Mechanical Engineer Intern — Humanoid Hand Systems

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

Job summary

Foundation in San Francisco is seeking a mechanical engineering intern to contribute to the design of a humanoid hand. You will work with real CAD, participate in tolerancing, and assist with part fabrication and measurement on prototypes.

Strong coursework in mechanics and CAD experience desired; you will collaborate with a small team and gain hands-on exposure to kinematics, gear trains, and tendon-driven actuation concepts.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing BS/MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering with coursework in classical mechanics and materials science.
• Strong understanding of kinematics, mechanism design, and workspace analysis for multi-joint fingers.
• Familiarity with GD&T, contact mechanics, and tolerance stackups for tendon-driven fingers.
• Proficient in CAD tools and multi-body assembly modeling; capable of motion studies and configuration management.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze components for a humanoid robotic hand, focusing on joints, linkages, and actuation.
• Perform tolerancing analyses, run basic FEA, and evaluate part interfaces on prototypes.
• Assist in CAD modeling, fabrication, and measurement tasks on real hardware from day one.

Skills

Kinematics & mechanism design

GD&T & tolerance analysis

Friction & tribology basics

Actuation concepts (tendon-driven/link

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

CATIA

Job description

Foundation in San Francisco is seeking a mechanical engineering intern to contribute to the design of a humanoid hand. You will work with real CAD, participate in tolerancing, and assist with part fabrication and measurement on prototypes.

Strong coursework in mechanics and CAD experience desired; you will collaborate with a small team and gain hands-on exposure to kinematics, gear trains, and tendon-driven actuation concepts.