Intern: Robotics Software Engineer —

Imitation Machines; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 34,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Imitation Machines seeks enthusiastic interns to become Robotics Software Engineers in Sydney, working with real-time interfaces for human-robot interaction and integration with our learning algorithms. You will help set up simulation frameworks, develop integration software, and contribute to a growing deep-tech startup.

You will be mentored by the founding team, shaping the technical layer at an early stage, with remote/dedicated hardware testing options and a flexible 2 days per week

Qualifications

• Strong intuition of good code and software architecture.
• Familiarity with robotics software and control algorithms.
• Knowledge of robotics simulators MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, Gazebo.
• Experience with ROS/ROS2.
• Efficient code development and deployment practices.
• Self-driven builder mentality and willingness to tackle challenges.

Responsibilities

• Build a real-time interactive interface for human-robot interaction and integrate it with learning algorithms.
• Set up robot simulation frameworks and develop software for robot integration.
• Develop supporting code base and data collection pipelines for human demonstration data.
• Collaborate with founding team and shape the technical layer at an early-stage startup.

Skills

Robotics software

ROS/ROS2

Code quality

Self-driven

Algorithms

Tools

MuJoCo

Isaac Sim

Gazebo

ROS/ROS2

Job description

Intern: Robotics Software Engineer —

Sydney Imitation Machines

Job Description

The role Imitation Machines is looking for enthusiastic intern(s) to step into the role of a Robotics Software Engineer. We need people with passion and knowledge of building custom software for robotic pipelines, wrangling with simulators and integration with physical robot hardware of various forms. The crux of the role is to build a real-time interactive interface for human-robot interaction and integrate it with Imitation Machines' learning algorithms.

The scope of work includes setting up robot simulation frameworks, developing software for robot integration and human demonstration data collection, and developing the supporting code base.

You will be working closely with and mentored by the founding members of the team. Joining at this early stage will allow you to play a key role in shaping the technical layer of Imitation Machines and take part in the daily life of a deep tech startup.

About Imitation Machines

Imitation Machines has an ambitious goal of bringing the latest advances in Imitation and Reinforcement Learning, Robotics and AI into an integrated platform that enables anyone in the world to create robot new and custom behaviours.

Imagine the state of future technology where anyone can teach any robot, by demonstration, to solve any task they need, and create intelligent robotic workforce that meets unique needs across industries, robot forms, and environments. We want this future to happen. We see that all the necessary technological prerequisites are in place, and we're building that future. The readiness of reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and robot hardware has reached a tipping point, positioning Imitation Machines to transform how robot behaviours are created. Rather than relying on conventional programming, we can radically accelerate the process and start building systems where robots are taught by human teachers through demonstration.

We're taking a practice-first approach: real-world robot deployments with our industry partners guide our research and development. By working directly with industries, robot developers, and system integrators, we position ourselves at the frontier of practical imitation learning—tackling the challenges that emerge when these technologies meet real applications. This makes us early integrators of imitation learning in production environments, and it's how we're paving the way for broader adoption of robotic automation.

Imitation Machines is a pre-seed funded startup moving quickly toward our next milestone. We're laser-focused on proving our vision and building a team of machines learning and robotics engineers who want to push the boundaries of what's possible in robot learning.

What we’re looking for

• Strong intuition of what good code and good software architecture should look like

• Familiarity with robotics software / control algorithms

• Knowledge of and some experience with robotics simulators (MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, Gazebo)

• Experience with ROS/ROS2

• Efficient code development and deployment practices

• Self-driven builder mentality – experimenting, making things happen, thriving on challenges, and breaking new ground

Position details

Level : Entry-level / Internship
Type : Part-time
Length of engagement: 6 months or more (not shorter)
Minimal time commitment: 2 days / week
Compensation: Entry-level / intern-level part-time salary
Remote work : Theoretical, algorithms, and in-simulation work can be done remotely and we do consider fully remote candidates. While based in Sydney is preferred for hardware testing and integration, we welcome strong interstate candidates. This is a remote / hybrid position for candidates based in Australia, if you are outside Australia please apply here instead:
Primary location: Sydney, Australia

Notes

Imitation Machines is open to and welcomes collaborations with universities.

Employment Type : Full-Time