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Fox Robotics

Manufacturing Engineer I   

Jan 2025 - Jan 2026


Robotics Technician I   

Dec 2023 - Jan 2025

I was responsible for creating and improving manufacturing processes, primarily during configuration and calibration, and frequently collaborated with all other engineering teams as we developed and delivered the MK3 FoxBot. I identified numerous opportunities to improve procedures and components, and I implemented my solutions fleet-wide. I also developed software tools to simplify and consolidate internal tooling with a UI specifically designed for manufacturing, service, and testing.

FoxBot MK3 New Product Integration


The introduction of the MK3 FoxBot brought significant upgrades to hardware, firmware, and software. The mechanical and electrical design was fully reworked with a focus on manufacturing scalability. These improvements yielded a robot that performs significantly better and is much easier to build and maintain.


R&D

I collected feedback from technicians early in the MK3 design process, personally audited every production process, and analyzed Quality and Testing data in search of optimizations and time savings. I also coordinated development and deployment of a large-scale rework of onboard firmware. I implemented and validated these changes over the course of producing 19 prototype units.

  • Production process designed to scale

  • Rapid iteration of prototypes and processes based on feedback and testing

  • New automated software tooling to replace manual command line tools

  • Firmware improvements delivering better safety and reliability with clearer messaging to users

  • Improved troubleshooting tools and resources

Calibration Health Check

I fully redesigned all of our quality checks for firmware and calibration. I fully eliminated redundant or ineffective checks and I automated tedious check processes, resulting in a significantly shorter QC process. I partnered with other engineering teams to leverage existing tools and APIs, and developed custom sensor fusion solutions using Foxglove. This check is now used as the final determination if a robot is ready to be shipped to a customer.

  • 5S Lean manufacturing principles and Continuous Improvement

  • Integrated internal tooling and APIs

  • Streamlined workflow with custom Foxglove dashboard and automation

Work Instructions

During the transition from MK2 to MK3 I performed a full audit of every production process and completely reworked the manufacturing flow. I changed the order of steps to eliminate time-consuming back-and-forth. I also created work instruction style standards that were missing, and established single sources of truth for all other documents to pull from.

  • Full document quality review and process audit

  • Defined sources of truth for other documents to pull from, eliminating repetitive edits

  • Established thorough style standards for improved clarity

  • Collaborative process with technician feedback

  • Process timing analysis for production planning

PFMEA

As we redesigned the manufacturing process for MK3, we also performed a PFMEA for the entire build. Members of the various Production teams collaboratively identified and characterized process failure modes throughout the lifecycle of a MK3 FoxBot, and then used those findings to develop better ways to identify, prevent, and respond to failures.

  • Comprehensive analysis of all production processes

  • Generated actionable improvements

Component 5

This is a description of Project 1 Component 5 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 6

This is a description of Project 1 Component 6 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 7

This is a description of Project 1 Component 7 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 8

This is a description of Project 1 Component 8 and my involvement in the process.

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FoxKit


FoxKit began as a personal convenience project and by popular demand is now an internal software tool used by production, testing, and service technicians. Technicians are able to see robot status information and perform configuration, calibration, and testing tasks with a single click, avoiding the need to navigate command line tools. The modular software design makes version control easier by allowing engineering teams to update their components on their own schedule. I managed a small ad-hoc team to expedite development and respond to user requests.


UI/UX

I emphasized the minimization of user prompts over the course of a process, removing repetitive inputs and turning long processes into one-click background tasks. FoxKit also parses error messages to detect common issues, and produces simplified and actionable output for technicians.

  • Collaborative design process with technicians who use the software

  • Focus on userbase’s preference for mouse navigation and touchscreen compatibility

  • Minimal user inputs for each task

  • User-friendly error messages with recommended corrective actions

Modular Software Tools

FoxKit uses existing tools and APIs wherever possible. This modular design allows the tools underlying FoxKit to be updated without requiring an update to FoxKit itself, and enables fast development with frequent updates delivering new features.

  • Use newly deployed internal APIs for new monitoring and maintenance capabilities

  • Update tools modularly, minimizing complex coordination between several teams

Component 3

This is a description of Project 2 Component 3 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 4

This is a description of Project 2 Component 4 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 5

This is a description of Project 2 Component 5 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 6

This is a description of Project 2 Component 6 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 7

This is a description of Project 2 Component 7 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 8

This is a description of Project 2 Component 8 and my involvement in the process.

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Configuration Workstation


Many components on a FoxBot must be configured prior to assembly. I planned and constructed an electrical workstation for streamlined offboard device configuration and troubleshooting. I reworked all relevant work instructions in tandem with this project, making use of custom wire harnesses to reduce setup steps. I also adapted processes to configure multiple devices in parallel whenever possible.


Wire Harnesses

Originally, all offboard configuration processes were performed using mobile PCs and required technicians to perform a lengthy setup procedure. I created custom wire harnesses integrated into the work area, designed around parallelization. I also took this opportunity to consolidate and organize storage of electrical tools.

  • Pre-routed wire harnesses to a dedicated PC and power supplies to eliminate setup time

  • All connectors positioned in easy to reach, dedicated locations following 5S lean manufacturing principles

  • ESD-safe workstation

Work Instructions

I created style standards for device configuration instructions and documented the optimized process flow for each component, taking advantage of parallelization wherever possible. I also defined sources of truth for all documents to pull from, and set tool storage and labeling standards.

  • Set document style standards for Confluence

  • Established a single source of truth database for work instructions, referenced by documents in Confluence 

  • Reworked process flow with 5S lean manufacturing principles

  • Developed parallel configuration support in internal tooling and processes, completing batches 3X to 8X faster

  • Greatly reduced technician training time and reduced reliance on memorization

Component 3

This is a description of Project 3 Component 3 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 4

This is a description of Project 3 Component 4 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 5

This is a description of Project 3 Component 5 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 6

This is a description of Project 3 Component 6 and my involvement in the process.

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Component 7

This is a description of Project 3 Component 7 and my involvement in the process.

  • Rich Content Feature 1 - here is a long-winded description to see how this thing handles length.

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Component 8

This is a description of Project 3 Component 8 and my involvement in the process.

  • Rich Content Feature 1 - here is a long-winded description to see how this thing handles length.

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© 2026 by Paul Richardson

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