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Robotics Engineers

Occupation · SOC 17-2199.08

Research, design, develop, or test robotic applications.

Also called: Automation Engineer · Autonomous Vehicle Design Engineer · Design Engineer · Factory Automations Engineer · Research Engineer · Robotic Systems Engineer · Algorithm Engineer · Autonomy Engineer · Controls Engineer · Mechatronics Engineer · RPA Engineer (Robotic Process Automation Engineer) · Robot Operator

Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations

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A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-17-2199-08/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Debug robotics programs. · 3.0%
  • Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes. · 1.3%
See how AI is used here →

Use as a copilot

Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.

  • Provide technical support for robotic systems. · 4.0%
  • Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing. · 3.0%
  • Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems. · 0.9%
See collaboration patterns →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes. · 98.4% need a human
  • Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes. · 89.2% need a human
  • Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications. · 80.6% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

66th-percentile task overlap — yet about 9,300 openings a year (+2.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4198% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High 67th 0.8
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate 61st 0.8
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 71st 0.2

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.4), with simple added tooling (β 0.6), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 9th percentile among occupations · Low

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Debug robotics programs. 2.8%
Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing. 1.7%
Provide technical support for robotic systems. 1.2%
Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications. 1.1%
Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes. 0.9%
Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems. 0.9%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook About average · +2.1% by 2034
Projected annual openings 9,300
Employment 2024 → 2034 158,800 → 162,100

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

30% mean task exposure (2025)
57th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+8 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Engineering Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified · 2149 30% Not exposed

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 42.0% working with AI · 48.3% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 26.1%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Provide technical support for robotic systems. Learning 4.0%
Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing. Iteration 3.0%
Debug robotics programs. Feedback loop 3.0%
Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes. Directive 1.3%
Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems. Iteration 0.9%
Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes. Iteration 0.8%
Install, calibrate, operate, or maintain robots. 0.3%
Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications. 0.3%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes. 98.4%
Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes. 89.2%
Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications. 80.6%
Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems. 78.8%
Provide technical support for robotic systems. 74.7%
Install, calibrate, operate, or maintain robots. 73.5%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me provide technical support for robotic systems.

    From: Provide technical support for robotic systems. · 4.0% of measured AI use · learning

  • Help me design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing.

    From: Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing. · 3.0% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me debug robotics programs.

    From: Debug robotics programs. · 3.0% of measured AI use · feedback loop

  • Help me analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes.

    From: Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes. · 1.3% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology 4.8
Design 4.6
Computers and Electronics 4.5
Mechanical 4.2
Mathematics 4.2
English Language 4.0
Physics 3.9
Production and Processing 3.7

Abilities

Problem Sensitivity 4.1
Oral Comprehension 4.0
Written Comprehension 4.0
Deductive Reasoning 4.0
Inductive Reasoning 4.0
Information Ordering 4.0
Oral Expression 3.9
Written Expression 3.9
Fluency of Ideas 3.9
Originality 3.9
Category Flexibility 3.9
Mathematical Reasoning 3.9
Visualization 3.9
Near Vision 3.9
Flexibility of Closure 3.8
Finger Dexterity 3.5
Speech Recognition 3.5

Essential skills

Critical Thinking 4.0
Reading Comprehension 3.9
Active Listening 3.9
Monitoring 3.9
Writing 3.8
Mathematics 3.8
Active Learning 3.8
Learning Strategies 3.4

Transferable skills

Complex Problem Solving 3.9
Judgment and Decision Making 3.9
Systems Analysis 3.9
Operations Monitoring 3.6
Troubleshooting 3.6
Quality Control Analysis 3.6
Time Management 3.6

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Showing the top 40 of 47.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Autodesk AutoCAD Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology In demand
C Development environment software Hot technology In demand
C# Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
C++ Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology In demand
Git File versioning software Hot technology In demand
Linux Operating system software Hot technology In demand
Oracle Java Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
Python Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
The MathWorks MATLAB Analytical or scientific software Hot technology In demand
Amazon Web Services AWS software Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Atlassian JIRA Content workflow software Hot technology
Bentley MicroStation Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
JavaScript Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft .NET Framework Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology
Microsoft Project Project management software Hot technology
Microsoft Visio Process mapping and design software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Basic Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Studio Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Windows Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology
Oracle Database Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Structured query language SQL Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
UNIX Operating system software Hot technology
AVEVA InTouch HMI Industrial control software
CODESYS Industrial control software
Compilers Compiler and decompiler software
Computer aided design and drafting CADD software Computer aided design CAD software
Computer aided software engineering CASE tools Object or component oriented development software
Computer-aided engineering CAE software Analytical or scientific software
Concurrent Versions Systems File versioning software
Dassault Systemes CATIA Computer aided design CAD software
Debuggers Program testing software
Finite element analysis FEA software Analytical or scientific software
Gazebo Analytical or scientific software
Graphical user interface GUI builder software Graphical user interface development software

Showing the top 40 of 67.

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

E-Mail 4.9
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.8
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.5
Telephone Conversations 4.5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.4
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.4
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.2
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 4.1
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 4.0
Contact With Others 4.0
Health and Safety of Other Workers 3.9
Time Pressure 3.9
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets 3.9
Frequency of Decision Making 3.6
Consequence of Error 3.5
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.5
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 3.4
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 3.4
Level of Competition 3.4
Spend Time Sitting 3.3
Written Letters and Memos 3.3
Physical Proximity 3.2
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment 3.0
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 3.0
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 3.0
Conflict Situations 2.9
Public Speaking 2.8
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 2.8
Degree of Automation 2.7
Spend Time Standing 2.7
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions 2.6
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 2.6
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment 2.5
Exposed to Contaminants 2.3
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.3
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures 2.1
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment 2.1
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 2.0
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions 2.0
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions 2.0

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Preparation level
SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Engineering , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Bachelor's Degree 50.0%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 16.7%
Master's Degree 16.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 6.7%
Doctoral Degree 6.7%
Some College Courses 3.3%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Dependability 7.0
Attention to Detail 6.0
Cautiousness 5.0
Intellectual Curiosity 4.0
Achievement Orientation 3.0
Innovation 2.5
Adaptability 2.0

Interest areas

Engineering 6.7
Mechanics/Electronics 5.8
Information Technology 5.2
Mathematics/Statistics 4.8
Physical Science 3.0

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Realistic 6.2
Investigative 5.6
Conventional 4.5

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$63k10th$86k25th$118kMedian$153k75th$184k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
159k2024162k2034 (proj.)+2.1% · About average
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $62,840
25th percentile $85,750
Median (50th) $117,750
75th percentile $152,670
90th percentile $183,510
People employed 150,750

Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 17-2199), not for the specialty alone.

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 37,330 $112,040
Manufacturing · Sector 36,850 $107,590
Engineering Services · National industry 16,150 $101,730
Wholesale Trade · Sector 6,470 $103,760
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 6,030 $95,040
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 5,210 $122,930
Information · Sector 3,800 $159,700
Temporary Help Services · National industry 3,680 $88,000
Construction · Sector 3,520 $81,570
Utilities · Sector 2,970 $118,630
Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry 2,780 $102,200
Educational Services · Sector 2,720 $98,560

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry 19.8× 270
Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry 16.69× 2,780
Engineering Services · National industry 14.29× 16,150
Wind Electric Power Generation · National industry 11.33× 110
Utilities · Sector 5.24× 2,970
Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry 5.23× 190
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry 5.16× 360
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 3.55× 37,330

Part of the Advanced Manufacturing , Agriculture , Construction and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Robotics Engineers sits at the 66th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 92nd percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Robotics Engineers Robotics Technicians Mechanical Engineers Computer Hardware Engineers AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Robotics Engineers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 57th percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Robotics Engineers show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,300 annual U.S. openings

  • Robotics Engineers rank in the 66th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 9,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $117,750, across about 150,750 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 42% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Robotics Engineers show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,300 annual U.S. openings

• Robotics Engineers rank in the 66th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 9,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $117,750, across about 150,750 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 42% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Robotics Engineers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-08
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Robotics Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-08

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Robotics Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-08

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2199-08,
  title  = {Robotics Engineers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-08}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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