Mechanical Engineer - Robotics

About Menlo

Menlo Research is an Applied R&D lab building Asimov, an open-source humanoid robot platform, and the full software stack that powers it. Our mission is to make humanoid labor economically viable -- turning software into physical labor at scale. We build across the full stack: hardware architecture, locomotion, autonomy, simulation, and infrastructure. We move fast, ship to real robots, and open-source everything we can. If you want your work to matter beyond a paper or a demo, this is the place.

The Role

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will own the design, analysis, and validation of the structural and kinematic systems that make Asimov move. You will take components from concept through production-ready hardware -- working across joints, actuators, enclosures, and structural members -- ensuring every design holds up mechanically and integrates cleanly with the broader electromechanical system.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop mechanical assemblies across the full humanoid body, including joints, actuators, sensor mounts, and structural members

• Develop detailed 3D part, drawings and assembly models across plastics, metal, and composite materials in Solidworks or equivalent CAD tools

• Run hands-on test rigs: load testing, fatigue cycling, thermal soak, and kinematic validation across body segments

• Execute DFM reviews alongside contract manufacturers, going to the floor to understand tooling constraints, cycle times, and failure modes firsthand

• Create and maintain production drawings with GD&T and inspection callouts for handoff to CMs and QA

• Set up and instrument test stands, wire sensors, and collect data to analyze failure modes and close the loop on design iterations

• Work across plastics, metals, and composites, selecting materials and joining methods appropriate for the loading conditions and production intent

• Coordinate with firmware and electrical teams to physically integrate actuators, sensors, and PCBs into mechanical assemblies, ensuring cable routing, connector access, and serviceability are accounted for

• Contribute to Menlo's open-source hardware releases, including build guides, BOM documentation, and assembly instructions for the communityContribute to Menlo's open-source design efforts, including CAD releases, manufacturing documentation, and build guides for the broader robotics community

What You'll Bring

• 3 or more years of hands-on mechanical design experience on high-complexity electromechanical products

• Strong proficiency in Solidworks, across both detailed parts, multibody assemblies, surfaces and drawings

• Proven track record with sheet metal fabrication and traditional/additive manufacturing

• Experience with GD&T and producing 2D engineering drawings for manufacturing and QA

• Ability to run FEA simulations; static, dynamic & thermal as well as interpret results to inform design decisions

• Comfortable working within aggressive cost and weight constraints without sacrificing reliability

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with material selection, actuator selection, fasteners and mechanisms

• Proficient in rapid prototyping methods (FDM, SLA, CNC, laser cutting) and able to support the team on design decisions spanning the full product lifecycle, from concept through end-of-life disassembly and material recovery

• Strong communication skills to drive alignment across suppliers, cross-disciplinary engineers, and leadership

Bonus points for:

• Experience with bipedal or humanoid robot hardware, legged locomotion platforms, or high DOF manipulators

• Participated in robotics competitions

• Familiarity with parallel mechanisms and non-standard joint configurations such as RSU ankle designs or parallel actuation

• Knowledge of plastics engineering including material selection, shrinkage factors, and mechanical property optimization

• Scripting or automation experience in Python to streamline CAD workflows and data analysis

• Experience with deploying control systems to hardware

• Familiarity with sim-to-real workflows and how hardware decisions affect locomotion policy training and transfer

• Prior involvement in robotics or wearable systems where mechanical tolerances and ergonomics are critical

Why Join Menlo?

You will be part of a tight-knit team defining the next generation of humanoid robots. With genuine ownership of the mechanical systems that bring Asimov to life, you will see your designs go from CAD to real-world deployments. If you thrive in fast-paced, open-collaborative environments, let's build the future of robotics together.

A Note on AI

You don't need deep AI expertise for every role, but we do expect everyone at Menlo to be intellectually curious, drawn to tinkering and discovery, and excited to use AI as a real collaborator in their work. For some roles, AI fluency is a core requirement. When that's the case, we'll say so explicitly in the qualifications. People who thrive here don't treat AI as a novelty. They use it to think better, and make their work easier for others to build on.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations

We hire talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you're excited about a role but don't meet every bullet, we still encourage you to apply. Menlo Research is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristic. Menlo provides reasonable accommodations during the application process. If you need one, please let your recruiter know.