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Mechanical Design Engineer: Robotics Hardware Engineering, Robot Design

Meta
Redmond, USA
Full-time
Senior · 8+ years experience
Onsite
USD 173000-245000 yearly / year
Discovered 1 weeks ago
SolidWorksNXCREORhinoCNCAutodesk Alias
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Responsibilities

  • Translate industrial design intent (from ID models, renderings, and printed busts) into CAD geometry with complex, multi-patch surface construction
  • Build and maintain Class-A and high-quality B-surface models for exterior robot panels, covers, and housings using advanced surfacing techniques (G2/G3 continuity, multi-span lofts, curvature-matched blends)
  • Manage the tension between aesthetic design intent, safety, structural, thermal, and manufacturing feasibility — negotiate changes that satisfy all three
  • Develop parametric surfacing strategies that allow rapid iteration on form while preserving engineering constraints (wall thickness, draft, undercut limits, parting lines)
  • Define and enforce safe-by-design guidelines: minimum edge radii, maximum surface hardness, breakaway/compliant panel strategies, and finger/limb entrapment gap standards
  • Design protective structures that limit contact force and pressure to safe thresholds during intended and unintended human-robot interaction
  • Own the mechanical safety architecture of the humanoid platform — exterior shells, padding systems, compliant covers, pinch-point elimination, and edge-radius standards
  • Conduct and maintain risk assessments (per ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, and emerging collaborative/humanoid robot safety standards) to identify hazards from moving parts, contact forces, and entrapment geometries
  • Perform hand calculations and FEA for impact, crush, and pinch scenarios; define material and geometry requirements that bound contact forces within safety limits
  • Collaborate with controls and firmware teams to ensure mechanical safety features complement electronic safety systems (force limiting, collision detection, safe stop)
  • Support safety certification efforts — prepare design evidence packages, test plans, and compliance documentation for regulatory submissions
  • Investigate and resolve safety-related findings from testing, user studies, and hazard reviews
  • Define and enforce surface quality standards: curvature continuity specs, reflection line criteria, and acceptable deviation from design intent
  • Work closely with DFMA engineers and molding vendors to ensure complex surfaces are manufacturable via injection molding, thermoforming, or composite layup — resolving draft, undercut, and flow challenges
  • Generate and manage scan-to-CAD workflows when iterating from physical models or prototypes
  • Produce rendered visualizations and surface analysis outputs (zebra stripes, curvature combs, deviation maps) to communicate design quality to stakeholders
  • Partner with industrial designers to jointly develop forms that are safe, beautiful, and buildable
  • Collaborate with mechanical design engineers on structural integration — mounting, sealing, cable routing, and serviceability behind exterior panels
  • Work with materials engineers on surface material selection: soft-touch elastomers, impact-absorbing foams, rigid plastics, and fabric/textile outers
  • Support user research and human factors teams with physical mock-ups and rapid prototypes for ergonomic and safety validation

Minimum Qualifications

  • BS degree in Mechanical Engineering or relevant field
  • 8+ years of mechanical design experience with significant work in complex surface modeling
  • Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, NX, or CREO, Rhino)
  • Working knowledge of CNC machining processes — understanding of fixturing, tool access, setup minimization, and achievable tolerances
  • Experience with rapid prototyping manufacturing processes and materials
  • Experience designing exterior enclosures or covers for electromechanical products with high aesthetic standards
  • Working knowledge of mechanical safety principles — contact force limits, entrapment hazards, edge/radius requirements, and energy-absorbing material systems
  • Familiarity with injection molding, thermoforming, or composite manufacturing as it relates to complex-geometry parts
  • Ability to interpret and apply GD&T for sculptural parts with compound curvature
  • Strong collaboration skills — comfortable working at the intersection of industrial design, mechanical engineering, and safety
  • Experience managing time-sensitive projects through to completion while balancing evolving priorities and a broad range of stakeholders
  • Experience in tolerance analysis, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T per ASME Y14.5)
  • Experience in Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to influence design decisions across multidisciplinary teams
  • Background in high-mix/low-volume transitioning to mid-volume production environments

Preferred Qualifications

  • Direct experience with robotic systems — BLDC motors, actuators, gearboxes, linkage mechanisms
  • MS in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, or related discipline
  • Background in impact biomechanics or human injury tolerance thresholds (e.g., pain onset, bruising limits per ISO/TS 15066 body model)
  • Experience with Autodesk Alias or ICEM Surf for Class-A surface development
  • Familiarity with soft robotics materials — silicone skins, TPU, EVA foams, viscoelastic padding
  • Experience with physical prototyping methods for form validation: CNC foam milling, 3D printing, vacuum forming
  • Background in consumer electronics, automotive interiors, medical devices, or wearables where safety and surface quality are co-equal requirements
  • Knowledge of FEA for non-linear contact and soft material deformation (Abaqus, LS-DYNA, or similar)
  • Experience in thermal management
  • Familiarity with statistical tolerance analysis and process capability (Cp/Cpk)
  • Experience with additional manufacturing processes: sheet metal, additive manufacturing, anodizing, and plating
  • Experience with PLM/PDM systems (Teamcenter, Solidworks PDM, Windchill, or similar)
  • Experience writing a clear failure report that a cross-functional team can act on

Compensation

  • $173,000/year - $245,000/year; Country: US; Bonus eligible; Equity eligible

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