Mechanical Engineer Intern — Humanoid Hand Robotics

Foundation Robotics Lab; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Foundation Robotics Lab is seeking engineering interns to advance the development of dexterous humanoid hands in a fast-paced startup setting. You will directly work on CAD models, tolerancing, and fabrication of hand components while collaborating with controls and sensor teams to ensure seamless integration.

Through hands-on design, testing, and iteration, you will gain exposure to real hardware from day one and help push the capabilities of our robotic fingers toward robust, repeatable

Qualifications

• Pursuing BS/MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering with coursework in mechanics, materials science, and structural engineering.
• Strong understanding of kinematics, mechanism design, workspace, singularities, and force transmission in multi-joint fingers.
• Familiarity with contact mechanics, tribology, and endurance over millions of grasp cycles.
• Understanding of tolerance analysis and GD&T and their importance in tendon-driven fingers.
• Proficient in SolidWorks, Fusion 360, CATIA, or equivalent CAD tools for multi-body assemblies.
• Experience with lightweight structure design, topology optimization, and material removal strategies.
• Basic FEA experience in SolidWorks Simulation or ANSYS; interpret von Mises stress.
• Knowledge of tendon-driven and linkage-driven actuation mechanisms; capstans, routing guides.
• Familiar with actuators like micro brushless DC motors and linear actuators and integration challenges.

Responsibilities

• Participate in CAD design, fabrication, and testing of robotic hand components.
• Perform tolerancing analysis and support prototype development.
• Work with controls and sensors teams to align mechanical design with software.
• Document design choices and validate parts against specifications.

Skills

Kinematics

Mechanism design

Tolerance analysis

Prototyping

Four-bar linkage

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

CATIA

ANSYS

Job description

Foundation Robotics Lab is seeking engineering interns to advance the development of dexterous humanoid hands in a fast-paced startup setting. You will directly work on CAD models, tolerancing, and fabrication of hand components while collaborating with controls and sensor teams to ensure seamless integration.

Through hands-on design, testing, and iteration, you will gain exposure to real hardware from day one and help push the capabilities of our robotic fingers toward robust, repeatable