Principal AI Interaction Engineer in Portsmouth

We are looking for an AI Interaction Engineer to lead the development of expressive, emotionally legible robot interactions. This role sits at the intersection of AI, animation, and robotics and focuses on motion, expression, and behaviour generation rather than classical task planning or control. This is a high-impact role with significant technical ownership. You will shape both how interactions are built and what expressive capabilities are possible, translating cutting-edge research into robust, real-world systems.

What you’ll work on:

• Lead the design and implementation of AI-based motion and expression generation for robots
• Define interaction architectures that combine motion, timing, and emotional cues
• Translate animation and virtual human research into systems that respect robotic constraints
• Drive technical exploration and prototyping in expressive interaction and embodied AI
• Partner closely with engineers, designers, roboticists, and product engineers to shape interaction quality
• Evaluate, adapt, and integrate state-of-the-art research into production pipelines
• Help set technical direction and best practices for AI-driven interaction work

Required experience:

• Strong experience working with AI/machine learning systems (research and/or applied)
• Deep experience in one or more of the following: Human motion generation, Character animation or character control, Emotion recognition or affective computing, Human pose estimation, Virtual humans or embodied AI
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch)
• Proven ability to translate research ideas into working systems
• Track record of technical ownership and independent problem-solving
• Creative, research-driven mindset with comfort operating in ambiguous problem spaces

Nice to have:

• Experience working with robots or physically embodied systems
• Background in computer graphics or animation pipelines
• Publications, patents, or open-source contributions in relevant areas
• Experience mentoring other engineers or influencing technical direction
• Familiarity with real-time or production AI systems

Education:

• Master’s or PhD in AI, Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Graphics, or a related field preferred; however, strong candidates with proven skill sets are welcome regardless of educational background

Why this role matters:

Interaction quality is a core differentiator for our product. This role directly shapes how users perceive, understand, and emotionally connect with our robots. As a senior hire, you will have outsized influence on both the technical foundations and the expressive capabilities of the Interaction Team.

About Engineered Arts:

Engineered Arts is the leading manufacturer of full-size humanoid robots used for entertainment, education, and communication. With 20 years of hardware and software development, our robots have been sold in over 30 countries worldwide with customers such as NASA, PwC, Meta, and many more. Our Ameca robot is well known as ‘the face of AI’ and a social media viral success, taking advantage of the generative AI craze. Along with our ultra-realistic Mesmer range of animated figures, our robots continue to surprise and excite visitors at museums, theme parks, visitor attractions, and trade shows, as well as aid leading universities with AI and robotics research. Our robots are poised to break into the future mega-expansion service robot segment, with applications such as front of house, receptions, check-in desks, information points, and PoS. We are also exploring how our humanoid robot technology can disrupt other robotics sectors such as the growing cobot sub-segment of the industrial robotics market.

We are a team of dedicated engineers and creatives striving to develop the very best experiences for our customers. Our internal motto is ‘Be Wow’, everything we do is fun, entertaining, or surprising to encounter. We always push the boundaries of what is possible in humanoid robotics, researching and developing new systems and techniques to further their appeal. We explore and challenge the human perception of robots as well as the fear and discomfort and the excitement and joy life-like mechanical humanoids present. At Engineered Arts, innovation is at the core of everything we do — and we believe true innovation only happens when diverse minds come together. We are committed to building a workplace where people of all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives feel welcome, supported, and empowered to contribute. Whether you’re an engineer, developer, or creative thinker, we value what makes you unique. We actively promote inclusion across our hiring, design, and development practices, and we’re always looking for new ways to reflect the world around us — in our team, our robots, and our ideas. Because building the future means including everyone in it. We are committed to equal opportunity in employment and comply with all applicable non-discrimination and equal employment laws in the regions where we operate.