Robotics Engineer
About this role
Pragmatic engineers who thrive on hands-on hardware troubleshooting and building test infrastructure will find a strong fit at Neuralink. The team develops the next-generation surgical robot designed to perform brain surgery at scale, implanting numerous tiny threads to enable brain-computer communication. Ownership of the robot test fleet sits at the core of this position, requiring the creation of testable components, simulation of operating conditions, and automation of accelerated life testing.
Daily responsibilities involve bringing up robots, hunting failure modes across mechanics and electronics, and collaborating closely with simulation and hardware-in-the-loop engineers. Success in this environment demands high agency, comfort with intermittent faults, and rigorous discipline regarding traceability. The group values individuals who balance deep technical execution with the drive to ship reliable capabilities safely.
What you will do
- Bring up, instrument, and operate robotic systems and component test rigs.
- Investigate and diagnose failures across mechanical, electronic, firmware, and software domains.
- Automate routine robot verification and validation, test execution, recovery, and results analysis.
- Design and construct hardware fixtures, sensing mechanisms, and logging systems with fast turnaround times.
- Collaborate with simulation and hardware-in-the-loop engineers to align models with physical reality.
- Convert real-world hardware failures into repeatable regression tests to eliminate redundant hardware usage.
What you need
- Possess hands-on robotics experience involving building, breaking, and repairing robotic systems.
- Write Python code to automate tests and analyze results while maintaining a basic understanding of Rust.
- Bring practical experience with motor drives, encoders, sensors, and hardware interfaces such as Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, or EtherCAT.
- Read electrical schematics, build instrumented fixtures, and utilize oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and data acquisition systems.
- Demonstrate high agency on hardware and discipline around repeatability, traceability, and documentation.
- Hold a Bachelor's degree in a technical field such as Engineering, Computer Science, or Physics, or have equivalent practical experience.
Nice to have
- Effective at using AI agents to build tooling, analyze data, and automate failure investigations
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance through a PPO plan
- Paid holidays
- Commuter benefits
- Meals provided
- Equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
- 401(k) plan
- Parental leave
- Flexible time off
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the expected compensation range for this role?
The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the range of $151,000 to $281,000 USD. Actual base pay will be determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training, alongside equity compensation in the form of Restricted Stock Units.
What level of experience is Neuralink looking for on this team?
The team is hiring engineers at all levels, spanning both junior and senior backgrounds. What matters most is evidence of exceptional abilities and a drive to succeed.
What tools and technologies will I be working with?
You will use Python to automate tests and analyze results, alongside a basic understanding of Rust. The work also involves hardware interfaces such as Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, or EtherCAT, as well as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
What are the primary duties regarding the robot test fleet?
You will own building out the robot test fleet by breaking robots into testable components, building rigs that reproduce operating conditions, and automating accelerated life testing. When the robot misbehaves, you will be in the lab figuring it out.