Y Combinator Mechanical Design Engineer - Robot Parts & Enclosures (Contract)
Summary
Designs and iterates on robot parts and enclosures using CAD, with designs prototyped and tested in a San Francisco lab; works remotely.
We design and build our robots in-house, from structural parts to exterior covers, and iterate on them continuously as the robots run in the real world. You'll own the CAD design of robot parts and enclosures — working remotely, with your designs printed, machined, and tested on real robots in our San Francisco lab.
You will:
- Design robot parts, enclosures, and covers in CAD for 3D printing, CNC, and sheet metal
- Package cameras, sensors, compute, actuators, and wiring into clean, serviceable assemblies
- Own designs from concept through prototype, assembly feedback, and revision
- Produce CAD geometry clean enough to feed our simulation and testing pipeline
- Iterate fast: you design remotely, we build in SF, and you get feedback from real robots within days
You have:
- Strong CAD fundamentals — parametric modeling, assemblies, tolerancing, DFM
- Hands-on prototyping experience: you've printed, machined, assembled, and fixed your own designs
- A feel for designing around electronics, cabling, and moving joints
- Clear async communication — you can drive a design loop remotely
- Nice to have:
- Experience with robot arms, grippers, or mobile platforms
- Industrial design sensibility for exterior covers and finishes
- Option to convert to full-time. In-person interns are welcome to apply as well, provided they have CAD experience.