Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 20% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 26% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The people and hands-on work, about 74% of the time, stays with people.
Operate, test, maintain, or adjust unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment. May operate unmanned submarines, aircraft, or other equipment to observe or record visual information at sites such as oil rigs, crop fields, buildings, or for similar infrastructure, deep ocean exploration, or hazardous waste removal. May assist engineers in testing and designing robotics equipment.
15,520 people do this job in the US. $73,900 a year.
A typical 40-hour week
Not yet reviewed task by task- AI could take on8 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet2 h
- Stays with people30 h
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 8 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 2 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 30 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Analyze engineering designs of logic or digital circuitry, motor controls, instrumentation, or data acquisition for implementation into new or existing automated, servomechanical, or other electromechanical systems (about 2 h); Read blueprints, schematics, diagrams, or technical orders to determine methods and sequences of assembly (about 1 h); Prepare written documentation of electromechanical test results (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 26%
- 3%
- 72%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 8%. Today's estimate: 20%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.021% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 304th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 28 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.13% to 0.034% (released February and March 2025); 0.072% to 0.023% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.023% to 0.021% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.13% | 136 of 708 | 7 of 28 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.034% | 338 of 703 | 6 of 28 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.072% | 187 of 655 | 7 of 28 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.026% | 348 of 672 | 6 of 28 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.023% | 374 of 677 | 6 of 28 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.023% | 299 of 434 | 2 of 28 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.021% | 304 of 447 | 2 of 28 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 75% of this job's working time as physical work. For 41% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 41% in a purpose-built cell. 0.41 of 3, the 340th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 25%
- No robot shown 34%
- In a purpose-built cell 41%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
The tasks
Sorted by . 28 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop, test, or program new robots.Done several times a day by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 15% | 2.5 work days3.3 h to 2.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Modify, maintain, or repair electrical, electronic, or mechanical components, equipment, or systems to ensure proper functioning.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Test performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RedViking end-of-line transfer case test and assembly cell (robot + Vsync test executive) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.3 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Install electrical or electronic parts and hardware in housings or assemblies, using soldering equipment and hand tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Fabricate or assemble mechanical, electrical, or electronic components or assemblies.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, ASMPT SIPLACE SX / SIPLACE placement line (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Repair, rework, or calibrate hydraulic or pneumatic assemblies or systems to meet operational specifications or tolerances.Done more than weekly by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Assist engineers to implement electromechanical designs in industrial or other settings.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Align, fit, or assemble component parts, using hand or power tools, fixtures, templates, or microscopes.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Edgewater Automation multi-robot valve assembly system (31 robots, linear-motor transfer) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Specify, coordinate, or conduct quality-control or quality-assurance programs and procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Hexagon PRESTO System (robotic inspection cell) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | 46%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Install or program computer hardware or machine or instrumentation software in microprocessor-based systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Analyze engineering designs of logic or digital circuitry, motor controls, instrumentation, or data acquisition for implementation into new or existing automated, servomechanical, or other electromechanical systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 97%Half by now | |
| Consult with machinists to ensure that electromechanical equipment or systems meet design specifications. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians10% now, 21% by 2028
- Avionics Technicians13% now, 15% by 2028
- Robotics Technicians22% now, 26% by 2028
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians37% now, 55% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians39% now, 48% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment26% now, 32% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services2,240 people
- Scientific Research and Development Services1,630 people
- Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)1,590 people
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing690 people
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing690 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 20% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 26% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (25% to 26% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Analyze engineering designs of logic or digital circuitry, motor controls, instrumentation, or data acquisition for implementation into new or existing automated, servomechanical, or other electromechanical systems (97% of the task's time now); Read blueprints, schematics, diagrams, or technical orders to determine methods and sequences of assembly (100% of the task's time now); and Prepare written documentation of electromechanical test results (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Develop, test, or program new robots; Modify, maintain, or repair electrical, electronic, or mechanical components, equipment, or systems to ensure proper functioning; and Test performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges. Together such tasks are about 74% of the working time.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.021% went to this job's tasks, the 304th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 28 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 75% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 41% of the working time. Its index is 0.41 of 3. One example: RedViking end-of-line transfer case test and assembly cell (robot + Vsync test executive) for "test performance of electromechanical assemblies, using test instruments such as oscilloscopes, electronic voltmeters, or bridges". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 28 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, each classed as desk, people or body work, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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