Robotics Mechatronics Engineer: Build & Test Real Bots

Astera Institute; Emeryville (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Institute in Emeryville, CA is seeking a hands-on mechatronics engineer for the Robotics Lab to design and build mechanisms, electronics, and sensing systems for robots. You will take hardware from concept and CAD through fabrication, board bring‑up, integration, and testing on real robots.

Based in Emeryville, you will collaborate with learning and control researchers on manipulators, dexterous hands, and humanoids, blending mechanical and electrical engineering with careful physical

Qualifications

• Experience delivering complete electromechanical systems with design, integration and debugging responsibility.
• Strong CAD and mechanical design skills including tolerancing, fabrication and prototyping.
• Hands-on PCB design from schematic to layout and bring-up.
• Practical knowledge of motors, encoders, sensors and power distribution.
• Python or C/C++ programming for hardware integration and data collection.
• Measurement-driven debugging and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Experience with robot manipulators, dexterous hands, or compliant mechanisms is a plus.
• Familiarity with force/torque or tactile sensing and test fixtures is helpful.
• Ability to iterate hardware informed by control or learning experiments.

Responsibilities

• Design and build robot mechanisms, end‑effectors and fixtures; create CAD/ drawings and prototypes.
• Develop electronics: PCB design and bring‑up for sensing, embedded interfaces and power.
• Integrate actuation and sensing with firmware and robot control systems.
• Characterize hardware: measure backlash, drift, friction, latency and thermal behavior.
• Collaborate with researchers to improve geometry, actuation and sensor placement.
• Make hardware reproducible: documentation, CAD/PCB/firmware and assembly files.
• Explore AI‑assisted engineering with CAD scripting and test automation.

Skills

Electromechanical systems

Mechanical design

PCB design

Actuation and electronics

Programming/firmware

Experimental judgment

Robotics hardware

Sensing/test experience

Hardware/learning integration

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Astera Institute in Emeryville, CA is seeking a hands-on mechatronics engineer for the Robotics Lab to design and build mechanisms, electronics, and sensing systems for robots. You will take hardware from concept and CAD through fabrication, board bring‑up, integration, and testing on real robots.

Based in Emeryville, you will collaborate with learning and control researchers on manipulators, dexterous hands, and humanoids, blending mechanical and electrical engineering with careful physical