Mbodi AI Seeks Senior Robotics Engineer to Build Next-Gen Industrial Robots

Mbodi AI, a Y Combinator-backed startup founded by two former Googlers, is building embodied AI robots that learn and operate like humans. The company has just posted a Senior Robotics Engineer (Systems & Controls) position with a salary range of $100K-$250K and 0.50%-2.00% equity.

The role focuses on designing and tuning control architectures that make robot behavior reliable under real-world constraints. The ideal candidate will turn task intent into stable, precise, production-grade motion on real hardware through controller design, dynamics analysis, industrial hardware integration, and deployment.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and tune controllers for robot motion using PID, feedforward, state-space methods, LQR, and MPC
• Model system dynamics with block diagrams, transfer functions, and state-space methods
• Build motion execution around industrial OEM controllers, accounting for latency, calibration error, joint limits, motion constraints, and fault handling
• Integrate the platform with real-world industrial robotic systems across sensors, network interfaces, safety I/O, and hardware
• Own bring-up, validation, commissioning, and on-site issue resolution in production environments
• Debug failures across controls, software, networking, calibration, and hardware

Required Qualifications

• Deep expertise in classical and modern control theory with proven track record of deploying these algorithms on physical hardware
• Strong systems intuition regarding closed-loop system behavior, stability, overshoot, tracking error, and robustness
• Hands-on experience integrating, tuning, and commissioning industrial robot hardware (ABB, Fanuc, KUKA, UR) in real-world or production settings
• 4+ years of experience in robotics software with strong C++/Python skills
• Startup DNA with high agency and bias toward action

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep experience programming and interfacing with ABB controllers via RAPID
• Strong experience building production-grade robotics pipelines in ROS2
• Advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) in Robotics, Controls, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Mbodi AI's platform allows anyone to teach robots new skills by talking to them, with the robots executing those skills reliably in production within minutes. The company is backed by top investors and already working with global industrial partners like ABB.

The startup was founded in 2024 as part of Y Combinator's P25 batch and currently has a team of 6 people based in New York. Founded by Xavier (Tianhao) Chi and Sebastian Peralta, both former Googlers, Mbodi AI is pioneering the next wave of robotics where advanced generative models meet real-world applications.

This position represents an opportunity to join a small, fast-moving team at the forefront of embodied AI robotics, working on technology that could fundamentally change how industrial robots are programmed and deployed.