Mechanical Design Engineer — Exterior & Form

Proception Inc.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health coverage

Career growth

Ownership stake

Job summary

Proception Inc. in Palo Alto is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to own structural and actuation design for humanoid upper body and hand systems, including exterior surfaces when needed.

Day-to-day, this is a core mechanical engineering role: mechanisms, prototyping, testing, iteration. Seasonally, you'll lead exterior and form work—covers, housings, and cosmetic surfaces—on top of the structures the team has built.

Qualifications

• Experience designing mission-critical mechanical systems for robotics or automation.
• Strong CAD, FEA, and precision surfacing for curved cosmetic geometry.
• Hands-on prototyping: machining, 3D printing, assembly.
• Excellent tolerance, material properties, thermal constraints, and load paths.
• Designed for real-world wear, EMI, torque ripple, and backlash.
• Portfolio or shipped parts showing form and engineering.
• Startup mindset: fast execution and thorough documentation.
• Nice to have: humanoids, exoskeletons, prosthetics, soft robots.
• Experience with testing/validation of mechanical systems.
• Familiar with CMF finish processes: anodizing, bead blasting, textures.

Responsibilities

• Design high-DOF robotic arms and hands and related structures.
• Lead simulation, analysis, prototyping, and testing in a no-silos workflow.
• Iterate hardware based on test data and field feedback.
• Lead exterior/form work: covers, housings, tendon concealment.
• Design cosmetic parts as structural components with durability in mind.
• Define and qualify CMF with vendors for repeatability.
• Produce renders for design reviews and investor materials.
• Collaborate with controls, perception, and firmware teams.
• Write clear, transferable documentation to scale successful designs.

Skills

CAD & surfacing

FEA precision design

Hands-on prototyping

Tolerance analysis

Material & thermal

Real-world wear

Form aesthetics

Startup mindset

Humanoids experience

Testing & validation

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

Job description

At Proception, we are engineering the next generation of highly dexterous humanoid manipulators. Our mission is to bring machines closer to human capability by merging innovative mechanical design, sensor integration, and intelligent control. We're looking for a full-time Mechanical Design Engineer to work on structural and actuation design for our humanoid upper body and hand systems—one who also has the eye and surfacing skills to own the exterior when design cycles call for it. Day to day, this is a core mechanical engineering role: mechanisms, prototyping, testing, iteration. Seasonally, you'll lead exterior and form work—covers, housings, and cosmetic surfaces—on top of the structures the team has built.

Requirements

• 01 1+ years of experience designing mission-critical mechanical systems for robotics or automation
• 02 Mastery of CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion), FEA, and precision design—including surfacing for curvature-continuous cosmetic geometry
• 03 Experience prototyping with your own hands—machining, printing, assembling, debugging
• 04 Fluent in tolerance stack-ups, material properties, thermal constraints, and load paths
• 05 Designed for real-world wear, slop, EMI, torque ripple, and backlash
• 06 Demonstrated eye for form: shipped parts or a portfolio showing engineering work that also looks intentional
• 07 Startup reflexes: you bias toward execution, learn fast, and document like it matters
• 08 (+) Experience with humanoids, exoskeletons, prosthetics, soft robots, or tendon drives
• 09 (+) Experience with testing and validation of mechanical systems
• 10 (+) Working knowledge of CMF and finishing processes—anodization, bead blasting, molded textures, paint

Details & responsibilities

• 01 Design high-DOF robotic arms and hands for dynamic manipulation—mechanisms, structures, and compliant systems
• 02 Drive simulation, analysis, prototyping, and testing in a no-silos, build-it-yourself workflow
• 03 Iterate hardware based on test data, field failure, or system noise—fast
• 04 Lead seasonal exterior and form work: covers, housings, part breaks, and tendon/cable concealment over existing structures
• 05 Design cosmetic parts as structural parts: impact resistance, cycle life, and serviceable fastening
• 06 Define and qualify CMF—finish, texture, color, marking—with vendors for durability and repeatability
• 07 Produce renders for design reviews, investor materials, and launch
• 08 Collaborate tightly with controls, perception, and firmware teams to deliver integrated, elegant robots
• 09 Write clear, transferable documentation for scaling what works—and killing what doesn't
• 01 Competitive salary and meaningful equity
• 02 Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• 03 Work with world-class researchers and engineers in AI and robotics
• 04 High-ownership role with opportunity to lead mechanical and exterior design efforts
• 05 Help define and build next-generation embodied intelligence systems