Menlo Research – Asimov
- Founding Robotics Electrical Engineer
- Location: Onsite in Shenzhen or Singapore
- Employment: Full-time
About Asimov
Project Asimov is Menlo Research’s premier effort to create an open-source, high-performance humanoid platform. From rugged aluminum frames and custom PCBs to embedded firmware and AI models, we’re building every piece of the system in the open. Our vision is to make real-world robotics accessible to researchers, startups, and hobbyists around the globe.
Role Summary
As our inaugural Robotics Electrical Engineer, you will drive the end-to-end design, testing, and industrialization of key electrical modules. You’ll engineer reliable power and control electronics, collaborate closely with firmware teams, and ensure each hardware iteration meets global safety and EMC standards. Your work will lay the foundation for the first wave of Project Asimov robots shipping to customers.
Key Responsibilities
- Hardware Architecture: Create and critique schematics and PCB layouts for power distribution units, motor driver boards, and actuator control electronics.
- Prototype & Debug: Lead bring-up of power systems, sensors, and actuator subassemblies; diagnose and resolve issues across multiple hardware revisions.
- Manufacturability & Compliance: Refine designs for volume production, robustness, and international regulatory compliance (EMC, safety certifications).
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Interface with firmware engineers to tune motor control algorithms, optimize sensor feedback loops, and validate reliable communication over CAN, UART, SPI, etc.
- Performance Validation: Develop test plans and run electrical performance assessments in both lab and field settings using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and bus analyzers.
Required Qualifications
- PCB Design Expertise: 3+ years of hands-on experience with Altium Designer or equivalent EDA tools for schematic capture and PCB layout.
- Signal Integrity & EMI/EMC: Proven track record in analyzing high-speed signals, mitigating electromagnetic interference, and troubleshooting complex electrical anomalies.
- Power Electronics: Deep familiarity with low-voltage (<60 V) DC power systems, DC–DC converters, MOSFET gate drivers, current‐sense amplifiers, and passive network design.
- Electromechanical Systems: Practical experience with motors, actuators, sensors, custom wire harnesses, and data buses (CAN, UART, SPI).
- Lab Instrumentation: Proficiency using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and CAN/UART sniffers (e.g., CANalyzer, Saleae) for in-depth hardware debug.
- Robustness & Grounding: Expertise in connector selection, grounding strategies, harness routing, and EMI suppression techniques.
Preferred Skills
- Programming Languages: Strong experience with C and Python for test development, firmware integration support, and automation scripts.
- Embedded Compute: Familiarity with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (Orin Nano, Orin NX) or equivalent ARM-based systems.
- Circuit Simulation: Experience using SPICE or similar tools to model and optimize power‐electronic circuits.
- Battery Systems: Background in lithium-ion battery pack design, battery management systems (BMS), and validation protocols.
Why Join Us?
At Menlo Research you’ll be part of a small, fast-moving team defining the future of humanoid robotics. We foster a culture of ownership, creativity, and open collaboration. If you’re driven to build robots that push the boundaries of real-world intelligence, let’s make history together.