Key Skills

Job Description

We're hiring: Robotics & Mechatronics Engineer – AI-Driven Soft Robotic Harvesting Wageningen Campus · 0.7 FTE · hybrid · start from November 2026 At Wageningen Robotics, we build cutting-edge advanced robotics for agrifood system innovation, right in the heart of the Wageningen Campus and the Foodvalley ecosystem. Our current flagship, supported by a Dutch MIT R&D grant, is an AI-driven robotic system that harvests mushrooms autonomously: it detects mushrooms, selects the right targets, approaches them with a manipulator and gently detaches them with a pneumatic soft gripper. Join us at an early stage and help shape a technology that could change how food is harvested, from the first prototype to the patent What you'll do – Design and build pneumatic soft actuators and grippers, using 3D printing and silicone casting – Develop pneumatic control and electronics for sensors, valves and actuators – Integrate the gripper with the robot arm, cameras and depth sensors – Build ROS2 nodes and system integration in Python and/or C++ – Run experiments on harvest success, cycle time, grasp reliability and crop damage – Turn your innovations into protected IP: you'll take part in patent drafting and filing, and be named as inventor on the inventions you co-create Who you are – Background in robotics, mechatronics, or mechanical, electrical or control engineering – A practical, curious engineer who loves building things (you don't need every skill) – Able to work on site at the Wageningen Campus – Right to live and work in the Netherlands – Good communicator in English Nice to have: soft robotics, pneumatics, embedded systems, tactile sensing, computer vision, RGB-D calibration, CAD. Agri-robotics experience is a plus, not a must. What we offer – €3,000–3,200 gross per month on a full-time basis, paid pro rata, plus 8% holiday allowance – 25 holiday days (full-time basis) – Hybrid: at least two days a week at StartHub Wageningen – One-year contract, with a possible second year – Real technical ownership from day one, and first-hand experience of building a deep-tech start-up: IP, patents, funding and commercialisation Ready to build the future of agrifood robotics? Apply via LinkedIn or send your CV and motivation to [email protected]. More info: https://www.wagrobotics.com/vacancy-robotics-mechatronics-engineer-samen #robotics #mechatronics #softrobotics #agrifood #ROS2 #innovation #hiring #Wageningen #Foodvalley

Core Responsibilities

Design and build pneumatic soft actuators and grippers, develop their control electronics, and integrate them with robot arms, cameras, and depth sensors using ROS 2 and Python and/or C++. Run harvesting experiments to evaluate success, cycle time, grasp reliability, and crop damage, and contribute to patent drafting and filing for co-created inventions.

Requirements

Candidates should have a background in robotics, mechatronics, or mechanical, electrical, or control engineering, and be practical, curious, and able to work on site at Wageningen Campus. Applicants must have the right to live and work in the Netherlands and communicate well in English; experience with soft robotics, pneumatics, embedded systems, tactile sensing, computer vision, RGB-D calibration, or CAD is an advantage.

Benefits

• Holiday Allowance
• 25 Holiday Days
• Hybrid Work
• Technical Ownership
• Patent and Commercialization Experience