Full-Time
Senior Robotics Engineer
Updated on 9/4/2026
TerraClear
11-50 employees
Automated rock-picking robots for farming
Compensation Overview
$150k - $200k/yr
King County, WA, USA
Hybrid
Master's, PhD
 AI & Machine Learning (1) |
|---|
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- 5+ years’ experience developing and commercializing robotic systems
- MS or PhD in CS, EE, ME or a related field, or equivalent experience
- Strong C++, Python skills & expertise in ROS or similar robotics software framework
- Deep and current knowledge of robotics autonomy, including motion planning, localization, navigation, and sensor fusion
- Working knowledge of low level controls, including trajectory tracking, feedback control, and state estimation
- Experience integrating a wide range of sensing hardware, including LIDAR, cameras, other range-finding sensors, inertial navigation, GPS/GNSS sensors
- Experience working in a Linux-based environment including modern software engineering practices, experience with git and pull reviews
- Strong communication skills, including active listening, that can convey complex technical topics to teammates in plain English
- Work with the robotics team to architect, design and implement novel robotic systems for controlling ground-based rovers in farm fields
- Collaborate with the product team to clarify requirements
- Select sensing and other hardware components and technologies to enable rapid prototyping
- Serve as a SME on modern robotics technologies spanning sensing, autonomy, controls, and system integration
- Directly contribute in a hands-on manner to solving major technical challenges
- Contribute to a research roadmap in alignment with the TerraClear product roadmap
- Develop test plans for component and system level testing and validation
- Build and test systems in the field
- Play a pivotal role in growing the robotics team
- Field robotics experience with developing new AGVs, UAVs, USVs, or UUVs
- Knowledge of communication protocols including CANBUS, TCP/UDP and wireless communication
- Knowledge of Rust
- Experience with embedded systems, real time applications, PLCs and industrial automation technologies
- Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing experience
- Experience with hydraulic and electrical actuators and systems
- Controls knowledge including linear and nonlinear control systems design
TerraClear creates automated rock-picking systems for farms. Its rock-picking robot uses sensors and robotics to locate and remove rocks from fields, helping farmers reduce manual labor and boost productivity. The product combines aerial sensing, machine vision, high-accuracy GPS, and autonomous robotics to identify rocks, navigate fields, and physically pick them up. Unlike traditional manual rock removal or single-purpose tools, TerraClear offers an integrated, end-to-end solution with ongoing maintenance and software updates, often via a subscription, to keep the system accurate and reliable. The company differentiates itself through its focus on automating a specific farming bottleneck (rock removal) with a turnkey system designed for farmers and agricultural businesses, aiming to lower labor costs and increase crop yields. The goal is to make farming more efficient by removing rocks automatically so farmers can focus on other tasks and decision-making.
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$50.2M
Headquarters
Bellevue, Washington
Founded
2017
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- TerraClear opened 2027 acre commitments after August 25, 2026 commercial weed mapping.
- Five Star Cooperative signed TerraClear for 110,000 acres, starting with 10,000 in 2026.
- Eric Rombokas joined April 3, 2026, strengthening autonomy execution for TerraScout.
What critics are saying
- John Deere See & Scout starts in 2027 and bundles maps free.
- TerraScout remained in field testing on March 6, 2026, delaying revenue recognition.
- $53 million raised constrains manufacturing, support, and acreage expansion against Deere and OEMs.
What makes TerraClear unique
- TerraClear’s August 25, 2026 weed maps detect quarter-inch weeds across full fields.
- TerraScout maps 1,000 acres daily with onboard processing and 60-foot swaths.
- John Deere Operations Center integration removed shapefile friction on December 19, 2025.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Plan
Generous paid time off and holidays
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 6%1 year growth
↑ 4%2 year growth
↑ 2%TerraClear has launched commercial weed mapping for corn and soybeans, offering quarter-inch weed detection across entire fields. The Issaquah-based company delivers full-field imagery at 1.5-millimetre resolution as sprayer-ready maps within 24 hours of collection. The technology identifies individual weeds as small as a quarter inch using RTK positioning, enabling nozzle-level control on modern sprayers. TerraClear built the system on its existing platform, which has already mapped over 1.5 million acres for rock detection across more than 1,000 farm operations. The company can image over 1,000 acres per day in favourable conditions and now accepts acre commitments for the 2027 crop season. TerraClear offers two purchasing options: mapping-as-a-service per acre, or hardware plus subscription for in-house collection.
TerraClear has launched a Giant Ragweed Mapping Service using drone imagery and AI to help organic farmers combat weed infestations. A single giant ragweed plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds, creating a persistent seed bank that threatens future yields. The service provides exact GPS locations of ragweed escapes, eliminating the need for blanket scouting that typically costs $20 to $50 per acre. Timed for late July to early August, before plants drop seeds, the system allows farmers to direct labour precisely to problem areas rather than walking entire fields. TerraClear is accepting bookings for the 2026 summer mapping window. The company combines AI, drone imagery and robotics to address labour-intensive agricultural challenges, including rock management and precision weed control.
Five Star Cooperative, an Iowa-based agricultural cooperative, has partnered with TerraClear to deploy AI-powered field intelligence across 110,000 acres. The rollout begins with 10,000 acres of rock mapping in 2026, expanding to 100,000 acres of weed mapping using TerraClear's autonomous TerraScout system in spring 2027. TerraClear's technology enables farmers to find up to three times more rocks and remove them three times faster, reducing rock-picking costs by an estimated $20 per acre. TerraScout provides plant-level field insights, identifying weeds by species and density whilst delivering real-time maps and recommendations. The system processes data on-site, delivering results before leaving the field. TerraClear will supplement TerraScout with drone-based data collection to ensure consistent coverage during peak seasons.
TerraClear has appointed Eric Rombokas as Director of Robotics and Hardware to lead the development of autonomous systems for large-acre row crops. Rombokas brings over 15 years of experience in developing autonomous systems for complex environments. An Affiliate Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Washington, Rombokas specialises in perception, control and machine learning. At TerraClear, he will focus on advancing field autonomy for the TerraScout platform and scaling sensing systems for real-time farm operations. The appointment comes as the Issaquah-based company expands its autonomous capabilities in agriculture, aiming to provide growers with dependable tools for transforming field data into actionable insights.
TerraClear has launched TerraScout, a fully autonomous robot that collects ultra-high-resolution imagery across entire fields and converts it into prescriptions for existing farm equipment. The robot can map over 1,000 acres daily at speeds up to 15 mph with a 60-foot mapping swath. Founded in 2017, TerraClear has mapped nearly one million acres and served over 1,000 farm operations. TerraScout captures images at 1mm resolution, collecting over four billion samples per acre, and processes data in real-time using onboard computing. Operating autonomously for up to six hours, it can work day or night with artificial lighting. The technology currently focuses on rock and weed management, delivering five to 10 times return on investment. Field trials began earlier this year, with limited commercial release planned for autumn 2026.