Materials Engineer, Fibers and Composites

1X

Since its founding in 2015, 1X has been at the forefront of developing advanced humanoid robots designed for household use. Our mission is to create an abundant supply of labor through safe, intelligent humanoids.

We strive for excellence in all we do, solving some of the hardest problems in robotics with the world’s most talented individuals. Every part of our robots is designed and produced in house, from motor coils to AI, reflecting our vertically integrated approach. At 1X, you will own real projects, be recognized for your achievements, and be rewarded based on merit.

We are seeking a Soft Materials Modeling, Simulation and Testing Engineer with a passion for soft matter, complex deformation behavior, and advanced computational modeling. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer who enjoys building predictive models and validating them through rigorous experiments. You will work at the frontier of stretchable sensors, soft skins, compliant structures, composites, and multilayer stacks.

You will collaborate closely with researchers in materials science, physics, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, and industrial design to build an integrated understanding of how soft materials behave under real world robotic conditions. Your work will guide early architecture choices, accelerate material development, and ensure reliable transition from concept to product.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and characterize polymer fiber based materials and fiber constructions for load bearing and cyclic applications.

• Study and control long term material behavior including creep, stress relaxation, fatigue, hysteresis, abrasion, surface damage, and wear in polymer fibers and fiber assemblies.

• Evaluate polymer fibers such as UHMWPE, aramids, polyesters, nylons, and other high performance fibers for wear resistance, debris generation, and retention of mechanical properties over time.

• Define and study fiber constructions including yarns, rovings, twisted cords, braids and other textile like assemblies as material architectures.

• Investigate friction and wear behavior at fiber to fiber and fiber to surface interfaces and assess their impact on noise, vibration, and lifetime.

• Develop material level test methods and accelerated aging protocols to predict long term performance, including wear and fatigue driven failure modes.

• Collaborate with polymer chemists to understand fiber chemistry, surface treatments, coatings, and sizing effects on friction, wear, and long term durability.

• Partner with mechanical design, manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure material behavior, wear limits, and degradation modes are properly accounted for in component design.

• Document material properties, wear mechanisms, test methods, lifetime models, and qualification data to support repeatable mass production use.

• Stay current with advances in fiber science, tribology, textiles, and structural polymer materials relevant to high cycle, wear sensitive applications.