Skip to main content

Robotics Engineer

Engineering

Research, design, develop, or test robotic applications.

Mechanical EngineeringElectrical Engineering

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA factory floor

  • Mostly indoors
  • Dealing with customers or the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

In Malaysia, 'robotics engineer' mostly means automation or controls engineer in factories: programming industrial robots, PLCs and vision systems on semiconductor, E&E and glove production lines, or working for automation system integrators in Penang (e.g. Bayan Lepas, Batu Kawan). Research-style robotics jobs are rare outside universities.

How people get into it here
SPM → Matrikulasi, STPM, Foundation or Diploma (e.g. polytechnic mechatronics) → Bachelor's in Mechatronics, Electrical/Electronic or Mechanical Engineering → Graduate Engineer (BEM) or Graduate Technologist (MBOT) registration. PLC and robot-programming certifications (e.g. from FANUC or ABB) are valued.
Demand
MyCOL 2024/2025 lists Industrial and Production Engineers as a critical occupation (one of nine listed in every edition since 2015), with Automation Engineer the first job title employers nominated. TalentCorp MyCOL 2024/2025

Sources:atomicgroup.myecentral.mytalentcorp.com.my

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Renewable Energy Engineer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Quick answers

How do you become a Robotics Engineer in Malaysia?

SPM → Matrikulasi, STPM, Foundation or Diploma (e.g. polytechnic mechatronics) → Bachelor's in Mechatronics, Electrical/Electronic or Mechanical Engineering → Graduate Engineer (BEM) or Graduate Technologist (MBOT) registration. PLC and robot-programming certifications (e.g. from FANUC or ABB) are valued. Optional registration with Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) or Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) is available.

What should I study to become a Robotics Engineer?

Related fields of study: Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. SPM subjects that help most: Physics, Additional Mathematics, Design & Technology (RBT) and Invention.

How much does a Robotics Engineer earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Robotics Engineer pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Review or approve designs, calculations, or cost estimates.
  2. 2Process or interpret signals or sensor data.
  3. 3Debug robotics programs.
  4. 4Build, configure, or test robots or robotic applications.
  5. 5Create back-ups of robot programs or parameters.
  6. 6Provide technical support for robotic systems.
  7. 7Design end-of-arm tooling.
  8. 8Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems.
  9. 9Supervise technologists, technicians, or other engineers.
  10. 10Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing.
  11. 11Conduct research on robotic technology to create new robotic systems or system capabilities.
  12. 12Investigate mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance problems.
  13. 13Integrate robotics with peripherals, such as welders, controllers, or other equipment.
  14. 14Install, calibrate, operate, or maintain robots.
  15. 15Evaluate robotic systems or prototypes.
  16. 16Conduct research into the feasibility, design, operation, or performance of robotic mechanisms, components, or systems, such as planetary rovers, multiple mobile robots, reconfigurable robots, or man-machine interactions.
  17. 17Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes.
  18. 18Design automated robotic systems to increase production volume or precision in high-throughput operations, such as automated ribonucleic acid (RNA) analysis or sorting, moving, or stacking production materials.
  19. 19Design or program robotics systems for environmental clean-up applications to minimize human exposure to toxic or hazardous materials or to improve the quality or speed of clean-up operations.
  20. 20Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications.
  21. 21Plan mobile robot paths and teach path plans to robots.
  22. 22Make system device lists or event timing charts.
  23. 23Design robotics applications for manufacturers of green products, such as wind turbines or solar panels, to increase production time, eliminate waste, or reduce costs.
  24. 24Automate assays on laboratory robotics.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • RPA Engineer
  • Robotics Tech
  • Robot Operator
  • Design Engineer
  • Autonomy Engineer
  • Controls Engineer
  • Research Engineer
  • Robotics Engineer
  • Algorithm Engineer
  • Robotics Engineers

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

PhysicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
InventionDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Engineering and Technology96%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Design93%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Computers and Electronics89%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Mechanical84%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics84%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • English Language80%

    English

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Time spent standingA little
  • Time walking or movingA little
  • Hands-on work with tools or objectsA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Analyze meteorological data.
  • Design electrical interconnections.
  • Design wind turbine components.
  • Estimate energy production by analyzing wind data.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

23%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 16 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

15 of 16 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM850 – RM1,200

10 of 16 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM850 and RM1,200 a month. Many print none.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Robotics Engineers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org