Available immediately · Robotics engineer · Stuttgart, DE · open to EU relocation

Robotics engineer.
Whole-body manipulation
learned from data.

// stack
@robotics_engineer  ROS2  ·  PyTorch  ·  MuJoCo  ·  C++ / Python  ·  ex-Fraunhofer IPA

Robotics engineer with hands-on experience commissioning mobile robots and manipulators at Fraunhofer IPA. Research focused on learning-based whole-body control using Reinforcement Learning and Behavior Cloning, validated on contact-rich tasks like door opening in MuJoCo. Looking for my next role.

Most recent
@Fraunhofer IPA
Focus
RL + BC + ROS2
Experience
5+ years
Publication
Elsevier '21

Whole-body manipulation, learned from data and demonstration.

~/research/whole-body-manipulation
$cat README.md
# Whole-Body Manipulation & Navigation
# Methods: Reinforcement Learning + Behavior Cloning
# Sim: MuJoCo   Task: contact-rich door opening

Coordinating base + arm as a single system, not two strangers.

Most mobile manipulators run two independent stacks: a navigation planner drives the base to a pose, then a manipulation planner takes over. The seam between them is where contact-rich tasks fall apart — the arm can't compensate for a base that stopped 5 cm short, the base can't shift to extend the arm's reach.

This research treats the entire mobile manipulator as a single coupled system. BC bootstraps a strong prior from demonstrations; RL refines and recovers when the policy drifts off-distribution. Validated in MuJoCo on door opening — a task that decoupled controllers struggle with by design.

Reinforcement Learning Behavior Cloning Whole-Body Control Mobile Manipulation Imitation Learning MuJoCo PyTorch ROS2
→ Full research deep-dive

Beyond research — two years commissioning real robots.

// MOBILE

Autonomous mobile platforms

Bring-up and commissioning of AMRs and AGVs — navigation tuning, sensor integration, on-site validation across deployments.

// ARMS

Industrial manipulators

Driver integration, motion planning, and application development for industrial robotic arms across diverse use cases.

// SOFTWARE

Project-specific applications

Custom ROS2 nodes, launch infrastructure, and integration code purpose-built for each project's robot stack.

// SYSTEMS

End-to-end commissioning

Spec → running system: hardware bring-up, software config, debugging, and handover in research-industrial environments.

5+ years building things.

2026 — NOW
Looking for next role
@ Available immediately · Stuttgart, DE
Open to robotics, mobile manipulation, robot learning, and applied research roles across the EU. Ready to start immediately.
2024 — 2026
Research Assistant — Robotics
@ Fraunhofer IPA · Stuttgart
Commissioned mobile robots and manipulators across multiple research-industrial projects. Mixed work spanning AMR navigation stacks, manipulator integration, and project-specific ROS2 applications. Conducted research on learning-based whole-body control.
2021 — 2022
Product Application Engineer
@ Aspire Designs · Anand, India
Engineering solutions on Creo Parametric and ANSYS Workbench. Translated client requirements into validated mechanical designs end-to-end.
2020
CAD Engineer Intern
@ Aspire Designs · Anand, India
Project documentation, QA, and design support across the full project lifecycle.

The tools I reach for.

Robot Learning

Reinforcement Learning Behavior Cloning PyTorch MuJoCo Imitation Learning

Robotics

ROS2 MoveIt2 Nav2 Gazebo URDF / Xacro tf2

Languages

Python C++ C MATLAB Bash

Embedded & CAD

ESP32 Microcontrollers Creo Parametric ANSYS Workbench Simulink

Tools & Platforms

Linux / Ubuntu Docker Git Weights & Biases CMake

Languages

English (fluent) German (intermediate, learning)

Selected side work.

[Elsevier · Expert Systems with Applications · 2021]

Selection of bus chassis for large fleet operators in India: An AHP–TOPSIS approach

→ ScienceDirect

Let's build robots that move.

Open to robotics, mobile manipulation, robot learning, and applied research roles across the EU. Always happy to talk shop about whole-body control, RL, or a hard engineering problem.

→ dhruvalde.v29@gmail.com