Mechanical Design Engineer Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems

Founding Mechanical Engineer Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems

Founding Engineering Role — Autonomous Ground Vehicle Platform

Location: Bangalore

About AB Labs

AB Labs is a stealth-mode deep-tech startup initiative currently being developed under the DivyaSree umbrella, focused on building autonomous intelligence systems across advanced sensing, robotics, edge AI, and infrastructure-scale operational environments.

The lab is designed to translate research-grade systems into deployable, mission-ready platforms across sectors such as autonomous systems, defense-grade systems, space systems, industrial intelligence, and future infrastructure operations

The Role

You will own the mechanical design and physical architecture of our autonomous ground vehicle platform — including chassis, drivetrain integration, payload interfaces, sensor placement, electronics packaging, and protective enclosures — from a COTS-based proof-of-concept through to a design that can be handed to a contract manufacturer at commercialization.

This role carries real weight on CAD, structural/design analysis (FEA), topology optimization, mechanical integration, and field validation. We want a platform that is light, stiff, modular, serviceable, and field-durable without being over-built, with key design decisions validated through analysis and testing before fabrication.

Core Responsibilities

1. Chassis & Structural Design: Design the vehicle’s chassis, suspension/mounting points, and load-bearing structures for outdoor, uneven-terrain operation.
2. CAD Ownership: Own and maintain the platform’s CAD models (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar), keeping assemblies version-controlled and synchronized with electrical, payload, sensor, and integration changes.
3. Topology Optimization: Apply topology optimization and generative design tools to minimize weight and material use while meeting stiffness and strength requirements, particularly for the chassis, brackets, and load-bearing structures.
4. Design Analysis (FEA): Run structural analysis including static, fatigue, vibration/shock, and thermal analysis on critical components to validate designs before fabrication and reduce costly physical iteration.
5. Sensor & Component Mounting: Design mounting solutions for LiDAR, cameras, IMU, GPS, compute hardware, and other sensors that meet field-of-view, vibration isolation, alignment, protection, and serviceability requirements defined jointly with the perception/autonomy team.
6. Drivetrain Integration: Design mounting and mechanical interfaces for motors, gearboxes, and wheels/tracks, working with the controls engineer on mechanical constraints that affect control performance, including traction, braking, turning geometry, ground clearance, slope capability, and obstacle/step negotiation.
7. Rapid Prototyping (POC Stage): Use 3D printing, laser cutting, and COTS structural components such as extrusion systems and off-the-shelf brackets to iterate quickly during the proof-of-concept stage.
8. DFM Readiness (Commercialization Stage): As the platform matures, design for manufacturability (DFM), assembly, and appropriate tolerancing for handoff to a contract manufacturer. This role does not own production/manufacturing itself.
9. Environmental Robustness: Design for outdoor operating conditions including dust/water ingress targets, thermal cycling, vibration, shock, and exposure to uneven terrain and field environments.
10. Requirements & Documentation: Contribute mechanical subsystem requirements, interface definitions, design constraints, drawings, tolerances, BOM-related inputs, and assembly documentation to the platform’s systems-engineering documentation.
11. Bench & Field Testing: Define and support mechanical verification and field testing, including chassis load, payload, vibration, impact, ingress, durability, and mobility testing; diagnose failures and iterate designs based on real-world performance data.
12. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work directly with electrical/embedded, controls, VCU, perception, and systems-engineering teams on enclosure design, wiring/cable routing, thermal management, drivetrain constraints, actuator interfaces, sensor placement, and integration requirements.
13. Safety & Serviceability: Design for emergency-stop mounting, protective covers, vibration isolation, maintainability, modular replacement, access for inspection/service, and safe interaction with critical mechanical and electrical components.
14. System-Level Mechanical Architecture: Own the mechanical integration of payload, terrain capability, serviceability, battery placement, electronics packaging, cable routing, thermal management, safety interfaces, modularity, and payload-dependent centre-of-gravity, axle/wheel-load distribution, and stability analysis.

Report To

The person will report directly to the CTO / Lab Lead and work closely with perception/autonomy, controls, embedded/VCU, electrical, and systems-engineering teams.

Key Tools & Technologies

CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar; FEA and simulation tools such as Ansys, SolidWorks Simulation, or equivalent; topology optimization / generative design tools; 3D printing and rapid prototyping workflows; GD&T and tolerancing; and familiarity with COTS structural components including extrusion systems, off-the-shelf actuators, wheels/tracks, and mechanical integration hardware.

Preferred Background

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field. Strong hands-on project experience in robotics competitions, rover/vehicle builds, FSAE-style projects, research platforms, or field-deployed robotic systems is valued alongside — or in place of — formal pedigree.

Experience

2–5 years of relevant experience, or equivalent strength demonstrated through personal, academic, research, or project work, in mechanical design for robotics, vehicles, or field-deployed hardware — ideally including FEA/topology optimization work and at least one design taken from prototype toward a manufacturable or field-ready state.

Primary Output

A validated, system-integrated mechanical platform design — including chassis, drivetrain interfaces, payload interfaces, sensor/compute mounting, packaging, and enclosures — backed by structural analysis, optimized geometry, mechanical verification, and field-test evidence, and documented well enough to progress toward DFM and contract manufacturing when the program moves to commercialization.

To Apply

Please send:

1. CV / Resume
2. GitHub / Portfolio / Project Links
3. A short write-up on a system, mechanism, or project you have personally designed or built

Send to: [email removed] | [email removed]

We’re particularly interested in engineers who enjoy hands-on building, working in ambiguous early-stage environments, and taking a design from the first prototype toward a field-ready system.