Firmware Engineer - Testing

present of AI; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

1X designs and manufactures bipedal humanoid robots for household tasks, seeking a firmware QA engineer to own release readiness. You will build hardware-in-the-loop rigs, run embedded tests, and trace faults across firmware, hardware and test rigs to prove safety before homes.

Collaboration with firmware teams ensures robust regression suites and early defect detection. Read embedded C and C++ code to design tests, and contribute to CI pipelines with Python automation.

Qualifications

• Design and implement regression tests for firmware quality ensuring safe releases.
• Build hardware-in-the-loop rigs and automated CI suites for embedded boards.
• Collaborate with firmware engineers early in feature work to ensure test coverage.

Responsibilities

• Own firmware quality for release readiness at the hardware/software boundary.
• Develop test rigs and automated test suites for embedded systems.
• Trace faults across firmware, hardware or the test setup and guide fixes.

Skills

Embedded C

C++

Python

Test automation

Hardware-in-the-loop

CAN protocol

SPI protocol

Oscilloscope

Logic analyzer

Tools

CAN

SPI

Oscilloscope

Logic analyzer

Embedded boards

CI pipelines

Job description

This role owns firmware quality for a humanoid robot, deciding when a release is safe to reach robots in homes. A strong candidate builds test rigs and automated suites, tests at the hardware and software boundary, and traces faults across firmware, hardware or the test setup. Reading embedded C and C++ to design targeted tests and working closely with firmware developers early in feature work are central.

How it fits the AI era

AI does not replace the judgment here; it speeds up writing regression suites and spotting patterns in test failures, but someone still has to design the fault cases and prove safety behavior works. The human core is deciding release readiness and building physical rigs that reproduce real failures. As robots learn and operate around people, testing that learning and safety behavior stays hands on.

How it builds AI experience

The role builds AI experience through testing firmware that gates a learning home robot, turning field and fleet issues into regression tests. Candidates can strengthen this by practicing fault injection, soak testing and automated CI suites on embedded boards. Familiarity with secure boot and safety standards adds depth for robot firmware work.

Worth showing

• Hardware in the loop rigs
• Python test automation
• CAN and SPI protocols
• Oscilloscope and logic analyzer

This is our own read, written from the employer's posting and the company's Spotlight. The employer's posting is the source of truth for the role.

About 1X

1X designs and manufactures bipedal humanoid robots engineered to execute household chores and personal assistance tasks safely, according to company statements.

Tools mentioned: embedded systems, Python, robotics, C++