Test Engineer, Actuation

Department: Hardware Engineering

Location: Palo Alto

Employment Type: FullTime

About Mind

Mind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems. Join us if you want to move beyond digital intelligence and put intelligence into motion.

About the Role

As an Actuator Test Engineer on our team, you will build the dynamometer test infrastructure to verify how every actuator we put on the robot actually performs. You will move fluidly between designing test fixtures, building test stands, and running the characterization tests that drive our actuator selection and sizing decisions.

Responsibilities

• Design and build the dynamometer test systems, including mechanical driveline, load application, and sensor integration (torque, position, thermal).

• Design and fabricate test fixtures and stands for actuator, gearbox, and driveline validation, producing accurate 2D drawings with GD&T (ASME Y14.5) for tight tolerances and proper fits.

• Run tests on actuators to characterize torque, speed, efficiency, thermal performance, stiffness, friction, bandwidth, life-cycle, backlash, and torque sensor accuracy.

• Support electromechanical integration of motors, encoders, torque sensors, and other components onto test rigs.

• Generate and visualize the data that drives actuator selection and sizing decisions

• Build repeatable test procedures and data pipelines that scale from a single actuator on a bench to characterizing units across the fleet.

• Quantify unit-to-unit variation, track drift and wear over time, and flag outlier units.

• Perform post-test teardown inspections (gear wear, bearing wear, lubrication condition, wiring/sensor integrity) and document findings rigorously.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience testing and characterizing real electromechanical or robotic hardware.

• Demonstrated ability to design and build test hardware such as fixtures, stands, and drivelines from concept through fabrication.

• Proficiency with 3D CAD and the ability to generate 2D drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5.

• Solid grasp of actuator fundamentals: motors, gear transmissions (planetary, harmonic/strain-wave, cycloidal), encoders, torque/force sensors, and thermal behavior.

• Experience with dynamometer setups or equivalent custom test rigs, from concept through fabrication.

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience.

• Ability to write and maintain clean test documentation and procedures.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with planetary, harmonic/strain-wave, and cycloidal actuators specifically, and familiarity with the tradeoffs between them.

• Experience scaling test or calibration pipelines across a large fleet of test systems.

• Manufacturing process familiarity and first-article inspection experience.

• Experience with CATIA V6