Robotics Research Engineer (Open Call)

1X

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 through 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 will own real projects, be recognized for your achievements, and be rewarded based on merit.

Our mission at 1X Labs is to provide the science and technology that enables human-level, general-purpose humanoids.

We are rigorous about identifying the gap between where humanoid performance is today and what human-level capability actually demands. From there, we go deep on fundamentals, take long but efficient and often non-obvious paths, develop new technologies, and carry those advances all the way into the product. We are uniquely positioned to make research outcomes into products with our focus and tight integration in materials, component design, systems engineering and manufacturing.

A humanoid is an unusually integrated system. Meaningful progress only emerges when sensing, actuation, materials, control, and intelligence advance together—each pushed close to its real limits. 1X Labs is built around people who have gone far enough in their own field to reason confidently at those limits, and who can engage seriously with neighboring domains because they understand which constraints truly matter.

You are deeply capable in your domain—enough that your intuition is shaped by years of work on hard, concrete problems. You don’t adopt interdisciplinarity as an identity; it’s a consequence of mastery and working on systems where no single discipline is sufficient.

You’re drawn to environments where technical depth is assumed, ideas are tested against reality, and research only counts if it ultimately ships.

Open Call: Build What Pushes Humanoids to Human Level

1X Labs exists to close the gap between today’s humanoids and human-level capability.
Some of the most important advances won’t fit into a predefined role.

This is an open call for exceptionally technical people who have a concrete path—an idea, a prototype, or a body of research—that could materially push humanoid performance closer to human level.

You might have started building something and realized it needs additional resources, real teams, and real integration to matter.
You might be sitting on years of deep technical work that never made it past a paper, a lab, or a prototype.
You might be at a larger organization where system-level bets don’t survive.

We are looking for people who can ideate, build, test, and prove a path forward.
Our intent is to provide the environment where that path can be taken all the way to reality: interdisciplinary teams, serious hardware, rapid iteration, and a direct line into product.

This call is intentionally selective. You should have at least one of the following:

• A first-author or equivalent high-impact scientific publication in a relevant technical field.

• A prototype or system that demonstrably advanced the state of the art.

• Prior experience founding or co-founding a technical venture, including having raised meaningful external capital (e.g. >$3M) or taken a deep-technology product to deployment.
  

A comparable, concrete technical track record that shows you can carry an idea through to reality.

Apply here and pitch us:

• The performance gap you aim to close.

• The technical foundation you already have (idea, prototype, or research).

• Why existing approaches don’t get there.

• What you would build and test first if constraints were removed.