Hands-on Tactile Sensor Design Engineer

Roboticsconnected; Iowa; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Mind Robotics is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the physical design of tactile sensing systems for real-time robotic end effectors on the factory floor. You will bridge hard mechanical architecture with soft, compliant elastomer interfaces to build robust sensory skins for hands, grippers, and contact-rich interfaces, enabling robots to feel and manipulate objects.

You will collaborate with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams to translate sensor signals into

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building complex electromechanical systems, sensors, or tactile/haptic devices.
• Direct experience with at least one tactile sensing modality — capacitive, resistive, optical/vision-based, magnetic, piezoelectric, MEMS, or barometric.
• Strong materials intuition, particularly with elastomers and surface treatments.
• Familiarity with rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, machining, soft lithography, etc.
• High proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical components, assemblies, and skins for tactile sensors integrated into robotic end effectors (fingertips, palms, gripper surfaces) such as data collection gloves.
• Own the tactile sensor stack mechanically from transducer packaging and skin/elastomer design through integration into volume-constrained, cable-routed assemblies.
• Develop and tune elastomer / compliant materials including durometer selection, embedded markers or particles, surface texturing, and durability under shear and cyclic loading.
• Rapidly build, test, and break prototypes using 3D printing and manual fabrication.
• Perform analyses (FEA, contact mechanics, tolerance, thermal) to validate sensor performance and guide design decisions.
• Design characterization fixtures and accelerated test plans to validate tactile performance under realistic contact conditions.
• Contribute to DFM/DFA efforts to scale sensor designs from prototypes to production.
• Source components and collaborate with machine shops, materials suppliers, and contract manufacturers to ensure parts meet spec and schedule.
• Develop specifications and accelerated test plans to validate the product for its lifetime.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams to translate raw sensor signals into usable manipulation feedback.

Skills

Mechanical design

Tactile sensing

CAD proficiency

Elastomer materials

Rapid prototyping

FEA / contact mechanics

Volume production design

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Tools

SolidWorks

Catia

3D printing

Job description

Mind Robotics is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the physical design of tactile sensing systems for real-time robotic end effectors on the factory floor. You will bridge hard mechanical architecture with soft, compliant elastomer interfaces to build robust sensory skins for hands, grippers, and contact-rich interfaces, enabling robots to feel and manipulate objects.

You will collaborate with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams to translate sensor signals into