Tactile Sensing Research Engineer

1X; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Generous paid time off and parental leave

401(k) plan with company match

Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts

Commuter benefits

Disability and life insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Onsite snacks and catered lunches

Job summary

1X in San Carlos, California, is seeking a Tactile Sensing Researcher/Engineer to help advance humanoid robotic capabilities through innovative tactile sensing technologies. The ideal candidate will develop and refine systems that capture intricate dynamics of physical contact, enabling dexterous manipulation.

The role involves rigorous experimentation and collaboration to achieve measurable improvements in performance. Join us if you are driven to make a real impact with your expertise.

Qualifications

• PhD required in a relevant engineering or scientific field.
• Experience with tactile sensing technologies and high-impact contributions.
• Experience developing sensing technologies through multiple design generations.

Responsibilities

• Advance tactile sensing toward human-level capabilities.
• Drive design, fabrication, testing, and performance refinement.
• Transition tactile sensing concepts into robotic manipulation paths.

Skills

Deep expertise in tactile sensing

Strong experimental mindset

Hands-on prototyping skills

Ability to work across materials

Education

PhD in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Custom electronics and signal-processing pipelines

Job description

About 1X

We’re building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back. Simple, but it’s not.

To do this right, we have to solve robotics, AI, manufacturing - at the same time, at scale, in a form factor that has to be safe enough to live with your family. If you’re inspired by this, you’ll thrive here. We’ve been at this since 2014 and we’re at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.

NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people. We’re not demoing it - we’re shipping it. We’re excited to meet you, if this excites you.

If you’ve spent your career working on problems that matter and want to see them actually reach the world - this is that moment. We’re scaling, we’re hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.

About the Team

1X Labs exists to provide the science and technology that enables human-level, general-purpose humanoids. We identify the gaps between current robotic capabilities and human performance, then pursue the fundamental advances required to close them through deep research, rigorous experimentation, and rapid iteration.

The sensing systems we develop are not isolated components—they directly shape what robots can perceive, understand, and manipulate. Our work spans materials, sensing, actuation, control, and system integration, with the expectation that research outcomes ultimately become products.

Your Charter

Advance tactile sensing toward human-level capability by developing sensing systems that capture the structure and dynamics of physical contact, not merely the presence of touch.

You will take promising tactile sensing technologies and push them through repeated cycles of design, fabrication, testing, and refinement. Your work will focus on understanding fundamental performance limits, eliminating bottlenecks, and systematically improving sensing performance across spatial resolution, temporal response, dynamic range, robustness, and durability.

As a Tactile Sensing Researcher / Engineer, you'll help create the sensing foundation required for dexterous manipulation and meaningful interaction with the physical world.

Key Outcomes

• Deliver successive generations of tactile sensing systems that demonstrate measurable improvements in sensing performance and robustness

• Establish rigorous benchmarking methodologies against human tactile capabilities and other state-of-the-art sensing technologies

• Identify and overcome fundamental limitations in tactile sensing architectures, materials, and transduction approaches

• Generate experimental evidence that guides research decisions and enables confident technology down-selection

• Successfully transition promising tactile sensing concepts into viable paths for integration with robotic manipulation systems

Key Competencies

• Deep expertise in tactile sensing, sensing systems, or closely related research domains

• Strong experimental mindset with a focus on measurement quality, repeatability, and evidence-driven decision making

• Ability to work across materials, mechanics, electronics, and system integration challenges

• Exceptional hands‑on prototyping, fabrication, and testing skills

• Persistence and intellectual rigor when solving difficult technical problems with no obvious solutions

Minimum Requirements

• PhD in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Bioengineering, or a closely related field

• Demonstrated high-impact contributions to tactile sensing or related sensing technologies through publications, patents, deployed systems, or equivalent technical achievements

• Proven experience developing sensing technologies through multiple generations of design, fabrication, and validation

• Strong hands‑on experience building and testing physical sensing systems

• Track record of identifying and overcoming fundamental performance limitations in sensing technologies

Preferred Skills

• Experience working with soft, compliant, or bio-inspired materials in sensing applications

• Experience designing custom experimental setups for sensor characterization and benchmarking

• Familiarity with robotic manipulation, dexterous hands, or human-machine interaction systems

• Experience developing custom electronics, transduction systems, or signal‑processing pipelines for sensing applications

• Background in biomechanics, neuroscience, haptics, or biologically inspired sensing systems

What does a successful 1X Team Member look like?

Team members at 1X who thrive here are builders. They move fast, own their work completely, and treat time like it’s the one thing you can’t get back - because it is. They say what they mean, finish what they start, and hold themselves to a standard before anyone has to ask. We push each other to be better, and we do it with honesty and respect.

Within 1X Labs, the strongest researchers combine deep technical expertise with a relentless commitment to reality. They use experiments to settle debates, push systems until they reveal their true limits, and care as much about understanding failure as they do about achieving success. Research matters because it changes what the robot can do.

Compensation Range

$200,000 - $250,000 + Equity

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

• Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave

• 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options

• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)

• Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support

• Onsite snacks and catered lunches

Equal Opportunity Employer

1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.