Mechanical Design Engineer, Tactile Sensing

Mindrobotics
Palo Alto, US
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to mid-level mechanical engineers with tactile sensing experience working in robotics and human-machine interfaces.

Best fit for

  • Engineers with hands-on elastomer experience and rapid prototyping skills
    — “hands-on experience with casting, molding, surface treatments, and characterization”
  • Candidates comfortable with cross-functional collaboration in sensor development
    — “Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams”
  • Designers who thrive in ambiguous, fast-paced development cycles
    — “You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast”

Things to consider

  • Requires onsite work with machine shops and suppliers
    — “work closely with machine shops, materials suppliers”
  • Expect frequent prototype iteration and failure analysis
    — “Rapidly build, test, and break prototypes”

How to stand out

  • Showcase specific tactile sensing modalities you've worked with
    — “Direct experience with at least one tactile sensing modality”
  • Demonstrate DFM experience scaling from prototype to production
    — “Contribute to DFM/DFA efforts so sensor designs scale”
  • Highlight characterization rig design experience
    — “Design characterization fixtures and accelerated test plans”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • successful design and development of tactile sensors
  • validated sensor performance
Typical background
mechanical engineeringelectromechanical systems

Skills & requirements

Required

Mechanical DesignTactile SensorsElastomer DesignRapid PrototypingFEAMaterials Science

Preferred

Soft RoboticsHaptic SensingProsthetics

Stack & domain

Mechanical DesignTactile SensorsElastomers3d PrintingFeaCad ToolsInjection MoldingCastingCncProblem-solvingTeamworkRoboticsSensors

About the role

Original posting from Mindrobotics via Ashby

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Design and develop mechanical components, assemblies, and skins for tactile sensors integrated into robotic end effectors (fingertips, palms, gripper surfaces) , data collection gloves and other contact-rich subsystems.
  • Own the tactile sensor stack mechanically from transducer packaging and skin/elastomer design through integration into volume-constrained, cable-routed assemblies.
  • Develop and tune elastomer / compliant materials (silicone, urethane, gels) including durometer selection, embedded markers or particles, surface texturing, and durability under shear and cyclic loading.
  • Rapidly build, test, and break prototypes. Use 3D printing and manual fabrication to validate designs.
  • Perform analyses (FEA, contact mechanics, tolerance, thermal) to validate sensor performance, predict failure modes, and guide design decisions.
  • Design characterization fixtures and accelerated test plans — indenters, force/torque ground truth setups, shear testers, life-cycle rigs — to validate tactile performance under realistic contact conditions.
  • Contribute to DFM/DFA efforts so sensor designs scale from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production.
  • Source components and work closely with machine shops, materials suppliers, and contract manufacturers to ensure parts are manufactured and shipped to spec and on time.
  • Develop specifications and accelerated test plans to validate the product for its lifetime.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, firmware, controls, and ML teams to translate raw sensor signals into usable manipulation feedback.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Exceptional Mechanical Intuition. You understand how forces, materials, and contact mechanics behave instinctively.
  • 5+ years of experience (or equivalent "hard tech" projects) building complex electromechanical systems, sensors, or tactile/haptic devices.
  • Direct experience with at least one tactile sensing modality — capacitive, resistive, optical/vision-based, magnetic, , piezoelectric, MEMS, or barometric.
  • Strong materials intuition, particularly with elastomers - hands-on experience with casting, molding, surface treatments, and characterization.
  • Familiarity with rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, machining, soft lithography, etc.
  • High proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.
  • Hands-on problem-solving approach with ability to iterate quickly.
  • Experience designing for volume processes (injection molding, casting, CNC, etc.) and working with contract manufacturers.
  • You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.

BONUS

  • PhD or research experience in tactile / haptic sensing, soft robotics, or contact-rich manipulation.
  • Experience designing sensor characterization rigs and analyzing the resulting data.
  • Working knowledge of sensor electronics and analog front-ends sufficient to collaborate deeply with EE.
  • Prior work on humanoid hands, dexterous grippers, or prosthetics.

Source: Mindrobotics careers (Ashby)

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