
Mechanical Engineer, Hands Prototyping
- On-site
- Palo Alto, California, United States
- $120,000 - $200,000 per year
- Hardware Engineering
Job description
1X builds the world’s most dexterous humanoid hands in-house. We prototype
every day, break stuff, and ship real progress daily.
The job: Live inside the Hands team. Turn mech designs into working hardware
overnight. Be the guy everyone pings when they need a new finger, joint, or test
rig yesterday.
You’ll do:
- Same-day / next-day prototypes for the hand: mill, turn, print, cut, assemble,
solder
- Quick-turn CAD (Onshape/SolidWorks) part in hand bolted on robot→ →
- Build functional assemblies: tendons, sensors, skins, gears, whatever it takes
- Run abuse tests, cycle tests, drop tests on the bench
- Iterate mechs with the design team until it survives real use
- Hack test rigs so we can measure force, speed, precision fast
- Keep your corner of the shop stocked and machines running
- Document just enough so the next rev is faster
Job requirements
You need:
- 5+ yrs shipping real mechanical hardware (robots = huge plus)
- CAD all day, every day (Onshape preferred)
- Run 3-axis CNC, lathe, FDM/SLA printers, laser cutter without thinking
- Measure with calipers, micrometers, force gauges in your sleep
- Enough understanding of electronics to test on a system level
- Zero drama, just build it and make it work
Nice:
- Built or iterated robotic hands/end-effectors
- Vacuum casting, sheet metal tricks, custom fixtures
- Basic DAQ + Python/MATLAB for test scripts
Where You’ll Land
After a 30-min recruiter screen, we’ll match your skills to the best-fit opening across the different areas of the bot.
Benefits & Compensation
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid time off and holidays
Base Pay: $110k - $240k + Equity
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, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
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Our mission is to design Androids that work alongside people, to meet the world’s labor demands and build an abundant society.




