Assess robotics systems integration by asking how the candidate makes components work together and diagnoses failures across their boundaries. A successful component demonstration does not establish that the integrated robot behaves correctly.
Use a fictional or authorized, sanitized scenario. Keep physical testing within a properly supervised environment.
Follow a system-level failure
A fictional mobile robot behaves correctly in simulation but stops unexpectedly during a controlled test. Provide a system diagram, synthetic logs, and a description of the test conditions.
Ask the candidate to organize hypotheses before proposing a fix. Relevant areas may include timestamps, coordinate frames, message assumptions, configuration, resource limits, and differences between simulated and physical conditions.
Inspect the interfaces
| Interface question | Evidence to seek |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Does each component interpret the data the same way? |
| Timing | Is information current enough for its consumer? |
| Coordinates | Are positions and orientations expressed consistently? |
| Failure behavior | What happens when a component stops or returns invalid data? |
| Configuration | Can the tested system be reproduced? |
| Ownership | Who can change or validate each side of the boundary? |
Use only the dimensions relevant to the actual role.
Ask for a safe investigation plan
The candidate should explain what can be checked offline, what requires simulation, and what would require a supervised physical test.
Look for deliberate isolation of variables and clear stop conditions. Trial and error on moving hardware should not be the default diagnostic strategy.
Discuss the simulation gap
Ask which assumptions are simplified in the simulation and how the candidate would test whether those simplifications matter.
A good answer distinguishes evidence that a component works from evidence that the full system works under relevant conditions. It should also state what remains untested.
Review a past integration
Invite the candidate to explain a project they can discuss without sharing private designs or customer details. Focus on their contribution, the interface problem, how it was reproduced, and the lasting change.
Do not infer integration experience solely from a list of robotics libraries.
Record the hiring implication
Distinguish system diagnosis, software implementation, hardware familiarity, and test discipline. Clarify where a specialist teammate would still be required.
Use the perception versus planning guide and embedded software role guide. Discuss a robotics search with Refery.