About Menlo

Menlo Research is an Applied R&D lab building Asimov, an open-source humanoid robot platform, and the full software stack that powers it. Our mission is to make humanoid labor economically viable -- turning software into physical labor at scale. We build across the full stack: hardware architecture, locomotion, autonomy, simulation, and infrastructure. We move fast, ship to real robots, and open-source everything we can. If you want your work to matter beyond a paper or a demo, this is the place.

The Role

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will own the design, analysis, and validation of the structural and kinematic systems that make Asimov move. You will take components from concept through production-ready hardware -- working across joints, actuators, enclosures, and structural members -- ensuring every design holds up mechanically and integrates cleanly with the broader electromechanical system.

What You'll Do

Design and develop mechanical assemblies across the full humanoid body, including joints, actuators, sensor mounts, and structural members

Develop detailed 3D part, drawings and assembly models across plastics, metal, and composite materials in Solidworks or equivalent CAD tools

Run hands-on test rigs: load testing, fatigue cycling, thermal soak, and kinematic validation across body segments

Execute DFM reviews alongside contract manufacturers, going to the floor to understand tooling constraints, cycle times, and failure modes firsthand

Create and maintain production drawings with GD&T and inspection callouts for handoff to CMs and QA

Set up and instrument test stands, wire sensors, and collect data to analyze failure modes and close the loop on design iterations

Work across plastics, metals, and composites, selecting materials and joining methods appropriate for the loading conditions and production intent

Coordinate with firmware and electrical teams to physically integrate actuators, sensors, and PCBs into mechanical assemblies, ensuring cable routing, connector access, and serviceability are accounted for

Contribute to Menlo's open-source hardware releases, including build guides, BOM documentation, and assembly instructions for the communityContribute to Menlo's open-source design efforts, including CAD releases, manufacturing documentation, and build guides for the broader robotics community

What You'll Bring

3 or more years of hands-on mechanical design experience on high-complexity electromechanical products

Strong proficiency in Solidworks, across both detailed parts, multibody assemblies, surfaces and drawings

Proven track record with sheet metal fabrication and traditional/additive manufacturing

Experience with GD&T and producing 2D engineering drawings for manufacturing and QA

Ability to run FEA simulations; static, dynamic & thermal as well as interpret results to inform design decisions

Comfortable working within aggressive cost and weight constraints without sacrificing reliability

Demonstrated hands-on experience with material selection, actuator selection, fasteners and mechanisms

Proficient in rapid prototyping methods (FDM, SLA, CNC, laser cutting) and able to support the team on design decisions spanning the full product lifecycle, from concept through end-of-life disassembly and material recovery

Strong communication skills to drive alignment across suppliers, cross-disciplinary engineers, and leadership

Bonus points for

Experience with bipedal or humanoid robot hardware, legged locomotion platforms, or high DOF manipulators

Participated in robotics competitions

Familiarity with parallel mechanisms and non-standard joint configurations such as RSU ankle designs or parallel actuation

Knowledge of plastics engineering including material selection, shrinkage factors, and mechanical property optimization

Scripting or automation experience in Python to streamline CAD workflows and data analysis

Experience with deploying control systems to hardware

Familiarity with sim-to-real workflows and how hardware decisions affect locomotion policy training and transfer