Actuator Test & Equipment Engineer

About the Company

Rhoda AI is building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Design and build motor dynos, actuator dynos, and back-to-back test setups for performance and efficiency characterization.
• Develop gear testing setups for high-cycle, low-energy gear life and efficiency testing.
• Build cooling test benches to characterize motor and actuator thermal behavior and validate thermal models.
• Design housing cycling test equipment and durability rigs to exercise actuators against representative duty cycles.
• Define data acquisition requirements including sample rates, sensor accuracy, synchronization, and filtering.
• Work with technicians to ensure high-throughput test execution and build automated software tooling.
• Partner with design and modeling engineers to define test plans for component characterization and durability validation.
• Own data integrity, including calibration, traceability, and uncertainty quantification.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience developing and operating test equipment for electromechanical systems (motors, drivetrains, actuators, etc.).
• Proven experience owning a test capability from initial design through routine production use.
• Deep proficiency in dyno design and electromechanical test rig development.
• Hands-on experience with torque transducers, encoders, current/voltage measurement, thermocouples, and accelerometers.
• Experience with data acquisition systems (NI, dSPACE, Speedgoat, or custom).
• Proficiency in CAD for fixture design and MATLAB, Python, or LabVIEW for test automation and data analysis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience commissioning servo drives and tuning loops for PMSM/BLDC motors.
• Experience with 4-square gear rigs or precision gear efficiency measurement.
• Background in coolant loop design, calorimetry, or motor thermal characterization.
• Experience building automated test sequences and unattended overnight runs.
• Familiarity with accelerated life testing and reliability statistics.
• Prior experience in robotics or high-performance automotive sectors.