Hardware Engineer, Mechatronics

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

Applied Intuition is building a robot learning platform on Dana, its physical AI platform: the data infrastructure and training intelligence a company needs to make any robot learn an industrial task and keep improving it. The robotics team builds that platform and uses it to deliver robot autonomy on customer lines, training, evaluating, and deploying policies on real robots doing real industrial tasks. Everyone on the team works hands-on with hardware and sees their work reach customers.

As a Hardware Engineer, you will turn commercially available robots into reliable systems for industrial autonomy and robot learning. You will work on retrofit kits and lab hardware, moving from CAD to fabrication, from a wiring fault to a working robot, and from a one-off fix to a documented kit someone else can install. The job is integrating and improving existing platforms, not designing a new robot from scratch.

We are open to candidates at different experience levels who meet the requirements. We value demonstrated work on real systems, including equivalent practical experience, over a particular degree or title.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Design and fabricate camera and gripper mounts, adapters, fixtures, end-effector interfaces, and compute enclosures that are rigid, serviceable, and easy to reproduce.

• Integrate arms, mobile bases, lift mechanisms, sensors, compute, power distribution, and cable harnesses into working robot systems with clear interface and load requirements.

• Take retrofit kits from requirements and CAD through supplier coordination, assembly, validation, bills of materials, and installation documentation.

• Work on cell safeguarding with qualified safety specialists and Facilities, including guarding, emergency stops, interlocks, and documented checks before robot operation.

• Diagnose mechanical and electrical faults, repair and recommission hardware, and separate physical failures from software and integration issues.

• Keep the lab ready with calibration fixtures, preventive maintenance, spares, configuration records, and clear operating and troubleshooting procedures.

• Turn recurring prototype and teleoperation rig requests into reusable hardware rather than undocumented one-off modifications.

We're looking for someone who has:

• Designed, assembled, and deployed mechatronic or robotic hardware that has operated reliably outside a CAD model or a bench test.

• Strong CAD skills and hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, machining or fabrication vendors, mechanical assembly, and design iteration.

• Practical understanding of loads, stiffness, tolerances, fasteners, cable routing, and the tradeoffs in mounting sensors and actuators.

• Experience with low-voltage power, connectors, harnesses, and electrical troubleshooting with a multimeter and oscilloscope.

• Experience writing test procedures, bills of materials, assembly instructions, and maintenance documentation for physical systems.

• Careful judgment around robot hazards and comfort working across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software boundaries.

Nice to Have:

• Experience integrating industrial arms, mobile manipulators, force and torque sensors, grippers, or dexterous hands.

• Experience with robot-cell safeguarding, safety-rated components, or machinery risk assessment.

• Experience designing teleoperation devices, camera calibration fixtures, or data collection hardware.

• Familiarity with Python, ROS 2, or CAD-to-URDF workflows for working effectively with software teammates.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!