Intern - Industrial Designer

Human Computer Lab • San Francisco, CA

39d

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.

What to expect
We’re looking for a designer who thinks deeply about how objects make people feel and wants to shape what LeLamp looks like, how it interacts with people, and what it communicates just by sitting on a table. This isn’t about styling around existing hardware, it’s about defining the visual and physical language of a new kind of object without precedent. You’ll work closely with the CEO and founding team to take the robot’s exterior form from early sketches through physical samples to shipped products.

Requirements

• Have 3+ years in industrial or product design (consumer hardware or robotics).
• Have a strong portfolio showing proportion, detail, and emotional sensitivity.
• Have taken products from concept to production.
• Are fluent in Rhino, Alias, Fusion, or similar tools.
• Are comfortable designing without clear precedents.
• Have Class-A surfacing experience.
• Have worked with CMF specs and injection molding vendors.
• Understand DFM constraints (draft, parting lines, textures).
• Have a sharp eye for cosmetic quality and can articulate the difference between acceptable and not.
• Care how products feel in everyday life, not just how they render.

Nice To Haves

• Care deeply about how everyday objects fit into people's lives and homes.
• Can hold creative direction steady across a long, messy development process without losing the thread.
• Move quickly and can iterate through physical samples and vendor feedback without losing design direction.
• Take ownership over the aesthetic quality of the product, even in stages of the process they don't directly control.
• Work well in small, collaborative teams where the industrial designer and mechanical engineer are often the same conversation.
• Think about the full arc from concept to shipped unit and hold the thread throughout.

Responsibilities

• Lead the exterior design of LeLamp across product generations, and maintain consistency as the product platform evolves.
• Develop the product’s visual language, form, materials, and emotional presence.
• Sketch and present design directions that communicate personality, not just geometry.
• Translate concepts into production-ready 3D models with mechanical engineers.
• Define CMF specs (materials, colors, finishes) and maintain documentation.
• Review prototypes and cosmetic samples against design intent.
• Contribute to how the robot is presented visually, including packaging, photography art direction, and first-impression experience.
• Own Class-A surfacing for injection molded and fabricated exterior parts, and ensuring surfaces remain DFM-ready without compromising design quality.
• Prepare visual references, annotated models, and finish sample boards to support design reviews.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed