Contractor, Robotics Lab Technician
Lila Sciences
- Location
- Onsite (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- Employment
- Contract
- Level
- Mid Level
About the role
Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence to autonomously accelerate discovery in science. The Robotics Lab Technician will design, build, and integrate robotic systems and fixtures to power the development lab.
Skills
Full job details
Your Impact at LILA
Lila's Next Gen Robotics team builds and integrates the robotic systems that power our development lab. As a contract Robotics Lab Technician, you will design, build, and integrate those systems, combining off-the-shelf components like robot arms, mobile bases, and sensors (cameras, lidars, and similar) into new configurations.
You will do real CAD design work, creating the mounts, fixtures, and adapters that let these components work together, then producing them through 3D printing and building them out by hand. You will also handle the electrical and controls work needed to wire everything up and get it running.
This is a practical, in-lab role for someone comfortable designing a solution and then getting hands-on with the robot.
What You'll Be Building
- Design parts, mounts, fixtures, and adapters in CAD to integrate off-the-shelf robotic components
- Take measurements, iterate on fit and function, and produce parts via 3D printing and light fabrication
- Assemble and integrate robotic hardware from your own designs or engineering drawings
- Wire and mount sensors, actuators, and control components, including cable routing and connector termination
- Configure motor controllers, I/O, and sensor interfaces, and debug basic control issues alongside engineers
- Install, calibrate, and troubleshoot robotics sensors and subsystems during bring-up and integration
- Maintain and upgrade lab robots, document builds and fixes, and keep the lab safe and organized
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Hands-on experience working on or around robots, such as arms or mobile bases, with a practical understanding of how they function
- Solid working ability in CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar), able to design parts from scratch
- Comfortable taking measurements, iterating on fit and function, and producing parts via 3D printing
- Familiarity with common robotics sensors (cameras, lidars, or similar), including installation, wiring, and basic troubleshooting
- Basic hands-on electrical skills: wiring, soldering or crimping, using a multimeter, reading simple schematics
- Practical, adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable in a fast-moving, hands-on lab environment
- Good communicator who can work closely with engineers across mechanical, electrical, and software domains
Bonus Points For
- Some exposure to controls hardware (motor controllers, I/O boards, actuators) and willingness to learn more
- Experience designing mounts, brackets, or adapters to integrate off-the-shelf hardware components
- Prior experience in a robotics lab, research lab, or similar hands-on hardware environment
- Familiarity with ROS or other robotics software or middleware
- Experience with 3D printers (setup, calibration, basic troubleshooting)
- Any background in mechatronics, electromechanical work, or a related technical field
About LILA
Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.
LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.
Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.