Mechanical Design Engineer, Robotic Actuators

Dexmate Inc.; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Dexmate is building robot platforms and a universal Physical AI OS to make robots easier to build and deploy, offering a plug‑and‑play platform for developers, researchers and enterprises.

We seek a hands‑on mechanical or mechatronics engineer to own the actuator architecture for Dexmate robots, translating requirements into a design that balances torque, speed, mass, efficiency, thermal capacity and manufacturability, and to lead prototype builds and tests toward a production release.

Qualifications

• Delivered an integrated actuator or electromechanical drive into a production or deployed product.
• Strong depth in mechanical or mechatronic design and understanding of motors, transmissions, thermal behavior and sensors.

Responsibilities

• Define actuator requirements from robot loads and duty cycles, including peak torque, speed and thermal limits.
• Own trade studies across motor topology, transmission ratio, bearings and cooling.
• Set mechanical, electrical and firmware interfaces, including sensor placement and fault responses.
• Lead prototype builds and debugging; own CAD and analysis reviews.
• Develop characterization plans and correlate torque-speed, efficiency and thermal results to models.
• Drive design reviews, supplier decisions, DFM and production release.

Skills

Actuator design

Mechanical design

Mechatronics

Thermal management

Prototype testing

Tools

CAD

Job description

About Dexmate

Dexmate is building robot platforms and a universal Physical AI OS to make robots easier to build and deploy. We combine hardware and software into a plug-and-play platform for developers, researchers and enterprises, with an open ecosystem that supports the development of physical AI.

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on mechanical or mechatronics engineer to own the architecture of integrated actuators for Dexmate robots. You will translate robot requirements into an actuator design that balances torque, speed, mass, efficiency, backdrivability, thermal capacity and manufacturability. You will make technical trade-offs, build and test hardware, and bring specialists together around a verified design.

Responsibilities

• Define actuator requirements from robot loads and duty cycles, including peak and continuous torque, speed, stiffness, life, packaging and thermal limits.
• Own trade studies across motor topology, transmission ratio, bearings, cooling, sensing and drive constraints; use measured performance to resolve competing requirements.
• Set mechanical, electrical and firmware interfaces, including voltage and current limits, sensor placement, allowable temperatures and fault responses.
• Lead prototype builds and hands-on debugging. Maintain direct ownership of CAD and analysis reviews, bench debugging and technical decisions.
• Develop characterization plans with motor, drive, controls and test engineers; correlate torque-speed, efficiency, thermal, friction and backdrivability results to models.
• Drive design reviews, supplier decisions, DFM and corrective actions through production release, with clear requirements and acceptance criteria.

Minimum Qualifications

• Delivered an integrated actuator, servo or electromechanical drive into a production or deployed product, with direct ownership of architecture and hardware decisions.
• Strong depth in mechanical or mechatronic design and working understanding of motors, transmissions, thermal behavior, sensors and drive limitations.
• Ability to quantify system trade-offs and explain how analysis, bench data and failure investigation changed a design.
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, validation, supplier collaboration and manufacturing release; ability to lead across engineering disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in robot joints, industrial drives, EV drive units or aerospace electromechanical actuators.
• Experience with high torque-density or backdrivable actuators and compact liquid-cooled assemblies.
• Technical mentorship and ownership of a subsystem roadmap without losing direct design and test involvement.