Hardware Automation & Robotic Testbed Support Engineer

Do something big and innovative! Stretch your creative muscles and work on big issues. Since 1989, we have developed technology environments, applications, and tools by providing experienced teams to implement, enhance, and maintain our clients essential systems and applications. Come join the Scalence team!

Title: Hardware Automation & Robotic Testbed Support Engineer
Duration: 12 months
Location: San Jose, CA
Pay Rate: up to $45/hr. W2 incl. benefits

Join our engineering team supporting next-generation wearable smart devices and voice AI technologies! Our lab develops and operates custom automated robotic test stations and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds designed to simulate real-world human interactions, execute automated test sweeps, and benchmark on-device conversational AI assistants.

Role Overview

Core Focus: Automated robotic test station maintenance, audio test pipelines, and acoustic interaction simulation

About the Role:

In this contractor role, you will serve as the day-to-day operational anchor for our automated test stations, with a specialized focus on conversational audio testing and acoustic interaction simulations. You will spend time directly on the lab bench maintaining electro-mechanical fixtures, running and debugging Python automated test pipelines, and assisting software engineers with test harness integration.

This position is ideal for a junior engineer, mechatronics maker, or hands-on technician who enjoys bridging physical hardware with software pipelines and wants to develop a foundational understanding of test automation architecture in a fast-paced R&D lab.

Core Focus Areas

• Hardware & Fixture Maintenance
  • Upkeep, calibration, and wiring of automated robotic testbeds, servos, microcontrollers, and audio peripherals.
• Test Execution & Automation
  • Running automated Python test sweeps, monitoring continuous test runs, and logging telemetry.
• Issue Triage & Diagnostics
  • Isolating whether test failures stem from device firmware, testbed hardware, or script bugs.
• Acoustic & Audio Simulation
  • Setting up calibrated mouth/ear simulators, speakers, and microphone arrays for conversational voice evaluation.
• Pipeline & Systems Integration
  • Collaborating with SWEs to run tests against internal APIs, maintain Linux host environments, and manage test configs.

Key Responsibilities
1. Hands-on Hardware & Test Station Maintenance

• Daily Station Upkeep
  • Inspect, align, and recalibrate mechanical mounts, microcontrollers (ESP32/Arduino), and servo actuators across active robotic test cells.
• Wiring & Bench Setup
  • Assemble, crimp, route, and troubleshoot wire harnesses, power rails, and audio interface hardware (microphones, artificial head/torso simulators, sound cards).
• Rapid Prototyping Support
  • 3D print (FDM/SLA) replacement brackets, cable guides, or custom acoustic baffles using provided CAD models.

2. Software Pipeline & Test Execution

• Run Automated Test Sweeps
  • Execute scheduled and ad-hoc Python test scripts to validate conversational voice interactions on wearable test units.
• First-Line Triage
  • Monitor test execution, identify station anomalies, isolate loose physical connections or script errors, and gather log bundles for engineering follow-up.
• Data Logging
  • Verify that acoustic metrics, latency logs, and audio recordings are cleanly captured and uploaded to central test repositories.

3. Software Architecture & Environment Support

• Script Maintenance
  • Make minor updates to Python test scripts, parameter configs, and helper functions using Git version control.
• Host Machine Health
  • Maintain bench Linux (Ubuntu) machines, manage USB/serial device permissions, virtual environments, and driver updates.
• Cross-Functional Lab Support
  • Partner with software engineers and acoustic researchers to prepare benches for new test suites and feature verifications.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications

• Education
  • Associate s or Bachelor s degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical hands-on experience.
• Experience
  • 1+ years of hands-on experience working with electro-mechanical hardware, robotics, or hardware test fixtures (industry, university labs, or competitive robotics teams such as FIRST, VEX, or Formula SAE).
• Hardware Skills
  • Practical troubleshooting ability with hand tools, digital multimeters, wire crimpers, basic soldering, and bench test equipment.
• Scripting Fundamentals
  • Basic-to-intermediate Python proficiency (reading scripts, modifying parameters, running command-line workflows, and handling log files).
• Software Tools
  • Working knowledge of the Linux command line (CLI) and basic Git source control operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Audio & Acoustic Setup
  • Prior exposure to audio interfaces, USB sound cards, calibrated microphones, or audio test packages (sounddevice, scipy.signal).
• Microcontrollers & Bus Protocols
  • Experience flashing microcontrollers (ESP32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi) and communicating over serial/UART or USB.
• HIL / Automated Testing
  • Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop testing, continuous test runners, or bench automation.
• Communication
  • Clear documentation habits, collaborative attitude, and eagerness to learn in a high-iteration hardware lab environment.