Experience 1–3 yrs (1+ years)
About the role
structured by ORIAll open rolesMechanical🥋 Mechanical Design Engineer — Exterior & FormPalo Alto, CA (On-Site)/Full-timeApply nowShareAbout the roleAt Proception, we are engineering the next generation of highly dexterous humanoid manipulators. Our mission is to bring machines closer to human capability by merging innovative…
What you will do
- Design high-DOF robotic arms and hands for dynamic manipulation—mechanisms, structures, and compliant systems
- Drive simulation, analysis, prototyping, and testing in a no-silos, build-it-yourself workflow
- Iterate hardware based on test data, field failure, or system noise—fast
- Lead seasonal exterior and form work: covers, housings, part breaks, and tendon/cable concealment over existing structures
- Design cosmetic parts as structural parts: impact resistance, cycle life, and serviceable fastening
What they are looking for
- 1+ years of experience designing mission-critical mechanical systems for robotics or automation
- Mastery of CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion), FEA, and precision design—including surfacing for curvature-continuous cosmetic geometry
- Experience prototyping with your own hands—machining, printing, assembling, debugging
- Fluent in tolerance stack-ups, material properties, thermal constraints, and load paths
- Designed for real-world wear, slop, EMI, torque ripple, and backlash
- Demonstrated eye for form: shipped parts or a portfolio showing engineering work that also looks intentional
- Startup reflexes: you bias toward execution, learn fast, and document like it matters
Nice to have
- Experience with humanoids, exoskeletons, prosthetics, soft robots, or tendon drives
- Experience with testing and validation of mechanical systems
- Working knowledge of CMF and finishing processes—anodization, bead blasting, molded textures, paint
- Rendering skills (KeyShot, Blender)
Benefits
- Competitive salary and meaningful equity
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
- Work with world-class researchers and engineers in AI and robotics
- High-ownership role with opportunity to lead mechanical and exterior design efforts
- Help define and build next-generation embodied intelligence systems
Mechanical EngineeringCADFEASurfacingPrototypingMachiningTolerance Stack-upsRenderingSolidWorksFusionKeyShotBlender
Full posting text
Experience: 1+ years Full-time Mechanical Design Engineer to work on structural and actuation design for our humanoid upper body and hand systems—one who also has the eye and surfacing skills to own the exterior.