Senior Tactile Sensing Research Engineer, Dexterous Manipulation
Humanoid home-robotics company in the Bay Area, operating since 2014 and shipping its first consumer robot
| Employer | Humanoid home-robotics company in the Bay Area, operating since 2014 and shipping its first consumer robot (not named) |
|---|---|
| Location | San Carlos, CA (Bay Area) · On-site |
| Type & level | Full-time · Senior |
| Pay | USD 200k–250k + equity Source: pay range stated in the source posting |
| Visa path | O-1A fit |
| Role family | Robot Manipulation & Dexterous Control Researcher |
About the role
This research role sits in a lab that works on the gap between current robot capability and human performance. You will push tactile sensing technology through repeated cycles of design, fabrication and testing so robots can perceive the structure and dynamics of contact, not just whether something is touched. The aim is a sensing foundation for dexterous manipulation that moves from research into product.
What you'll do
- Build successive generations of tactile sensors and show measurable gains in resolution, response time, dynamic range and durability.
- Create benchmarking methods that compare sensor performance with human touch and other leading sensing approaches.
- Find and work around fundamental limits in tactile architectures, materials and transduction methods.
- Run experiments that produce evidence for down-selecting between competing sensing concepts.
- Prototype, fabricate and test physical sensing hardware across materials, mechanics and electronics.
- Move promising sensing concepts toward integration with robotic manipulation systems.
Requirements
- PhD in robotics, electrical or mechanical engineering, materials science, bioengineering or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated high-impact work in tactile or related sensing, shown through publications, patents, deployed systems or similar achievements.
- Experience taking sensing technology through multiple generations of design, fabrication and validation.
- Strong hands-on skill building and testing physical sensing systems.
- Track record of identifying and overcoming fundamental performance limits in sensors.
Nice to have
- Experience with soft, compliant or bio-inspired materials in sensing.
- Experience designing custom setups to characterize and benchmark sensors.
- Familiarity with robotic manipulation, dexterous hands or human-machine interaction.
- Experience with custom electronics, transduction or signal-processing pipelines.
- Background in biomechanics, neuroscience, haptics or biologically inspired sensing.
Pay & benefits
USD 200k–250k + equity. The posting lists equity, medical, dental and vision coverage, paid time off and parental leave, and a 401(k) with company match. It also lists FSA/HSA options, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, an assistance program, and onsite meals.
Pay source: pay range stated in the source posting. Market data, not an offer from O1DMatch.
Visa path
Researchers in tactile sensing and manipulation typically document evidence such as peer-reviewed publications, patents, citations, peer review service and deployed systems with measurable impact. The posting states no citizenship restriction. An employer like this or a U.S. agent can file an O-1A petition on a candidate's behalf, and approval depends on the individual's evidence.
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