Also called: Planetary Robotics Engineer
Builds the rovers, robot arms, and landers that explore other worlds and work in orbit.
You design a robotic arm joint that must work at -200°F with no lubrication, test a rover's wheels in a sandbox full of fake Mars dirt, and debug its driving software.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical, electrical engineering or robotics; master's common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Robotics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering.
Growing faster than average. BLS does not separate robotics engineers; growth expected to be strong.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI coding and simulation tools speed design; building and testing rovers and arms that must work far from help stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Computer Science, AP Calculus, CAD class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
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