Job Description
THE COMPANY
LUDO ROBOTICS is dedicated to building general-purpose robotic intelligence
systems that are robust, adaptive, and capable of handling real-world scenarios.
We believe that data-driven machine learning at massive scale is the key to
unlocking these capabilities and enabling the widespread deployment of robots
across society.
We are a new startup headquartered in Bay Area, California, with an office in
Seoul, Korea. Our team spans a wide range of backgrounds and experience, from
new graduates to seasoned domain experts. What matters most to us is ownership,
speed, and intellectual curiosity - people who take responsibility, move fast,
and enjoy thinking deeply about hard problems.
We are supported by a highly advanced AI Center within KRAFTON, a leading global
video game company best known for the genre-defining worldwide success PUBG:
Battlegrounds. KRAFTON has extensive experience building and operating
large-scale, data-rich products, and we have secured investment from them. This
gives us strong long-term backing, deep technical partnership opportunities, and
access to world-class infrastructure and talent networks as we push robotic
intelligence forward.
We are looking for passionate builders who want to explore uncharted territory,
take on difficult problems, and ship ambitious, industry-shaping work. You will
collaborate across diverse teams as we bring our technology from research into
real-world deployment.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The ML & AI Researcher role at Ludo Robotics is a full-time position for
exceptional researchers who want to go beyond the boundaries of traditional
academic research and translate frontier ideas into physical systems deployed in
the real world.
You will pursue independent and collaborative research in Robotics, AI and
Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)—with full access to our robot platforms, datasets,
compute infrastructure, and close collaboration with our core research team.
Researchers are expected to drive meaningful research contributions that advance
the state of the art and feed directly into Ludo's technical roadmap.
We welcome applicants whose work spans AI / ML, human-robot interaction,
perception, manipulation, navigation, or any adjacent area where ambitious
research can move the needle.
We are currently placing particular emphasis on two profiles: researchers in
human-robot interaction—how people and robots perceive, understand, and
communicate with one another through natural, multimodal cues, including speech
and audio—and researchers in robot action—the learned models and control
policies that let robots manipulate objects and act dexterously in unstructured,
real-world environments. Candidates with a strong track record in either area
are especially encouraged to apply.
RESPONSIBILITIES
* Design and lead an independent research agenda within the scope of the role,
in collaboration with Ludo's research team.
* Conduct experiments, user studies, and field deployments to evaluate
hypotheses on real hardware.
* Develop theoretical frameworks and translate them into prototype robot
behaviors that bridge research with real-world system implementation.
* Synthesize findings from academic literature across HRI, HCI, social
robotics, cognitive science, robot learning, and AI to inform research
direction.
* Integrate developed models and algorithms into robot control pipelines and
evaluate their real-world performance.
* Collaborate cross-functionally with engineers, designers, and product teams
to translate research insights into deployable systems.
* Contribute to establishing metrics and evaluation frameworks for robot
behavior and system performance.
* Actively participate in team seminars, design reviews, and knowledge-sharing
sessions.
QUALIFICATIONS
* Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering,
or related field with focus on Deep Learning or Machine Learning — or
equivalent industry experience.
* Solid understanding of machine learning fundamentals and modern deep learning
techniques, with hands-on experience with ML frameworks.
* Strong programming skills, primarily in Python, with experience or
willingness to work in C++-based robotics environments.
* Comfort working on open-ended, ambiguous problems where requirements and
solutions evolve and curiosity and readiness to tackle new technical
challenges that may not have established best practices.
* Experience working with real-world data, including noise, edge cases, and
imperfect labels.
* Familiarity with robotics concepts such as perception, control, state
estimation, or simulation a plus.
* Experience building systems for Human-robot interaction: multimodal and
audio-based communication, speech and conversational interfaces, and socially
aware, natural turn-taking behavior or applying large language models (LLMs)
to robot behavior, natural language understanding, and task planning.
* Experience developing robot action models—such as vision-language-action
(VLA) models, imitation or reinforcement learning for manipulation, or
learned control policies deployed on real hardware.
* Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to reason about complex
systems.
* Ability to collaborate effectively in fast-paced, research-driven
environments.
* Clear communication skills and a strong sense of ownership over outcomes.
Reasonable Accommodation
LUDO ROBOTICS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.
As part of this commitment, the Company will ensure that persons with
disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation
is needed to apply for an open position, perform essential job functions, and/or
to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the
Operations Team, to begin the interactive process.
EEOC Statement
LUDO ROBOTICS provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and
applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any
type.
This position may be filled at multiple levels depending on experience, scope,
and business need. In California, the expected salary range for this position is
$98,000–$305,000. The listed expected salary ranges represent good faith
estimates. Actual compensation may vary based on job-related factors including
experience, education, skills, performance, and work location. This position is
also eligible for equity compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.
Don’t meet every single requirement?
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply at
jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LUDO ROBOTICS we are
dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if
you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly
with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply
anyway. You might just be the right candidate for this or other roles.
Due to recent scams, our recruiters will only reach out to you via
@ludorobotics.ai, @sds.com, @krafton.com or @pubg.com. If you received an email
and are unsure you can always email recruiting_KA@Krafton.com
Job Tags
Full time, Work at office, Worldwide