Hands Actuator Controls Engineer jobs in United States
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Figure · 3 months ago

Hands Actuator Controls Engineer

positionSan Jose, CA
timeFull-time
remoteOnsite
senioritySenior Level, Lead/Staff
money$150K/yr - $300K/yr
date10+ years exp

Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. They are seeking a Hands Actuator Controls Engineer to develop and optimize control systems for humanoid robot hand actuators, focusing on achieving precise and safe motion through advanced control strategies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)HardwareIndustrial AutomationRobotics

Responsibilities

Architect multi-DOF controls: design scalable, high-performance, robust controls of hands actuators to enable AI policies to achieve human-like dexterity of the hands and object manipulation, using both torque‑based and position‑based strategies
Implement force control: Develop algorithms to enable grasp-force control, active shock isolation and impedance/admittance control
Implement state machines for transitions: Create control state machines for bump-less mode changes and handle saturation/anti‑windup
Design sensor‑fusion and state estimation for pinch, slip or impact detection algorithms
Create diagnostics and fallback strategies: Build real‑time diagnostics, monitoring and fallback modes to maintain safe operation in every condition
Model, test and correlate: Develop numerical models of the hand system and perform test/model correlations to validate and tune control algorithms
Deploy at scale: Implement robust techniques that handle variations across a large fleet in diverse environments
Accelerate design iteration: Provide feedback to mechanical, motor, electrical, firmware and sensing teams through trade‑off studies, simulations and subsystem testing
Collaborate across disciplines: design control interfaces in collaboration with AI teams for data collection and for policy evaluation

Qualification

Robotic systems experienceMotionForce controlC++PythonControl theory knowledgeMulti-DOF systems designLinux-based systemsRapid prototypingDiagnosticsMonitoringHands-on approachCollaboration skills

Required

At least 10 years of hands‑on work with robotic or actuation systems, with a proven record of designing high‑performance control architectures for complex, multi‑DOF systems
Deep knowledge of motion and force control (including admittance/impedance control and vibration/shock isolation) and experience conducting actuation trade studies
Strong C++ and Python skills; comfortable developing on Linux‑based systems
Solid grounding in mechanics, kinematics, dynamics, control theory and sensor technologies, with familiarity in managing mode transitions and anti‑windup/saturation strategies
Capability to rapid-prototype, test and deploy robust solutions at scale
Master's or PhD. degree in Mechanical, Electrical/Controls Engineering, Robotics or a related field

Preferred

Prior work on robotic hands actuation systems or multi DOF systems
Prior expertise working with MIMO systems
Prior Expertise deploying control systems on a large fleet of systems

Company

Figure

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Figure is an AI robotics company that develops autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots.
dateFounded in 2022
location
San Jose, California, USA
people-size201-500 employees
web-link
https://www.figure.ai

Funding

Current Stage
Growth Stage
Total Funding
$1.85B
Key Investors
Parkway Venture CapitalIntel CapitalBrett Adcock
2025-09-16Series C· $1B
2024-02-24Series B· $675M
2023-07-17Series Unknown· $9M

Leadership Team

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Brett Adcock
Founder
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Recent News

FF News | Fintech Finance
Figure Partners with moomoo and Keplr to Expand Global Access to the On-chain Public Equity Network (OPEN)
2026-02-06
legacy.thefly.com
Figure reports January Consumer Loan Marketplace Volume $816M, down 6% y/y
2026-02-05
PYMNTS.com
Figure Expands Access to Its On-Chain Public Equity Network
2026-02-05
Company data provided by crunchbase