Embedded Engineering Services: Engagement & Pricing Models

" We started Probots to solve a problem we faced ourselves as engineers: the painful gap between a brilliant design and a profitable, manufacturable product. Whether we’re building the very first proof-of-concept for a new venture or engineering the next generation of a successful product line, our core philosophy remains the same. "

" Every engineering decision—from the architecture of a new concept to a component choice in a product refresh—is made through the lens of long-term viability and scale. The ultimate victory isn't just a clever design, but a successful product thriving in the market. This isn't just business for us; it's our engineering craft."

We operate on several well-defined engagement models. During our initial technical deep-dive, we will help you select the model that best suits your project's scope, technical uncertainty, and budget. Often, the most successful partnerships evolve over time, and we are adept at creating hybrid models that blend the best of each approach to match your product's lifecycle.

To help you quickly identify the best fit, here is a side-by-side comparison of our engagement models:

• Senior-Led Architecture: Every project is architected by a senior engineer with over 15 years of experience. This ensures the foundation of your product is solid before we write a single line of code.
• Engineer-to-Engineer Communication: You have a direct line to the technical team. We eliminate layers of management to ensure communication is fast, transparent, and accurate.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM) is Standard: We don't just build prototypes; we build products. Every component we select, every trace we route is done with an eye toward scalable, cost-effective manufacturing.
• Pragmatic Technology Choices: We recommend the right technology for the job, not just the latest trend. Our focus is on stable, reliable, and scalable solutions that meet your business goals.
• High-Bandwidth Transparency: We work in the open. You get access to our shared project management tools (like Jira) and version control (Git) for a real-time view of your project's progress.
• Full-Stack Embedded Expertise: From bare-metal firmware on tiny microcontrollers to custom Embedded Linux BSPs, our team has the breadth to handle the entire software stack.
• Complete IP Ownership, No Lock-In: The intellectual property is yours. Period. We deliver the complete Design History File with no proprietary lock-ins.
• Industry Agnostic, Problem Focused: Our core strength is solving complex embedded systems challenges, regardless of the industry. This allows us to bring a fresh, cross-pollinated perspective to your project.
• A Focus on a Long-Term Partnership: We aim to be the team you can rely on for your next product, and the one after that. Our success is tied to your long-term success.
• Uncompromising Quality: We are obsessed with getting it right. Our internal peer-review process for schematics and code is designed to catch issues early, reducing costly respins and delays.

1. Supply Chain Resilience by Design: We don't just pick the best component; we pick the best component that will be available in volume for the next three years. Second-sourcing and lifecycle analysis are part of our core design process.
2. Test-Driven Firmware Development: We build robust, field-updatable firmware because we build the tests first. This discipline minimizes bugs and creates a stable foundation for future features.
3. The 'Bus Factor' Philosophy: We document everything obsessively, so your team is never locked in. If we were to disappear, your own engineers could pick up our work and continue without a hitch.
4. BoM Cost Optimization from Day One: We treat your Bill of Materials (BoM) as a critical design feature, ensuring your product isn't just technically brilliant but also commercially profitable.
5. Proactive Obsolescence Planning: We monitor the lifecycle of critical components, giving you a roadmap for future revisions and preventing surprise "End-of-Life" disruptions to your production.
6. Deep Power Management Mastery: We specialize in designing efficient power architectures, a critical and often-overlooked aspect of hardware reliability for both battery-powered and mains-powered devices.
7. Wireless & RF Design Proficiency: We de-risk the most challenging part of modern hardware, navigating the complexities of RF layout and wireless certifications (BLE, Wi-Fi, LoRa, Cellular).
8. Transparent Failure Analysis: When challenges arise, we provide a clear, blameless analysis of the issue, the solution, and the steps we're taking to prevent it from happening again. This is how true partnerships are forged.
9. Manufacturing Liaison & Support: We speak the language of contract manufacturers. We help ensure that your design intent is perfectly translated to the production floor, smoothing the critical DFM and NPI process.
10. Post-Launch Engineering Support: Our partnership doesn't end at the production handoff. We remain available for consultation as you ramp up manufacturing and plan for your product's next generation.

The NRE is the one-time investment to execute the engineering work. This investment creates the core Intellectual Property (IP) and the complete Design History File (DHF) for your product.

Your NRE with Probots covers the full engineering lifecycle:

• System Architecture & High-Level Design
• Schematic Capture & Component Engineering
• PCB Layout & Signal Integrity Analysis
• Firmware/Software Architecture & Implementation
• Prototype Bring-up, Debugging, & Validation (DVT)

Step 1: Technical Deep-Dive We start with a no-obligation call to understand your system requirements, use cases, and performance targets.

Step 2: Formal Proposal & SOW We deliver a detailed proposal outlining the technical scope, engineering deliverables, and timeline. We execute a mutual NDA to protect your IP from day one.

Step 3: Iterative Development & High-Bandwidth Communication We kick off the project, providing continuous visibility through regular technical sync-ups and shared project management tools for transparent ticket tracking.

Step 4: Production Package Handoff Upon completion, we transfer the complete Production Package. You own 100% of the IP and receive the full set of design files and source code required to build your product at scale.

Do you offer financing? We do not offer direct financing. However, our milestone-based billing for Fixed-Scope projects allows you to align payments with tangible engineering progress.

How are scope changes handled in a Fixed-Scope project? We use a standard Engineering Change Request (ECR) process. Any modifications to the frozen spec are evaluated for technical impact, scoped, and quoted transparently before implementation.

What's a typical prototype cost? This is highly dependent on design complexity. The cost is a sum of the NRE for the engineering effort plus the direct hard costs for fab, assembly, and components. We can provide a ROM estimate after our initial technical call.

Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP)? You do. 100%. Our business is partnership, not ownership. Upon final payment, the complete design history file—schematics, layout source, firmware source code, Gerbers, and all related documentation—is your property. There is no vendor lock-in.

We've seen other firms offer models like FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) or a dedicated Offshore Development Center (ODC). Why don't you offer these? That's an excellent question, and it goes to the heart of our philosophy. While models like FTE and ODC are popular in the IT services industry, we have intentionally chosen not to offer them for two practical reasons centered on project success:

 We Believe in Delivering Outcomes, Not Just Headcount. The FTE model is fundamentally about selling resources—a "full-time equivalent" engineer. Success is measured by filling a seat, not by the outcome of the project. This creates a transactional relationship where the partner's primary responsibility is providing a person, leaving the heavy burden of project management, technical direction, and ultimate success squarely on your shoulders. It often proves less effective for the complex, interwoven nature of hardware and firmware development where deep, shared ownership is critical.

• Our Alternative: The Dedicated Engineering Pod. Our Pod model is the superior alternative. While you get a dedicated team of 3-4 engineers, you are investing in a fully-managed, outcome-focused unit. The Pod functions as a strategic asset, not just a collection of individuals. It integrates deeply with your team, takes ownership of its deliverables, and is managed by our senior leadership to ensure it is always aligned with your strategic goals. You get the dedicated capacity of an FTE model but with the shared ownership and accountability that is crucial for success.

We Prioritize Seamless Integration Over Siloed Operations. The traditional Offshore Development Center (ODC) model often creates a separate, siloed team that feels more like a vendor than a partner. Communication can become formal, cultural integration is difficult, and the "us vs. them" mentality can slow down the agile, high-bandwidth collaboration needed to solve tough engineering problems. This friction leads to delays and misunderstandings, which are poison to a hardware project's budget and timeline.

• Our Alternative: The Integrated Partnership. Our entire engagement process is designed for deep, seamless integration. Whether it's a Fixed-Scope project or a Dedicated Pod, our engineers join your Slack channels, participate in your technical sync-ups, and use shared project management tools. They don't operate in a separate silo; they become a genuine extension of your in-house team. This eliminates the communication friction inherent in the ODC model and ensures we are all pulling in the same direction, at the same speed.