Mechanical Design Engineer, Tactile Sensing

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

ABOUT MIND

Mind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems. Join us if you want to move beyond digital intelligence and put intelligence into motion.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a hands-on Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the physical design, material selection, and integration of our next-generation tactile sensing systems that allows our robots to feel, manipulate, and interact with the physical world in real time. In this role, you will bridge the gap between hard mechanical architecture and soft, compliant material interfaces, building robust sensory "skins" for robotic hands, grippers, and contact-rich interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical components, assemblies, and skins for tactile sensors integrated into robotic end effectors (fingertips, palms, gripper surfaces) , data collection gloves and other contact-rich subsystems.


• 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 (silicone, urethane, gels) including durometer selection, embedded markers or particles, surface texturing, and durability under shear and cyclic loading.


• Rapidly build, test, and break prototypes. Use 3D printing and manual fabrication to validate designs.


• Perform analyses (FEA, contact mechanics, tolerance, thermal) to validate sensor performance, predict failure modes, and guide design decisions.


• Design characterization fixtures and accelerated test plans — indenters, force/torque ground truth setups, shear testers, life-cycle rigs — to validate tactile performance under realistic contact conditions.


• Contribute to DFM/DFA efforts so sensor designs scale from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production.


• Source components and work closely with machine shops, materials suppliers, and contract manufacturers to ensure parts are manufactured and shipped to spec and on time.


• 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.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Exceptional Mechanical Intuition. You understand how forces, materials, and contact mechanics behave instinctively.


• 5+ years of experience (or equivalent "hard tech" projects) 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 - hands-on experience with casting, molding, surface treatments, and characterization.


• Familiarity with rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, machining, soft lithography, etc.


• High proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.


• Hands‑on problem-solving approach with ability to iterate quickly.


• Experience designing for volume processes (injection molding, casting, CNC, etc.) and working with contract manufacturers.


• You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.

BONUS

• PhD or research experience in tactile / haptic sensing, soft robotics, or contact-rich manipulation.


• Experience designing sensor characterization rigs and analyzing the resulting data.


• Working knowledge of sensor electronics and analog front-ends sufficient to collaborate deeply with EE.


• Prior work on humanoid hands, dexterous grippers, or prosthetics.