Machines that sense, think and move: industrial robots, humanoids, surgical robots, automation and the people who build and fix them.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Robotics Research Scientist: Invents new ways for robots to see, move and learn, often at university labs or big tech companies. Typical pay $150k.
Robot Perception Engineer: Writes the software that lets robots understand the world through cameras, lidar and other sensors. Typical pay $145k.
Humanoid Robot Engineer: Designs and programs human-shaped and walking robots. Typical pay $145k.
Surgical Robotics Engineer: Builds robots that help surgeons operate with tiny, precise movements. Typical pay $130k.
Robotics Engineer: Designs, builds and programs robots for factories, warehouses, farms, hospitals and homes. Typical pay $110k.
Warehouse Robotics Engineer: Designs and runs fleets of robots that move shelves and sort packages in giant fulfillment centers. Typical pay $110k.
Robot Learning Engineer: Trains robots to learn new skills from demonstrations and data instead of hand-written code. Typical pay $185k.
Soft Robotics Researcher: Builds squishy robots from rubber and fabric that can grip delicate fruit or move like octopuses. Typical pay $130k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Mechatronics Engineer: Combines mechanical parts, electronics and software into smart machines like 3D printers, drones and camera gimbals. Typical pay $100k.
Controls Engineer: Programs the controllers that run factory machines, conveyor lines, water plants and building systems. Typical pay $100k.
Automation Engineer: Replaces slow or dangerous manual work with robots, sensors and automated machines. Typical pay $98k.
Robot Integration Engineer: Works for a company that installs robots in customers' factories, customizing each one for the job. Typical pay $92k.
Exoskeleton Engineer: Designs wearable robotic suits that help factory workers lift or help injured people walk again. Typical pay $105k.
Electro-Mechanical Technician: Builds, tests and repairs machines that mix mechanical parts and electronics. Typical pay $67k.
Robotics Technician: Keeps robots running in factories and warehouses by maintaining, programming and repairing them. Typical pay $62k.
Field Robotics Technician: Travels to sites to fix delivery robots, robot lawnmowers, cleaning robots and autonomous vehicles. Typical pay $58k.
Industrial Robot Programmer: Teaches factory robots exactly how to weld, paint, pick and pack. Typical pay $70k.
Inspection Robot (Crawler) Operator: Drives magnetic robots up the walls of power-plant boilers, tanks and pipes, scanning the steel for thin spots. Typical pay $60k.
Starter: fastest way in
Robot Operator: Runs and watches over robot work cells on a production line. Typical pay $46k.
Robot Teleoperator: Controls robots remotely to finish tricky tasks or record demonstrations that teach robots new skills. Typical pay $46k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.