Principal Robotics Hardware Engineer

In this role, you will take on challenges in TELEXISTENCE's robot development where the technical approach or feasibility is not yet clear, and drive them to resolution yourself. Grounded in robot hardware development, you will solve problems across all disciplines, not only from the mechanical, electrical, and software perspectives.
As a Principal, you are expected to own the full path to solving the problems that block development: defining what needs to be solved, building hypotheses from first principles, exploring approaches, prototyping and experimenting, and feeding the results into the design. Even when no established solution exists, you will find a path to realization through validation, and you will be responsible for delivering hardware that actually works and can be used on an ongoing basis.
You will also support engineers in each specialized area on the technical side, and lead both the resolution of critical issues that go beyond individual teams and the technical decision-making for the robot system as a whole. You will also do hands-on design, assembly, and experiments yourself.

Key Responsibilities
Solving technical problems with no clear path forward For problems where the requirements, root causes, or solutions are unclear, define the target state and constraints, and separate known facts from unverified hypotheses. Return to the underlying principles of mechanics, mechanisms, materials, manufacturing, and related fields to develop multiple candidate solutions. Plan experiments to validate the most critical and uncertain issues, and manage your own work as well as internal and external resources to carry out prototyping, measurement, and evaluation. When an extension of the existing configuration will not work, explore alternatives with stakeholders, including revisiting the requirements, and lead changes to mechanisms, configurations, components, and manufacturing methods. Own the entire process, from identifying problems and proposing direction to implementation, confirming effectiveness on the actual hardware, and preventing the root problem from recurring, so that the team can move on to the next stage of development. System design and development for sustained operation For existing robots, devices for collecting learning data, and other systems, decide the mechanical system architecture, key interfaces, and performance allocation. Work with electrical, controls, and software specialists to resolve design issues. Reflect constraints from component sourcing, manufacturing, and assembly in design decisions, and own the technical side from prototyping through building the required number of units, evaluation, and ongoing operation. Identify the root causes of failures that occur in testing and operation, validate required performance, reliability, and maintainability, and confirm that countermeasures are effective. Technical leadership across teams Provide technical support, design reviews, and mentoring to development team members, including Lead and Expert engineers, and personally take ownership of the hardest problems to chart a path to their resolution. Communicate technical risks and validation results clearly, and bring stakeholders to agreement on development priorities, required resources, and whether to continue or change course. Share the design rationale, failure cases, and evaluation methods gained through problem-solving in a form other members can reuse, raising the organization's problem-solving capability.

Requirements: Must-Haves
Technical skills 7+ years of hands-on experience making design decisions by combining deep knowledge of mechanisms, drive systems, materials, strength and stiffness, and tolerancing with quantitative analysis and validation on physical hardware. Ability to design with 3D CAD, create drawings, design for manufacturing and assembly, and personally carry out assembly, evaluation, and failure analysis. Understanding of constraints related to sensors, actuators, electrical components, wiring, and thermal management, and the ability to discuss system-level issues with electrical, controls, and software engineers. Professional experience Extensive hands-on experience developing robots, mechatronic systems, or complex mechanical equipment, including taking ownership from concept through evaluation on physical hardware. A track record of solving technical problems with no precedent or established approach by forming your own hypotheses and validating them through prototyping and experiments. You should be able to explain your technical decisions, their rationale, and the results in concrete terms. Experience leading technical problems that span multiple disciplines and contributing to other engineers' results through design reviews and technical guidance. Other Ability to turn unknowns and failures into concrete validation tasks and to persist until they are solved. Ability to step into whatever areas are needed while anchored in your own expertise, incorporate insights from other specialists, and update hypotheses and designs based on experimental results. Willingness to take responsibility for the whole robot actually working, both through your own technical output and through supporting others. Ability to hold technical discussions and negotiations with domestic and international suppliers, and to drive internal technical discussions and collaboration in English.

Requirements: Nice-to-Haves
End effectors and Leader/Follower systems Component-level design and development experience with end effectors, actuators, or robot arms. Experience designing and implementing Leader devices, including developing and evaluating mechanisms that capture the operator's hand and arm motion, operation-assist mechanisms, and operator interfaces. Experience designing and implementing robot hands on the Follower side, including evaluating mechanism, drive, and sensor configurations, and evaluating and improving grasping and manipulation performance, durability, and cost. Experience integrating and implementing Leader–Follower teleoperation systems, including implementing and evaluating motion mapping between the two devices, position and force measurement, calibration, and haptics. Experience developing physical hardware and data collection systems for imitation learning or reinforcement learning, or collaborating with learning/ML teams. Experience with force and tactile sensors, compliant mechanisms, and compact power transmission mechanisms. Actuator development Experience breaking down a robot's actuator requirements, calculating theoretical values against those requirements, and selecting components such as reducers, motors, encoders, and bearings that meet them. Experience customizing the components themselves for overall optimization, not just combining off-the-shelf parts, or experience developing and evaluating components such as reducers and motors yourself. Experience evaluating and improving actuator durability and cost, and negotiating with partners on manufacturing and procurement. Mass production Experience turning research-stage technology into equipment or products that can be used on an ongoing basis, and solving unit-to-unit variation, calibration, and maintenance issues when deploying multiple units. Experience taking a product from prototype to a production ramp-up of roughly 100–1,000 units. Other Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced, highly goal-oriented environment. Ability to find optimal yet practical mechanical design solutions under tight deadlines. Experience designing with 3D CAD (experience with SolidWorks is a plus). Practical experience with risk assessment and an understanding of relevant laws and regulations.