Senior robotics design & simulation engineer

Senior Robotics Design & Simulation Engineer

Elysium Robotics is an early-stage company headquartered in Austin, Texas, developing revolutionary low-cost, highly capable robotic systems with dexterity and natural grace. Our proprietary muscle-like elastic actuator technology addresses a decades-old challenge in robotics, enabling automation for tasks current robots cannot do. These microfiber actuators enable real bio-mimetic design opportunities based on the same muscle fiber actuation principles biology engineers with. We are building a world-class team to revolutionize robotics.

We are opening a software-focused office in London that will support and collaborate with the core team in Austin, TX. This UK-based team will be responsible for Lab Data and Analytics Systems, and for Robotic System Design, Simulation, Task Control, and Training.

Location: Initial hires will work from home with the expectation that a central office will be established in the coming months. This office will likely be in Central or East London, and a flexible hybrid schedule of in-person and remote work will be established. There is also the possibility of locating in Cambridge, depending on various factors including team member locations.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Robotics Design & Simulation Engineer to architect the virtual "bodies" and environments for our next-generation robotics built using our breakthrough elastic synthetic muscle actuators. You will build high-fidelity digital twins of our elastic actuators and robotic systems to explore and demonstrate a wide range of concepts before hardware is ever built. Working at the intersection of Mechatronics, Physics Simulation, and Product Design, you will utilize cutting edge physics simulators for robotics (VSim) to model both current actuator capabilities and future theoretical performance limits.

Our Collaborative Approach: You will work in a tight-knit, two-person simulation unit alongside our Senior Robotic Controls & RL Simulation Engineer. While you will focus heavily on system design with elastic actuators, CAD, physics-based environment modeling, and use-case architecture, your partner will focus on the control theory and reinforcement learning required to make those models move. We expect both roles to creatively overlap and share the total scope of bringing our synthetic muscle technology to life in simulation. As our first two simulation hires, your combined skillsets will dictate the specific focus of our future team expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Physics Modeling & Digital Twins: Implement highly accurate robotic system simulations in VSim, modeling everything from low-level elastic tensile actuators in reciprocal geometries to fully integrated dexterous manipulators.
• Future Concept Exploration: Architect and simulate robotic systems using idealized actuator models to demonstrate future capabilities to potential customers and investors, helping identify what hardware improvements are required.
• System Architecting: Act as the technical design lead, translating high-value use cases and customer needs into functional mechatronic architectures in simulation.
• Internal Feedback Loop: Share simulation data and conceptual learnings with the core R&D team in the US to improve future actuator product generations.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Work closely with the RL & Controls Engineer to ensure simulated models are optimized for policy training and accurately reflect active/passive compliance.
• Validation: Constantly assess the sim-to-real gap and work to minimize it.

Qualifications

• Hybrid background in Mechatronics Engineering, Robotic System Design, and Product Design.
• Expertise in high-fidelity, GPU-accelerated physics engines such as MuJoCo, Issac Sim, or OpenSim. (Experience with VSim would be a big plus, but is not expected).
• Experience modeling elastic tensile actuators and understanding biomimetic or reciprocal muscle architectures.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical simulation concepts to investors, external creators, and future customers.

Why Join Elysium Robotics UK?

• High Impact: Help build a new team in the UK from the ground up, supported by the leadership of our US HQ.
• Complex Challenges: Solve deep-tech problems at the frontier of materials science, ML, robotics, and physics simulation.
• Flexibility: We offer a bias towards remote work while maintaining a key hub in the UK's premier tech corridors.
• Elite Talent: Work alongside senior, self-directing engineers in a flat, fast-moving organization.

We are an equal opportunity employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know.