Mechanical Design Engineer Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems

DivyaSree; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

AB Labs in Bangalore is seeking a founding Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical design of an autonomous ground vehicle platform. You will own the chassis, drivetrain interfaces, payload mounting, sensor packaging, and enclosure design from PoC to handoff for manufacturing.

You will apply CAD (SolidWorks/Fusion 360), conduct FEA and topology optimization, ensure environmental robustness, and drive DFM readiness.

Qualifications

• Experience with robotics/mechanical design for field-deployed hardware.
• 2–5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with FEA/topology optimization.
• Hands-on prototyping and testing.

Responsibilities

• Design chassis, suspension, and load-bearing structures for outdoor use.
• Own CAD models and version control.
• Apply topology optimization to minimize weight while maintaining stiffness.
• Perform static, fatigue, vibration, and thermal analysis.
• Design mounting for LiDAR, cameras, sensors, and compute hardware.
• DFM readiness for handoff to contract manufacturers.
• Design for environmental robustness and serviceability.
• Collaborate with electrical, perception, controls teams.

Skills

CAD proficiency

FEA analysis

Topology optimization

Systems integration

Field testing

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related field

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

Ansys

Job description

Founding Mechanical Engineer Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems

Founding Engineering Role — Autonomous Ground Vehicle Platform

Location: Bangalore

About AB Labs

AB Labs is a stealth-mode deep-tech startup initiative currently being developed under the DivyaSree umbrella, focused on building autonomous intelligence systems across advanced sensing, robotics, edge AI, and infrastructure-scale operational environments.

The lab is designed to translate research-grade systems into deployable, mission-ready platforms across sectors such as autonomous systems, defense-grade systems, space systems, industrial intelligence, and future infrastructure operations

The Role

You will own the mechanical design and physical architecture of our autonomous ground vehicle platform — including chassis, drivetrain integration, payload interfaces, sensor placement, electronics packaging, and protective enclosures — from a COTS-based proof-of-concept through to a design that can be handed to a contract manufacturer at commercialization.

This role carries real weight on CAD, structural/design analysis (FEA), topology optimization, mechanical integration, and field validation. We want a platform that is light, stiff, modular, serviceable, and field-durable without being over-built, with key design decisions validated through analysis and testing before fabrication.

Core Responsibilities

1. Chassis & Structural Design: Design the vehicle’s chassis, suspension/mounting points, and load-bearing structures for outdoor, uneven-terrain operation.
2. CAD Ownership: Own and maintain the platform’s CAD models (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar), keeping assemblies version-controlled and synchronized with electrical, payload, sensor, and integration changes.
3. Topology Optimization: Apply topology optimization and generative design tools to minimize weight and material use while meeting stiffness and strength requirements, particularly for the chassis, brackets, and load-bearing structures.
4. Design Analysis (FEA): Run structural analysis including static, fatigue, vibration/shock, and thermal analysis on critical components to validate designs before fabrication and reduce costly physical iteration.
5. Sensor & Component Mounting: Design mounting solutions for LiDAR, cameras, IMU, GPS, compute hardware, and other sensors that meet field-of-view, vibration isolation, alignment, protection, and serviceability requirements defined jointly with the perception/autonomy team.
6. Drivetrain Integration: Design mounting and mechanical interfaces for motors, gearboxes, and wheels/tracks, working with the controls engineer on mechanical constraints that affect control performance, including traction, braking, turning geometry, ground clearance, slope capability, and obstacle/step negotiation.
7. Rapid Prototyping (POC Stage): Use 3D printing, laser cutting, and COTS structural components such as extrusion systems and off-the-shelf brackets to iterate quickly during the proof-of-concept stage.
8. DFM Readiness (Commercialization Stage): As the platform matures, design for manufacturability (DFM), assembly, and appropriate tolerancing for handoff to a contract manufacturer. This role does not own production/manufacturing itself.
9. Environmental Robustness: Design for outdoor operating conditions including dust/water ingress targets, thermal cycling, vibration, shock, and exposure to uneven terrain and field environments.
10. Requirements & Documentation: Contribute mechanical subsystem requirements, interface definitions, design constraints, drawings, tolerances, BOM-related inputs, and assembly documentation to the platform’s systems-engineering documentation.
11. Bench & Field Testing: Define and support mechanical verification and field testing, including chassis load, payload, vibration, impact, ingress, durability, and mobility testing; diagnose failures and iterate designs based on real-world performance data.
12. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work directly with electrical/embedded, controls, VCU, perception, and systems-engineering teams on enclosure design, wiring/cable routing, thermal management, drivetrain constraints, actuator interfaces, sensor placement, and integration requirements.
13. Safety & Serviceability: Design for emergency-stop mounting, protective covers, vibration isolation, maintainability, modular replacement, access for inspection/service, and safe interaction with critical mechanical and electrical components.
14. System-Level Mechanical Architecture: Own the mechanical integration of payload, terrain capability, serviceability, battery placement, electronics packaging, cable routing, thermal management, safety interfaces, modularity, and payload-dependent centre-of-gravity, axle/wheel-load distribution, and stability analysis.

Report To

The person will report directly to the CTO / Lab Lead and work closely with perception/autonomy, controls, embedded/VCU, electrical, and systems-engineering teams.

Key Tools & Technologies

CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar; FEA and simulation tools such as Ansys, SolidWorks Simulation, or equivalent; topology optimization / generative design tools; 3D printing and rapid prototyping workflows; GD&T and tolerancing; and familiarity with COTS structural components including extrusion systems, off-the-shelf actuators, wheels/tracks, and mechanical integration hardware.

Preferred Background

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field. Strong hands‑on project experience in robotics competitions, rover/vehicle builds, FSAE‑style projects, research platforms, or field‑deployed robotic systems is valued alongside — or in place of — formal pedigree.

Experience

2–5 years of relevant experience, or equivalent strength demonstrated through personal, academic, research, or project work, in mechanical design for robotics, vehicles, or field‑deployed hardware — ideally including FEA/topology optimization work and at least one design taken from prototype toward a manufacturable or field-ready state.

Primary Output

A validated, system-integrated mechanical platform design — including chassis, drivetrain interfaces, payload interfaces, sensor/compute mounting, packaging, and enclosures — backed by structural analysis, optimized geometry, mechanical verification, and field-test evidence, and documented well enough to progress toward DFM and contract manufacturing when the program moves to commercialization.

We’re particularly interested in engineers who enjoy hands‑on building, working in ambiguous early‑stage environments, and taking a design from the first prototype toward a field‑ready system.