Prototype Engineer

About the Role

This role is part of the hardware team and involves collaborating cross-functionally across research, deployments, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly design and fabricate mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes to support research experiments and engineering development.
• Partner directly with researchers to understand experimental requirements and translate them into buildable hardware systems.
• Build end-to-end prototype systems: from concept sketches through CAD, fabrication, wiring, sensor integration, and validation.
• Design and iterate on fixtures, jigs, test rigs, and custom tooling to enable research workflows.
• Evaluate and select sensors, actuators, and off-the-shelf components for integration into prototype systems.
• Develop quick-turn PCBs, wiring harnesses, and cable assemblies for prototype electronics.
• Perform hands-on assembly, troubleshooting, and debugging of electromechanical and robotic systems.
• Collaborate with electrical and robot software engineers to integrate hardware with control systems, firmware, and runtime software.
• Identify and address failure modes specific to hardware operating in unstructured, real-world environments (contact forces, wear, thermal effects, cable management, etc.).
• Document designs, test results, and build procedures to support knowledge transfer and design iteration.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.