Robotics interview prep when AI has to move a robot

Check what the robot sensed, explain how it moved and decide what still needs a test.

Try a robotics interview

What companies say they’re looking for

01 Check what the robot sees

“the disconnect between how vision algorithms are evaluated and how they are ultimately used.” (opens the source)

Kartik Venkataraman, Director of Engineering, Intrinsic · Intrinsic, Aug 21, 2025

Venkataraman connects pose scores to the task a robot has to complete. Check which reference frame the result uses.

Robotics perception interviewAre the positions in the same frame?Example

02 Check the contact evidence

“It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.” (opens the source)

Aaron Parness, Director, Applied Science, Amazon · About Amazon, May 7, 2025 · Updated Jun 4, 2026

Parness describes touch and vision in Vulcan. In the case, check whether the contact data came from the current pick.

Robotic manipulation interviewHow many objects reached the tray?Example

03 Account for the actuator

“If the simulation used for training assumes the motors are over-idealized, the policy can end up learning things the real hardware can’t actually do.” (opens the source)

Xiaoyu (Andy) Wu, Controls Engineer on the Atlas team, Boston Dynamics · Boston Dynamics, Nov 9, 2026

Wu explains how a simulated motor can mislead a learned policy. Compare when the model and the recorded robot begin to move.

Robot simulation interviewWhy did the motion arrive short?Example

04 Choose a control trade-off

“We, as engineers, have to decide what is likely to vary, and be choosy about what we require the policy to be robust to” (opens the source)

Jonathan Hurst, Co-founder and Chief Robot Officer, Agility Robotics · Agility Robotics, Oct 23, 2026

Hurst asks which changes a robot must handle. See how a second load changes the controller choice in the case.

Robotics controls interviewWhich response holds under both loads?Example

05 Cover the behavior before a trial

“compare the results with manual performance and run a controlled pilot in a real distribution centre.” (opens the source)

PAL Robotics, ARAL project lead and article author · PAL Robotics, Nov 4, 2026

PAL describes a Barcelona testbed and a future controlled pilot. Check which robot behaviors have trial evidence for the current build.

Robotics integration interviewWhich behavior is missing from the trial evidence?Example

Sources

Kartik Venkataraman, Director of Engineering, Intrinsic, at the time. Intrinsic, “Accelerating advances in AI-driven perception to unlock new value for industry”, Aug 21, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Aaron Parness, Director, Applied Science, Amazon, at the time. About Amazon, “Introducing Vulcan: Amazon's first robot with a sense of touch”, May 7, 2025 · Updated Jun 4, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Xiaoyu (Andy) Wu, Controls Engineer on the Atlas team, Boston Dynamics, at the time. Boston Dynamics, “Atlas On a Roll”, Nov 9, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Jonathan Hurst, Co-founder and Chief Robot Officer, Agility Robotics, at the time. Agility Robotics, “Jonathan Hurst answers your questions about building Digit 5”, Oct 23, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
PAL Robotics, ARAL project lead and article author, at the time. PAL Robotics, “ARAL: bringing physical AI to logistics in fashion and retail”, Nov 4, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.

Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026