Physical AI Software Engineer - Summer 2027 Internship (NYC)

Cohesive Robotics; New York (NY); On-site; USD 28,000 - 34,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Campus in Industry City

Early transformative product impact

Job summary

Cohesive Robotics is seeking a Physical AI Software Engineer Intern in NYC to join our team building AI-powered robotic solutions for manufacturers. You will train world models, develop data pipelines, and optimize models for real robotic systems, collaborating on full-stack components of our Argus OS and turnkey workcells.

The role emphasizes rapid prototyping, strong software practices, and hands-on work in a startup environment.

Qualifications

• Pursuing an MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics or similar.
• Proficient in C++ and/or Python.
• Experience with physical AI frameworks, pipelines and tools.
• Ability to prototype web and/or desktop applications quickly and iteratively.
• Strong understanding of software engineering practices including version control and testing.
• Comfortable with Linux and command-line interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Train and evaluate world models for prediction, planning, and control.
• Develop data pipelines, training workflows, and evaluation metrics.
• Integrate and optimize models for inference on real robotic systems.
• Collaborate to develop and test full-stack components of Argus OS and turnkey workcells.
• Iterate on software features using customer and testing feedback.
• Assist in operating robotic workcells for data collection and testing.

Skills

C++

Python

AI frameworks

Prototyping

Linux

Version control

Testing

Communication

Education

MS/PhD in Computer Science or Robotics

Tools

OpenCV

Open3D

PCL

ROS 2

Job description

Physical AI Software Engineer - Summer 2027 Internship (NYC)

We are seeking an experienced and highly-motivated physical AI software engineering intern to work alongside our engineering team as we scale our game-changing AI-powered robotic solutions for manufacturers.

Overview

At Cohesive Robotics, we’re building smarter robots to modernize manufacturing’s most common fabrication processes. We combine proven, industry-standard robotic arms with our proprietary Argus OS software stack to make it easier-than-ever for smaller manufacturers to automate tedious and hazardous tasks such as sanding, welding and polishing.

We are seeking a highly-motivated AI software engineering intern to work alongside our engineering team as we scale our game-changing AI-powered robotic solutions for manufacturers.

What You’ll Do

• Train and evaluate world models: Build action-conditioned world models that learn from robot experience to support prediction, planning, and closed-loop decision-making.
• Train and evaluate models using simulated and real-world robotic data, and assess how well they generalize to physical manufacturing tasks.
• Develop data pipelines, training workflows, evaluation metrics, and experiments for large-scale model development.
• Integrate and optimize trained models for inference on real robotic systems and evaluate their performance in production environments.
• Collaborate with our engineering team to develop and test full-stack software components that are part of our Argus OS and turnkey robotic workcell product offerings
• Use customer and testing feedback to quickly iterate on software features
• Operate our robotic workcells to collect data and perform customer testing
• Work with engineers to improve and refine the product
• Other duties and responsibilities assigned as needed

Who You Are

• Pursuing a MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics or similar.
• Proficient in C++ and/or Python
• Experience with physical AI frameworks, pipelines and tools
• Ability to quickly prototype web and/or desktop applications and iterate on it
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices including version control, unit testing, etc.
• Comfortable with Linux and command-line interfaces, or willing to learn
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively
• Able to work as a team player and as an individual contributor
• Highly motivated, innovative, and enthusiastic
• Passionate about robotics and/or manufacturing, and eager to work in a startup environment

Nice to Haves

• Prior experience building/programming your own robot (physical or simulation)
• Experience with computer vision libraries (e.g. OpenCV, Open3D, PCL)
• Experience with ROS 2 (Robot Operating System)

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• Up to 20% time will be spent in a manufacturing environment requiring basic PPE (safety glasses, hearing protection). Other time spent in an office environment.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds
• Ability to operate and use basic shop equipment and tools

Unique Benefits

• Creative and bustling campus at Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn with convenient public transit access
• Early contributor to a transformative product helping bring back manufacturing to the United States

Pay range: $20-25 per hour, based on experience.