Full-Time
Physical AI Architect
Updated on 8/24/2026
Pickle Robot
51-200 employees
Robotic unloading solutions for warehouses
Compensation Overview
$150k - $350k/yr
Charlestown, Boston, MA, USA
Hybrid
Master's, PhD
 AI & Machine Learning (2) |
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- Demonstrated track record of shipping AI-powered systems to production.
- A Master’s or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated expertise.
- Deep subject matter expertise in diffusion models applied to robot learning, including diffusion policies and score-based generative models for behavior cloning or planning.
- Strong command of optimal control theory and practice, including model predictive control, trajectory optimization, and feedback control.
- Hands-on experience with hardware integration, including sensor pipelines such as RGB-D, force/torque, and encoders; embedded compute such as NVIDIA Jetson, ARM systems-on-chip, and field-programmable gate arrays; and actuator interfaces.
- Proficiency in Python and C++.
- Familiarity with Robot Operating System 2 or equivalent robotics middleware.
- Experience with real-time systems constraints and the performance tradeoffs of deploying learned models on robot hardware.
- Ability to design maintainable and observable systems with explicit consideration of failure modes.
- Ability to communicate effectively and drive technical decisions across cross-functional teams.
- Serve as the technical architect for the Physical AI stack, owning the end-to-end design of perception, planning, and control systems deployed on production hardware.
- Lead the application of diffusion-based policy learning and optimal control techniques to robot manipulation and picking tasks, focusing on real-world reliability and cycle-time performance.
- Define the technical roadmap for how diffusion models and optimal control complement each other in the autonomy architecture, and build internal alignment around that vision.
- Drive hardware integration across sensors, compute, and actuators by partnering with firmware, mechanical, and software engineering teams to co-design AI systems with the physical platform and ground them in operational realities.
- Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks at the intersection of model inference, motion execution, and hardware throughput.
- Mentor senior engineers and help grow the technical depth of the broader autonomy team.
Pickle Robot develops dock-side robots that help unload trucks and containers at warehouse loading docks for logistics and e-commerce operations. The robots work alongside human workers, using sensors and software to plan and execute unloading tasks, reducing physical strain and increasing throughput. They differentiate themselves by focusing specifically on dock unloading, offering options to own or lease the robots plus ongoing maintenance and software services. The goal is to improve safety and efficiency at loading docks, enabling faster unloading and less fatigue for workers.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$102.5M
Headquarters
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Founded
2018
Get referred to Pickle Robot
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Pickle raised $50 million in November 2024 and ordered 30-plus robots immediately.
- Yusen Logistics showed active 2026 deployments handling 200,000-plus containers annually.
- Pickle hired CFO Jeff Evanson in December 2025 and 50 engineers in 2025.
What critics are saying
- UPS concentration is dangerous; one delayed rollout would crush 2026 revenue visibility.
- Physical reliability remains brutal; field deployments expose downtime, damaged parcels, and integration failures.
- Warehouse robotics incumbents and internal automation teams can commoditize unloading before Pickle scales profitably.
What makes Pickle Robot unique
- Pickle combines truck unloading, vision, and path-planning into one dock workflow.
- The 2026 Ambi Robotics integration extends Pickle from trailers into palletizing automation.
- Dill works alongside humans, targeting live docks instead of greenfield warehouse redesigns.
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Benefits
Healthcare
401k
Snacks and cold brew
Competitive pay
Equity stakes
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 3%1 year growth
↑ 7%2 year growth
↑ 0%Innovators Netstock, Pickle Robot win NextGen Solution Provider awards. Netstock, Pickle Robot will share how their technologies are helping organizations improve planning, automate warehouse operations and deploy AI to solve real-world supply chain challenges. SCMR Staff · July 21, 2026 · Executive takeaways. * Two innovative solution providers will be honored during the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference for delivering measurable customer value. * Award winners span AI-powered planning, warehouse automation and collaborative robotics, highlighting how technology is transforming supply chain execution. * Unlike traditional awards programs, NextGen winners present their real-world strategies and customer outcomes to attendees. * The conference combines executive education, networking and peer-to-peer learning with insights from leading manufacturers, retailers, healthcare organizations and technology providers. Innovation doesn't happen in a laboratory. It happens when new ideas solve real business problems. That philosophy sits at the heart of the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference, where three of the industry's most innovative technology companies will be recognized during the annual NextGen Supply Chain Solution Provider Awards. Presented during Friday morning's general session, the awards recognize solution providers that have demonstrated measurable customer impact through intelligent technologies that improve planning, warehouse execution and operational performance. More importantly, award winners won't simply accept a trophy - they will share with attendees how they developed their technologies, how customers are deploying them and what lessons other organizations can apply inside their own supply chains. This year's winners represent three very different approaches to innovation, yet all focus on helping organizations execute faster, smarter and with greater confidence. All of the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference awards, which include the End User, Solution Provider, Startup, Partnership in Execution, and Visionary, are sponsored by Zion Solutions Group. Intelligent Transformation Award: Netstock. Netstock earned the Intelligent Transformation Award for helping small and midsize businesses modernize inventory planning through AI-driven decision support. Integrated with more than 60 ERP systems, Netstock replaces spreadsheet-driven planning with intelligent recommendations that analyze inventory positions, supplier performance, demand signals and operational risk before stockouts or excess inventory occur. Its Opportunity Engine has generated more than 1.4 million inventory recommendations representing more than $20 billion in potential inventory value across its customer base. Conference attendees will hear directly from Barry Kukkuk, co-founder and chief technology officer, who will discuss how AI can help lean planning organizations make enterprise-quality decisions without requiring enterprise-sized staffs. Autonomous Operations Award: Pickle Robot. Warehouse unloading has long been one of distribution's most labor-intensive and physically demanding jobs. Winner of the Autonomous Operations Award, Pickle Robot developed an autonomous unloading system that can be deployed within minutes, integrates with existing conveyor infrastructure and requires no warehouse management system modifications. The technology has already unloaded more than 25 million pounds of freight while helping organizations including UPS, Yusen Logistics, Ryobi Tools and Randa Apparel improve productivity, increase throughput and reduce workplace injuries. At NextGen, Pete Blair, vice president of product and marketing, will explain how autonomous robotics are moving beyond pilots into full-scale production environments. More than an awards ceremony. Unlike many industry awards programs, the NextGen Supply Chain Awards are designed to educate as much as recognize. Each winning organization shares practical lessons learned, implementation strategies and measurable customer outcomes, giving attendees actionable ideas they can apply inside their own operations. The awards complement a conference program featuring executives from organizations including Wayfair, Eli Lilly, Tractor Supply Company, Apple, Amazon, Stanford Medicine, Target, DP World, Fanatics, Evonik and many other industry leaders. Across keynote presentations, fireside chats, panel discussions and interactive Small Group Sessions, attendees will explore artificial intelligence, automation, digital transformation, workforce development and operational execution through real-world case studies. Sponsorship opportunities continue to fill. The NextGen Supply Chain Conference continues to attract strong industry support from leading technology providers and service organizations committed to advancing supply chain innovation. Current sponsors include: * Diamond Sponsor Zion Solutions Group * Platinum Sponsor Gather AI * Gold Sponsors Cycle Labs, Dematic and Geek+ * Bronzer Sponsor Verity * Associate Sponsor AutoScheduler Organizations interested in participating still have opportunities available, including a limited number of Gold Sponsorships. Gold Sponsors receive a premium speaking opportunity featuring a 30-minute customer case study presented jointly with an end-user customer, allowing attendees to hear firsthand how organizations are solving today's most pressing supply chain challenges through measurable business outcomes. With just 7 Gold sponsorship opportunities remaining, organizations interested in participating are encouraged to reserve their space soon. Join Supply Chain Management Review in Nashville. The 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference will take place October 21-23 at the W Nashville in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Early-bird registration is now open, giving supply chain, logistics, procurement and operations leaders access to three days of executive education, networking and practical learning. Organizations interested in increasing their visibility among senior supply chain decision-makers can also explore sponsorship opportunities. A limited number of Gold Sponsorships remain available, each including a 30-minute customer case study presented jointly with an end-user customer. Faq. Q: what are the NextGen Supply Chain Solution Provider Awards? The NextGen Supply Chain Solution Provider Awards recognize technology companies that have delivered measurable business results for customers through innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, warehouse automation, robotics and supply chain execution. Q: who are the 2026 NextGen Solution Provider Award winners? The 2026 winners are Netstock (Intelligent Transformation) and Pickle Robot (Autonomous Operations), each recognized for technologies that improve supply chain performance through AI, automation and collaborative robotics. Q: what makes the NextGen Supply Chain Conference awards different? Unlike many industry awards that simply recognize innovation, the NextGen Supply Chain Conference gives winners the opportunity to share the strategies, implementation process and measurable business outcomes behind their success through live presentations and executive discussions. Q: what can attendees expect at the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference? Attendees will gain practical insights from supply chain executives, technology providers and award winners through keynote presentations, case studies, panel discussions and networking focused on AI, digital transformation, warehouse operations, logistics and the future of supply chain leadership. Sc mr. The NextGen Supply Chain Conference will showcase award-winning technology companies Netstock and Pickle Robot, giving attendees the opportunity to hear directly from the innovators behind AI-powered planning, autonomous warehouse operations and collaborative robotics. Don't miss out on the best in supply chain. Get premium resources and in-depth, comprehensive feature articles written by the industry's top experts - delivered.
Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company have integrated their systems to fully automate inbound logistics operations for Fortune 500 retail and logistics operators. The solution combines Pickle Robot's trailer-unloading systems with Ambi Robotics' AmbiStack multi-purpose stacking technology, creating an autonomous flow from trailers through warehouse receiving. The deployment leverages existing warehouse infrastructure without requiring major facility redesigns. Cases are unloaded from trailers by Pickle Robot's systems, then inducted via conveyor into AmbiStack for identification, scanning and stacking. Both companies emphasise interoperability in warehouse automation. Ambi Robotics, founded in 2018 and based in Berkeley, develops AI-powered robotics for commercial operations. Pickle Robot, headquartered in Charlestown, specialises in automated truck unloading and aims to reach one million dock doors with robotic systems over the next decade.
Pickle Robot to share lessons learned from taking robots out of the lab and into the field. Pickle uses robotic gripping technology working in coordination with path planning to pick and place packages at human or better-than-human speed. Source: Pickle Robot Co. Moving robots from controlled lab settings into live customer environments exposes challenges and stress that no one can predict. At the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place May 27-28, 2026, in Boston, Ariana Eisenstein, the founder and CTO of Pickle Robot Co., will be sharing the company's own learnings from bringing its truck unloading robot to workplaces. This session, "Lessons from Taking Robots Out of the Lab and Into the Field," breaks down the lessons Pickle learned in making warehouse robots not only reliable but also commercially viable. From hardware durability to autonomy edge cases and customer integration, Eisenstein will share the learnings from what it really takes to deploy robots that perform during shifts, day after day. Eisenstein is known for building and leading high-performing software and hardware teams that solve novel challenges. Her team at Pickle is leading the commercialization of physical AI, enabling robots to do physical work that delivers ROI for customers. Prior to Pickle, Eisenstein developed an FPGA platform for testing computer vision algorithms developed in hardware at MIT and led HDL development for neuro-technology programs at Leaf Labs. Ari has a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering and a master's degree in computer engineering, both from MIT. More about Pickle Robot. Charlestown, Mass.-based Pickle Robot aims to apply physical AI to truck unloading and develop generalized autonomy that will unlock robot orchestration across logistics processes. Pickle's trailer-unloading robots feature one robotic arm that can pick up boxes weighing up to 50 lb. (22.5 kg). The robot then places the boxes on an onboard conveyor belt for transport into the warehouse. The company explained that it takes a "synchronized" approach to hardware and software development. This approach is built on a foundation of generative AI and machine vision. On the hardware side, the company combines advanced software with industrial robot arms and engineered components. Pickle said it uses robotic grippers with path-planning software to pick and place packages at human or better-than-human speed. About the Robotics Summit & Expo. Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world's leading technical event for commercial robotics developers. The event is produced by The Robot Report and WTWH Media. The show will have more than 50 sessions in tracks on artificial intelligence, design and development, enabling technologies, healthcare, and logistics. The Engineering Theater on the show floor will also feature presentations by industry experts. The Robotics Summit will also feature a number of networking opportunities. They include a Mix & Mingle Networking Reception after the first day of the show and the ticketed RBR50 Awards Dinner. The Robotics Summit & Expo is co-located with DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices.
Peter Santos, Chief Operating Officer of Pickle Robot Company, presents the "Real-World Deployment of Mobile Material Handling Robotics in the Supply Chain" tutorial at the May 2025 Embedded Vision Summit.
Pickle Robot Company ("Pickle Robot") has raised $50 million in series B funding with participation from a strategic customer, Teradyne Robotics Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Ranpak, Third Kind Venture Capital, One Madison Group, Hyperplane, Catapult Ventures, and others.