Building Practical Retail Robots: A Hardware Engineer’s Perspective
- May 6
- 4 min read
Updated: May 6
At MUSE, we develop versatile robots for retail environments. One of our defining strengths is our ability to build software, hardware, and AI largely in-house, allowing us to rapidly incorporate customer feedback into our products.
In this interview, we spoke with Kentaro, the leader of MUSE’s hardware team, about his career path, current work, and the realities of working at a hardware startup.
– Could you start by telling us about your background?
After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, I worked as a mechanical engineer at a technical outsourcing company, where I spent about 10 years designing mechanisms for digital cameras. I then moved to a printer manufacturer and worked on sequence design for about three years. After that, I joined a robotics startup, where I spent around three years working on mechanical design for delivery robots.
So MUSE is actually my second experience working at a hardware startup.
– What are your responsibilities at MUSE?
I’m responsible for the overall mechanical design of our main robot, Armo, as well as the various units that connect to Armo and enable it to perform different functions.
I’m also involved in supporting repairs for units that encounter issues in the field.
– Hardware startups are less common than software startups. What differences do you see between them?
I haven’t worked at a software startup, so this is based on my impression. One key difference is whether the entire process from design to product release can be completed in-house.
In software, especially at startups, it’s often possible to handle everything internally. In hardware, however, you inevitably need physical production processes such as parts fabrication and assembly. Once you move beyond small quantities, external manufacturing partners become essential.
Finding reliable partners for processing and manufacturing, and managing those relationships effectively, is a critical factor in the success of a hardware startup.
Another difference is the team composition. Startups are often perceived as being made up of younger people, but in hardware, acquiring design expertise independently is quite challenging. Engineers with experience designing mass-produced products at manufacturers tend to be immediately effective in ensuring smooth development and maintaining quality.
As a result, while MUSE overall has a relatively young team, the hardware team tends to be more experienced.
– How does working at MUSE differ from working at a traditional manufacturer?
This may apply to smaller companies in general, but one major difference is the breadth of responsibilities.
In hardware development, there are multiple phases: design, procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance, and maintenance. At large manufacturers, these phases are typically handled by separate departments. At a startup, it’s difficult to assign dedicated personnel to each function, so individuals often cover multiple areas.
In my case, I’m involved in virtually every aspect of the products I’m responsible for. Being able to see the full picture and having a high degree of autonomy in decision-making is one of the most rewarding aspects of this role.
Another major difference is the working environment and facilities. When we were previously based in a shared office, even securing space for assembly work was a challenge. We didn’t have a dedicated workspace, so we had to assemble hardware in the office, which was not always ideal in a shared office setting.
We also didn’t have sufficient tools or equipment, so we would carry parts to a nearby fabrication lab to process them. Testing equipment is often expensive, and it’s difficult to have everything in-house both in terms of space and cost. Even now, we rely on external facilities for certain evaluation tests.
Since moving to our own office last autumn, we’ve been able to secure proper workspace and gradually build up our tools and equipment. Today, we’re able to handle a much larger portion of our prototyping and assembly work internally.
Being able to feel the company’s growth alongside the evolution of our products is one of the unique and rewarding aspects of working in hardware.
– Mass production is often a key milestone for hardware startups. How are you approaching it?
Yes, for the hardware team in particular, that is one of our primary goals. However, trying to build a fully completed product from the outset makes it difficult to adjust course later, so we take an agile approach, similar to software development.
Currently, we produce in moderately sized batches. With each batch, we incorporate improvements based on customer needs and operational challenges, refining the product step by step as we move toward full-scale production.
From a mechanical design perspective, we’ve been designing with mass production in mind from the early prototype stages. For example, we aim to ensure that transitioning to mold-based manufacturing can be achieved with minimal design changes.
MUSE is also aiming for global expansion, including into the United States. As we move toward commercialization, we must comply with industry standards such as JIS and ISO, as well as various country-specific regulations and certifications.
At large manufacturers, internal standards aligned with industry regulations are often already established, so engineers can meet those requirements indirectly by following internal guidelines. At a startup, however, we need to start by identifying which standards apply to our products.
This is particularly challenging for service robots like ours, which are part of a relatively new field and span multiple technical domains. Even identifying the applicable standards can be a complex task.
When people talk about the challenges of scaling hardware startups, they often focus on manufacturing, but compliance with industry standards is another critical area that requires careful attention.
For us, mass production is not the finish line. It’s part of the process of making robots a practical and natural presence in retail environments. We aim to create a future where robots are a natural presence in everyday environments, and we will continue to address each challenge along the way.
Join Us
We’re growing our team. MUSE is currently hiring for a variety of positions across engineering, business, and corporate fields.
If our vision excites you, and you’re interested in the challenge of creating the future from scratch, we’d love to hear from you. Casual meetings and office tours are always welcome!
For job posting and application:
Looking forward to talking to you!
