplinary endeavour that blends pragmatic software engineering, AI expertise, and a deep understanding of robotics fundamentals. What follows is a breakdown of the key skills that have proven invaluable to me every day in engineering robotics software and hardware. 1. Software engineering skillsSoftware, electrical, and mechanical engineering are the backbone of robotics. Let’s consider software engineering, where skills that prioritize performance, scalability, and reliability, are critical catalysts required to build robots that succeed in real-world applications. Depending on the kind of robotics you get into, some areas of interest might be: Communication protocols, such as:
Multithreading and multiprocessing: managing parallel processes in C/C++, Python, or Rust, for r |