RA Capital

Company Overview

Familiar Machines & Magic is a well-funded, new embodied AI and robotics startup based outside of Boston. Our founding team is Colin Angle (founder and former CEO of iRobot), Ira Renfrew (former CPO of Outrider), and Chris Jones (former CTO of iRobot). We are pioneering an exciting new category of home robot in the health and wellness space. Embodied and agentic AI are central enablers to our product vision.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop PCBAs for sensors, actuators, audio systems, and power electronics used in robotic platforms, utilizing Altium for schematic capture, layout, and design documentation.
• Prototype, bring up, debug, and validate PCBAs and hardware systems, from early benchtop prototypes to fully integrated robotic platforms, using standard lab instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, power supplies, and spectrum analyzers.
• Design and integrate cable harnesses that support reliable system assembly and scalable high-volume manufacturing.
• Apply consumer electronics and robotics experience to ensure designs are reliable, manufacturable, and compliant with EMC, ESD, and safety standards.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical and firmware engineers to deliver compact, consumer-grade hardware that balances performance, cost, and usability.
• Develop and evaluate human-machine interface systems (e.g., microphones, speakers, sensors, and user interaction hardware) to create intuitive user experiences.
• Define and execute test and validation plans for both PCBAs and integrated systems, leveraging automation where practical.
• Support manufacturing readiness through DFM/DFT reviews, test fixture development, and collaboration with vendors and contract manufacturers.
• Participate in failure analysis and reliability testing to ensure robust consumer-grade hardware.

Preferred Qualifications:

• BSEE or higher (or equivalent experience) with 4+ years developing consumer or robotics electronics from prototype through production.
• Experience with mixed-signal design, power regulation, and high-speed digital interfaces (USB, Ethernet, PCIe, MIPI, etc.).
• Experience designing audio systems and human-interaction interfaces (microphones, speakers, sensors).
• Experience with EMC/EMI, ESD, and safety compliance requirements.
• Experience working in robotics hardware systems (motor drivers, battery management, distributed sensing).
• Familiarity with embedded firmware (C/C++) or Python for test automation.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and working with contract manufacturers and consumer hardware supply chains.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment and collaborate across hardware, firmware, and product teams.
• Familiarity with 3D MCAD tools (Creo, SolidWorks, or similar).

Join Us:

If you’re passionate about creating innovative cutting-edge robotic systems for consumer products, and excited to join a fast-moving hardware team where you’ll see your designs directly applied to our robots we’d love to hear from you. Be part of a team pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, building a first-of-its-kind consumer robotics product with direct real-world impact.