Character Artist

Human Computer Lab • San Francisco, CA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Human Computer Lab is a research lab building character robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology. Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.

Requirements

• Are pursuing a degree in screen-writing, animation, character design, industrial design, or a related field — or have equivalent hands-on portfolio experience.
• Have a portfolio that shows character design or expressive design work, in 2D or 3D.
• Document clearly and can explain the reasoning behind a design choice, not just the choice itself.
• Are comfortable iterating quickly, moving from rough sketch to testable prototype without waiting for a perfect brief.
• Are genuinely interested in physical products, not just screen-based or purely digital characters.

Nice To Haves

• Have designed characters or mascots that had to work within real hardware or physical constraints, not just on a screen.
• Understand core animation principles (timing, weight, squash and stretch, anticipation) and know how to translate them into motors, servos, and lighting.
• Are comfortable collaborating directly with engineers, turning an abstract sense of "feel" into concrete specs they can build against.
• Move quickly through iteration cycles and don't wait for perfect information to make progress.
• Take ownership over your work end to end, from first sketch to a behavior that's live in the robot.
• Work well in small, collaborative teams where character, electrical, and mechanical are in constant conversation.
• Care about what the character enables: warmth, expressiveness, and the feeling that the robot is alive.

Responsibilities

• Create concept art, mood boards, and character studies that define LeLamp's personality and visual identity.
• Collaborate with the hardware team on form factor, silhouette, materials, and color to keep the physical design aligned with the character.
• Design expressive motion — gestures, "emotional" states, and behaviors expressed through movement, light, and sound.
• Prototype and iterate quickly, moving between sketches, renders, and physical mockups.
• Partner with robotics and software engineers to translate character intent into concrete behavior parameters (motion curves, timing, lighting cues).
• Build and maintain style guides and a character bible to keep the robot's expression consistent as the team grows.
• Review hardware and software prototypes against the character vision and give clear, actionable feedback.
• Support brand and marketing assets to keep the character consistent across every touchpoint.

Benefits

• We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree