Software Engineer, Robot Interaction

Since its founding in 2015, 1X has been at the forefront of developing advanced humanoid robots designed for household use. Our mission is to create an abundant supply of labor via safe, intelligent humanoids.

We strive for excellence in all we do, solving some of the hardest problems in robotics with the world’s most talented individuals. Every part of our robots is designed and produced in-house—from motor coils to AI—reflecting our vertically integrated approach. At 1X, you’ll own real projects, be recognized for your achievements, and rewarded based on merit.

We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations.

As we scale from research and development to full-scale manufacturing, we are looking for a Senior Robotics Software Engineer.  In this role, you’ll collaborate with teams working across software, hardware, firmware, AI, and production on a cutting edge humanoid robot. As part of the real time software team, your software will eventually run on thousands of robots worldwide. You’ll focus on real-time C++ development, efficient state estimation, and creating tools for system identification, hardware bring-up, and health monitoring. Candidates should have 3+ years in robotics, strong C++ expertise, Linux experience, and a passion for hands-on robotics.

Why this job is exciting

• You'll be on a team with a large set of responsibilities, requiring interaction with hardware, firmware, AI, platforms and production teams, all working towards building the world’s safest and most capable humanoid robot.

• The controls team is the first user of the hardware so you will play a key role in hardware design and sensor evaluation.

• In time, your software will run on 1000's of humanoids performing tasks in diverse environments, globally.

• You’ll be working with a 50+ DoF biped, with hands, all driven by motors we design and manufacture in-house. If this doesn’t excite you then 🤷

Responsibilities

• Own part of the software stack for the robot’s head — including ears, sensors, LEDs, and audio integration.

• Write firmware and bring up communication with custom PCBs (e.g. SPI, I2C, GPIO).

• Design and implement host-side drivers, services, and tools to interface with embedded subsystems.

• Work closely with electrical engineers on board bring-up, test tools, and reliability improvements.

• Support ML and behavior teams by exposing clean, responsive interfaces to sensing and expression systems.

• Strong software fundamentals and experience working across embedded and Linux systems.

• Comfortable writing firmware and integrating with higher-level software.

• Exposure to audio systems, especially microphone/speaker hardware integration.

• Familiar with SPI, I2C, or similar communication protocols.

• Willingness to work across layers — from PCB-level debug to host software and behavior APIs.

It will be nice if you had

• Built internal tools or test infrastructure for bring-up and validation.

• Comfortable with small-scale manufacturing challenges — flashing, provisioning, or diagnostics.

• Interest in human-machine interaction, behavior, and responsiveness.

Location Policy

We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations.

Not sure if this is you?

If you’re excited about 1X and this role, but not sure if you qualify, apply anyway! You may be the right candidate for this or other roles.

1X is an inclusive and equal-opportunity employer that values diversity. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected class. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please don't hesitate to let us know during the interview process. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

We're excited to get to know you and the prospects of having you on board!