Apprentice - Robotics Experimentation

About Origin

Origin (previously 10xConstruction) is building general-purpose autonomous robots for US construction to tackle rising costs, safety risks, and labour shortages. Our modular, multi-trade platform combines purpose-built hardware with real-time site intelligence to navigate complex environments and execute tasks with precision. Trained in high-fidelity simulation and already deployed on live sites, our robots deliver 5x faster execution, 250%+ margin expansion, and significant cost savings. Join India’s most talent-dense robotics team consisting of individuals from IITs, Stanford, UCLA, etc.

About the role

Robotic drywall finishing is a hard, unsolved problem, and progress depends on how many good experiments we can run. As an apprentice, you will spend most of your time on the robot: setting up trials, running DOEs on the spraying and sanding process, and turning results into findings that engineering decisions can rest on.

Because you will run the same protocols again and again, you will see better than anyone where the manual effort goes. Your second job is to measure that effort and tell us, with numbers, what to automate next, and to build the simpler automations yourself.

The work is deliberately interdisciplinary: robot, sensors, wiring, scripts and experimental method in the same week. If you think like an experimentalist and are comfortable with a wrench in one hand and a terminal in the other, this role is for you.

What you will do Run experiments on the robot (most of your time)

• Run controlled experiments on robotic drywall finishing processes using hypothesis-driven and DOE-based approaches.
• Identify and isolate independent, dependent, controlled and confounding variables across physical trials.
• Maintain repeatability and reproducibility discipline in measurement; know the difference between a real effect and setup noise.
• Analye cross-system interactions across the robot arm, end-effector, sensors, surface material and motion parameters.
• Convert trial results into clear experiment logs, test reports and result summaries.

Keep setups trial-ready

• Assemble, wire, calibrate and maintain the rigs, fixtures and end-of-arm tooling used in your trials, working with the robotics team.
• Debug setup problems across mechanical, electrical and software layers and keep setups in a known-good state.

Find and drive automation

• Time each step of the experiment cycle and find where hours are lost between "run the trial" and "read the result".
• Propose automations for test protocols (motion sequences, parameter sweeps, data capture, logging, first-pass analysis), ranked by time saved.
• Build the simpler ones in Python (and ROS 2 as you learn it), and write clear specs for the larger ones so the robotics team can build them.

Requirements

Required Qualifications and Skills

• B.E./B.Tech/M.E./M.Tech in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Robotics, Electrical/Electronics, Instrumentation, Industrial, Aerospace or Systems Engineering, completed or in the final year. Applied Sciences or Experimental Physics with strong hands-on work may also be considered.
• 0-2 years of experience. Substantial lab, research, thesis or competition projects (Robocon, FSAE, Mars Rover and similar) count fully. Breadth across several projects matters more than depth in one.
• Hands-on experimentation: you have run physical trials yourself and analyzed the data, in a project, lab or job.
• Python for data analysis and simple scripts.
• Comfort with hardware: wiring, sensors, small assemblies and hand tools.
• Fundamentals of experimental method at coursework level: variables, controls, repeatability and basic statistics.
• Clear written documentation of what you did and what you found.
• Genuine appetite to learn across disciplines, and comfort working on a problem where the right answer isn't known yet.

Preferred Experiences

• Prior experience with imaging-based experimentation setups (computer vision, machine vision, optical measurement, etc.)
• Hands-on experience with robotics or automation systems - ROS, UR systems, or similar.
• Experience with test setup design, instrumentation, or validation workflows.
• Familiarity with Excel/Google Sheets, Python, or MATLAB for experiment logging, data analysis, and plotting.
• Exposure to CAD tools (SolidWorks / Fusion 360 / Onshape) and documentation tools (Notion, Confluence, Jira, or Google Docs).

Benefits

This is a six-month contract-to-hire position, with potential for longer-term opportunities depending on your contributions and interests. We're excited to work with motivated individuals who are eager to support real-world robot development and grow alongside us.

• Gain experience in a dynamic startup environment at the forefront of robotics and AI innovation.
• Contribute to the development of technology that will revolutionize the construction industry.
• Work alongside a talented and passionate team committed to making a real-world impact.
• Learn from experienced professionals and gain valuable skills in robotics software engineering.
• Gain practical experience in a real-world engineering environment.
• Contribute to a project with the potential to make a significant impact on the construction industry.