Why This Role Stands Out
As the technical owner of a groundbreaking legged robot project, you'll architect and build a human-carrying quadruped from the ground up, leveraging your expertise in mechatronics to drive innovation. This role is perfect for experienced engineers with a background in high-power motion hardware, such as EV powertrains or industrial actuators, who thrive on end-to-end ownership and impactful development. Apply now to shape the future of robotics with Proto Town!
Quick Overview
Job Description
Lead Robotics Engineer - Legged Systems
The role
We are building a legged quadruped robot that carries a human rider, starting from scratch. There is no platform to modify, no reference design to scale up, and no prior program here to inherit. You would be the technical owner of the machine as it comes into existence: architecture, actuation strategy, prototype hardware, and the locomotion control stack.
What we're looking for
The center of this role is mechatronics: you work across mechanical design, motor control, and power electronics without handing off at the boundaries
High-power electronics: Multi-kilowatt DC bus architecture, motor drive and inverter design or deep integration, battery pack and BMS selection, and the thermal design that keeps all of it alive under sustained load.
Motor control: Field-oriented control, torque control, encoder and current sensing, and real-time firmware on embedded targets.
Actuation: High torque-density drivetrain design: motors, gearboxes, backdrivability, and the tradeoffs between them.
Fluency in the practical stack: C++ and Python, a real-time control target, CAN or EtherCAT, and a simulator you trust and know the limits of.
Backgrounds that tend to fit
We are looking for people with experience in EV and e-mobility powertrain work, motor drive and inverter design, industrial servo and actuator manufacturing, or legged robotics. What matters is that you have shipped high-power motion hardware you designed yourself.