---
title: 'Mechanical Engineer - Prototyping at 1X'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-prototyping-1x-san-carlos-8x3xvasv3afz'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Mechanical Engineer - Prototyping at 1X

- **Company:** [1X](https://feeny.ai/companies/1x)
- **Location:** San Carlos, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/1x/2d502918-5b0f-4eeb-a86b-8802184c5f09

## Job description

## About 1X

We’re building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back. Simple, but it’s not.

To do this right, we have to solve robotics, AI, manufacturing - at the same time, at scale, in a form factor that has to be safe enough to live with your family. If you’re inspired by this, you’ll thrive here. We’ve been at this since 2014 and we’re at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.

NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people. We’re not demoing it - we’re shipping it. We’re excited to meet you, if this excites you.

If you’ve spent your career working on problems that matter and want to see them actually reach the world - this is that moment. We’re scaling, we’re hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.

About the Team: The Prototyping team helps turn ideas into physical reality across some of the most varied hardware projects at 1X. While other engineering teams may focus deeply on a specific subsystem of NEO, this team works across accessories, shop products, internal ecosystem projects, and the hardware needed to support the broader NEO experience. You may be designing a mechanical prototype one week, coordinating fabrication the next, and testing or iterating on a completely different product shortly after. If you enjoy variety, ownership, and building things from the ground up, this is a team where you will have a direct impact.

Your Charter: Own the end-to-end development of physical products and prototypes that support the NEO ecosystem beyond the core robot. You will take projects from unclear requirements through design, prototyping, fabrication, testing, and iteration, working directly with stakeholders and internal and external resources to deliver practical, high-quality solutions. Your work will help 1X rapidly develop the accessories, products, tools, and supporting hardware required to bring NEO into the real world and into people's homes.

Key Outcomes:

- Deliver functional, validated prototypes and products from concept through fabrication and testing, balancing speed, quality, cost, and performance.
- Independently drive multiple projects simultaneously, establishing requirements, priorities, and execution plans even when the initial problem is ambiguous.
- Develop practical mechanical designs that can be rapidly prototyped, tested, iterated, and transitioned to appropriate manufacturing methods when needed.
- Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, machine shops, vendors, and other fabrication resources to ensure projects move quickly from design to physical hardware.
- Identify issues through hands-on testing and iteration, using learnings to improve design performance, reliability, usability, and manufacturability.

Key Competencies:

- Mechanical intuition: You have strong fundamentals in mechanical design and understand how parts are actually fabricated, assembled, and used.
- End-to-end ownership: You are comfortable owning the full lifecycle of a project, from requirements and design through fabrication, testing, iteration, and delivery.
- Adaptability: You can context-switch between very different projects and are comfortable working outside a narrow engineering specialization when the project requires it.

Minimum Requirements:

- 5+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, product development, prototyping, or a similar hands-on hardware development role.
- Demonstrated experience taking physical products or prototypes from concept through design, fabrication, assembly, and testing.
- Strong mechanical CAD and design skills, with an understanding of manufacturing processes and practical fabrication constraints.
- Experience independently managing multiple hardware projects with competing priorities.
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Skills:

- Portfolio demonstrating prototypes, products, or hardware projects you have personally designed and built.
- Experience working with machine shops, contract manufacturers, and other external fabrication partners.
- Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping processes such as 3D printing, machining, sheet metal, casting, or other fabrication methods.
- Experience developing consumer products, accessories, or products intended for real-world customer use.
- Exposure to electrical, manufacturing, or other multidisciplinary engineering work beyond mechanical design.

What does a successful 1X Team Member look like:

Team members at 1X who thrive here are builders. They move fast, own their work completely, and treat time like it’s the one thing you can’t get back - because it is. They say what they mean, finish what they start, and hold themselves to a standard before anyone has to ask. We push each other to be better, and we do it with honesty and respect.

Compensation Range: $175,000-215,000

Benefits:

- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
- 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
- Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
- Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
- Onsite snacks and catered lunches

## Equal Opportunity Employer

1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

## About 1X

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: 1X develops general-purpose humanoid robots for home and industrial environments, combining AI and hardware to automate everyday tasks.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B funding stage)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Bernt Øyvind Børnich

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Robotics Engineering / Artificial Intelligence
- **Target customers**: B2C (home consumers via NEO) and B2B/Enterprise (industrial tasks via EVE)
- **Mission**: Build a truly abundant society through general-purpose robots capable of performing any kind of work autonomously, allowing humans to focus on what they love.

## Products & Services
- **NEO**: A friendly home humanoid robot designed to integrate seamlessly into daily life and handle chores. Currently in early access after the NEO Beta (2024) and NEO Gamma (2025) iterations. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/about)
- **EVE**: A wheeled industrial humanoid deployed in factories worldwide for autonomous industrial tasks. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/about)
- **Revo1**: A high-torque-to-weight drive servo motor inspired by human tendon actuation, used in 1X robots. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/about)
- **1X World Model**: A physics-grounded video model that enables NEO to learn autonomously from text or voice commands. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $169M as of mid-2026, with a $100M Series B led by EQT Ventures in January 2024. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: EQT Ventures (lead), plus other investors in secondary rounds. Acquired Kind Humanoid in January 2025. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew 121.2% YoY to 394 employees. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
  - Full-scale production of NEO began in Hayward, CA, with capacity to build 10,000 units per year. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
  - New Palo Alto HQ consolidated teams from Sunnyvale and Moss, Norway. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
  - Appointed Mohi Khansari as Head of Robot Learning (January 2026) and Vikram Kothari as VP of Operations (August 2025). [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertical integration**: Owns manufacturing in Hayward (U.S.) and Moss (Norway), controlling the full production stack.
- **Proprietary hardware**: Revo1 servo motor offers world-leading torque-to-weight ratio, enabling flexible, low-gear-ratio robotics.
- **AI-first approach**: The 1X World Model allows robots to learn physical tasks via simulation and self-supervised video prediction, reducing need for manual programming.
- **Early home deployment**: NEO is one of the first humanoid robots entering private homes, giving 1X real-world data and feedback loops.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling NEO production and expanding early access to more households across the U.S.
- Enhancing AI capabilities through the World Model and reinforcement learning (e.g., Redwood mobility controller).
- Building a robust supply chain and service network for home robots.
- Continuing enterprise deployments of EVE while shifting emphasis to the consumer market.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Fast-paced, mission-driven environment focused on building humanoid robots that coexist with humans. Strong emphasis on AI, hardware, and real-world impact.
- **Work model**: Likely on-site for hardware and AI roles (multiple offices in Palo Alto, San Carlos, Sunnyvale, Hayward, and Moss). Some software roles may offer flexibility.
- **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge robotics and AI, contribute to a product (NEO) that is already entering homes, and be part of a rapidly scaling company with strong funding.
- **Engineering culture**: High concentration of talent from Tesla, Apple, Google, and SpaceX. Active research in biomechanics, reinforcement learning, and simulation. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)
- **Open roles**: 65+ positions listed on the careers page across AI, hardware, software, operations, and manufacturing. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/careers)

## Sources
1. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/about)
2. [1x.tech](https://www.1x.tech/careers)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1x-technologies)

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