{"id":679247,"url":"https://alion.io/job/mindrobotics-mechanical-design-engineer-tactile-sensing","title":"Mechanical Design Engineer, Tactile Sensing","company":{"id":678470,"name":"Mind Robotics","domain":"mindrobotics.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/mindrobotics","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":88,"open_postings":26,"ghost_share":0.192,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":53,"computed_at":"2026-10-10T05:45:15Z"}},"role":"Robotics","role_family":"Robotics","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Palo Alto, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":149000,"max_usd":285000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":247},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Physical AI","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-05-18T21:05:28Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-05-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T02:35:05Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":146,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":145},"description":"About Mind\nMind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems. Join us if you want to move beyond digital intelligence and put intelligence into motion.\nAbout the Role\nWe are looking for a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the physical design, material selection, and integration of our next-generation tactile sensing systems that allows our robots to feel, manipulate, and interact with the physical world in real time. In this role, you will bridge the gap between hard mechanical architecture and soft, compliant material interfaces, building robust sensory \"skins\" for robotic hands, grippers, and contact-rich interfaces.\nResponsibilities\nDesign and develop mechanical components, assemblies, and skins for tactile sensors integrated into robotic end effectors (fingertips, palms, gripper surfaces) , data collection gloves and other contact-rich subsystems.\n\nOwn the tactile sensor stack mechanically from transducer packaging and skin/elastomer design through integration into volume-constrained, cable-routed assemblies.\n\nDevelop and tune elastomer / compliant materials (silicone, urethane, gels) including durometer selection, embedded markers or particles, surface texturing, and durability under shear and cyclic loading.\n\nRapidly build, test, and break prototypes. Use 3D printing and manual fabrication to validate designs.\n\nPerform analyses (FEA, contact mechanics, tolerance, thermal) to validate sensor performance, predict failure modes, and guide design decisions.\n\nDesign characterization fixtures and accelerated test plans - indenters, force/torque ground truth setups, shear testers, life-cycle rigs - to validate tactile performance under realistic contact conditions.\n\nContribute to DFM/DFA efforts so sensor designs scale from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production.\n\nSource components and work closely with machine shops, materials suppliers, and contract manufacturers to ensure parts are manufactured and shipped to spec and on time.\n\nDevelop specifications and accelerated test plans to validate the product for its lifetime.\n\nCollaborate cross-functionally with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams to translate raw sensor signals into usable manipulation feedback.\n\nQualifications\nExceptional Mechanical Intuition. You understand how forces, materials, and contact mechanics behave instinctively.\n\n5+ years of experience (or equivalent \"hard tech\" projects) building complex electromechanical systems, sensors, or tactile/haptic devices.\n\nDirect experience with at least one tactile sensing modality - capacitive, resistive, optical/vision-based, magnetic, , piezoelectric, MEMS, or barometric.\n\nStrong materials intuition, particularly with elastomers - hands-on experience with casting, molding, surface treatments, and characterization.\n\nFamiliarity with rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, machining, soft lithography, etc.\n\nHigh proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.\n\nHands-on problem-solving approach with ability to iterate quickly.\n\nExperience designing for volume processes (injection molding, casting, CNC, etc.) and working with contract manufacturers.\n\nYou are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an \"engineering curiosity\" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.\n\nBonus\nPhD or research experience in tactile / haptic sensing, soft robotics, or contact-rich manipulation.\n\nExperience designing sensor characterization rigs and analyzing the resulting data.\n\nWorking knowledge of sensor electronics and analog front-ends sufficient to collaborate deeply with EE.\n\nPrior work on humanoid hands, dexterous grippers, or prosthetics.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3996,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-10T23:17:49Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 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