Career profile · 17-3024
Robotics Technicians
Build, install, test, or maintain robotic equipment or related automated production systems.
What the work can involve
- Make repairs to robots or peripheral equipment, such as replacement of defective circuit boards, sensors, controllers, encoders, or servomotors.
- Troubleshoot robotic systems, using knowledge of microprocessors, programmable controllers, electronics, circuit analysis, mechanics, sensor or feedback systems, hydraulics, or pneumatics.
- Install, program, or repair programmable controllers, robot controllers, end-of-arm tools, or conveyors.
- Maintain service records of robotic equipment or automated production systems.
- Modify computer-controlled robot movements.
- Perform preventive or corrective maintenance on robotic systems or components.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Computers and Electronics
- Engineering and Technology
- Mechanical
- Design
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Working with Computers
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Getting Information
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
- Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician385 institutions →
- Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician140 institutions →
- Instrumentation Technology/Technician88 institutions →
- Robotics Technology/Technician80 institutions →
- Automation Engineer Technology/Technician113 institutions →
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician64 institutions →
- Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other98 institutions →
- Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician191 institutions →
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Contact with others about half the time | 31.8%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a month or more but not every week | 31.8%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 77.3%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 40.9%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Sitting | About half the time | 54.5%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Standing | About half the time | 63.6%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | More than half the time | 40.9%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 31.8%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 77.3%08/2018 · sample 22 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 68.2%08/2018 · sample 22 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Analytical software, Logic Design RoboLogix, MathWorks Simulink, Simulation software
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Dassault Systemes CATIA, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Data base user interface and query software: Database software, Structured query language SQL
- Development environment software: ABB RobotStudio, Ada, C, Ladder Logic
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software
- File versioning software: Git
- Industrial control software: AVEVA InTouch HMI, CODESYS, FANUC Robotics ArcTool, FANUC Robotics Diagnostic Resource Center DRC
- Object or component oriented development software: C#, C++, Oracle Java, Python
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Linux, Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Windows Embedded Compact
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for robotics technicians
This O*NET specialty shares the BLS 17-3024 occupation series. Pay is measured for Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians, not separately for this specialty.
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Associate's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 40 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,660 | $32.05 | 70 |
| Alaska | $80,290 | $38.60 | 40 |
| Arizona | $80,930 | $38.91 | 120 |
| California | $81,550 | $39.21 | 1,850 |
| Colorado | $74,730 | $35.93 | 570 |
| Connecticut | $81,860 | $39.36 | 140 |
| Florida | $75,450 | $36.28 | 500 |
| Georgia | $68,720 | $33.04 | 170 |
| Idaho | $70,830 | $34.05 | 120 |
| Illinois | $79,400 | $38.18 | 250 |
| Indiana | $47,440 | $22.81 | 290 |
| Iowa | $73,010 | $35.10 | 180 |
| Kentucky | $65,270 | $31.38 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $75,410 | $36.26 | 120 |
| Maine | $82,510 | $39.67 | Not published |
| Maryland | $75,330 | $36.22 | 90 |
| Massachusetts | $73,630 | $35.40 | 920 |
| Michigan | $62,460 | $30.03 | 850 |
| Minnesota | $61,670 | $29.65 | 400 |
| Mississippi | $71,420 | $34.34 | 70 |
| Missouri | $65,360 | $31.43 | 230 |
| Montana | $77,340 | $37.19 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $72,800 | $35.00 | 130 |
| Nevada | $82,010 | $39.43 | 220 |
| New Hampshire | $75,780 | $36.44 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $60,040 | $28.87 | 200 |
| New Mexico | $119,320 | $57.37 | 670 |
| New York | $68,010 | $32.70 | 410 |
| North Carolina | $63,330 | $30.45 | 800 |
| North Dakota | $82,820 | $39.82 | 90 |
| Ohio | $73,050 | $35.12 | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $65,100 | $31.30 | 140 |
| Oregon | $67,140 | $32.28 | 160 |
| Pennsylvania | $74,710 | $35.92 | 650 |
| South Carolina | $67,610 | $32.50 | 270 |
| Tennessee | $64,720 | $31.12 | 190 |
| Texas | $54,460 | $26.18 | 1,800 |
| Virginia | $74,880 | $36.00 | 570 |
| Washington | $81,220 | $39.05 | 570 |
| Wisconsin | $76,290 | $36.68 | 580 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 79 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians→
- Automotive Engineering Technicians→
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians→
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians→
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters→
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay→
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians→
- Mechanical Drafters→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 17-3024.01.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.