Robotics Intern - Mobile Manipulation, Behaviors

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team in Energy & Materials, Human-Centered AI, Human Interactive Driving, and Robotics.
This is a summer 2025 paid 12-week internship opportunity. Please note that this internship will be an in-office role.
The InternshipThis internship will be embedded within a world-class Robotics team with the mission to develop and integrate innovative solutions that enable a robot to perform complex, human-level mobile manipulation tasks, navigate with and among people, and learn and adapt over time. The team emphasizes developing, deploying, and validating systems in real-world environments.
The TeamThe Mobile Manipulation team is focused on heavily leveraging machine learning to marry perception, prediction, and action to produce robust, reactive, coordinated robot behaviors, bootstrapping from simulation, leveraging large amounts of data, and adapting in real world scenarios.
TRI has the runway, roadmap, and expertise to transition the technology development to a product that impacts the lives of millions of people. Apply to join a fast moving team that demands high-risk innovation and learning from failures, using rigorous processes to identify key technologies, develop a robust, high quality system, and quantitatively evaluate performance. As part of the team, you will be surrounded and supported by experts in mobile manipulation at TRI, and be a part of TRI's positive and diverse culture!

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, and deploy algorithms linking perception to autonomous robot actions, including manipulation, navigation, and human-robot interaction.
• Invent and deploy innovative solutions at the intersection of machine learning, mobility, manipulation, human interaction, and simulation for performing useful, human-level tasks in human environments.
• Invent novel ways to engineer and learn robust, real-world behaviors, including using optimization, planning, reactive control, self-supervision, active learning, learning from demonstration, simulation and transfer learning, and real-world adaptation.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in an engineering related field.
• Experience with inventing and deploying innovative autonomous behaviors for robotic systems in real-world environments.
• Experience in areas such as reactive control, trajectory optimization, coordinated whole-body control, dexterous manipulation, arm motion planning, grasp planning, navigation, and human interaction.
• Experience in applying machine learning to robotics, including areas such as reinforcement, imitation, and transfer learning.
• Strong software engineering skills, preferably in C++, and analysis and debugging of autonomous robotic systems.
• A team player with strong communication skills and a willingness to learn from others.
• Passionate about seeing robotics have a real-world, large-scale impact.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $45 and $65/hour for California-based roles; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Note that TRI offers a generous benefits package including vacation and sick time. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
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TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.