Robotics Engineering Intern - Fall 2026

Niantic Spatial; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Niantic Spatial offers a robotics internship/co-op role focused on learning-based systems and physical hardware in San Francisco, CA. You’ll work hands-on to push robots toward autonomous operation in locomotion, navigation, and control, with rapid iteration informed by real-world feedback.

The position welcomes undergraduates, masters, and PhD students, or co-op participants. Term runs 12–16 weeks, on-site full-time, with relocation housing not included.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in (or recently graduated from) a BS/MS/PhD in a robotics or related field.
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern deep learning frameworks (PyTorch or JAX).
• Hands-on experience with simulation environments and physical robotic hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and deploy learning-based systems on physical robotic hardware across locomotion, navigation, and control.
• Work across simulation environments and real hardware to close the sim-to-real gap.
• Debug hardware, calibrate sensors, and handle edge cases in real deployment.
• Evaluate trade-offs between classical robotics and learning-based methods and contribute to technical decisions.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

JAX

Robotics hardware

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Robotics/CS/EE/ME

Tools

Isaac Sim

MuJoCo

Job description

About Niantic Spatial

At Niantic Spatial, we’re building the future of physical AI. Powered by a proprietary database of over 30 billion posed images, our groundbreaking mapping technology unlocks a new dimension of interaction and spatial intelligence that helps both humans and machines better understand, represent, navigate, and engage with the real environment.

Our reconstruction technology captures environments with geometric accuracy and extreme detail from any standard camera, and our Visual Positioning System delivers precise positioning almost anywhere in the world. We serve customers across robotics, the public sector, and energy and industrial markets — building for the 80% of economic activity that takes place beyond our screens.

About the Role

As a Robotics Engineering Intern or Co-op at Niantic Spatial, you will work directly at the intersection of learning-based systems and physical hardware. You will work hands‑on with physical hardware, push robots toward fully autonomous operation across locomotion, navigation, and control, and iterate rapidly based on real‑world feedback.

What You’ll Work On

• Robot Learning Systems —Design, implement, and deploy learning-based systems on physical robotic hardware, working across locomotion, navigation, and control to push robots toward full autonomy.
• Sim-to-Real Deployment —Work across simulation environments (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo) and physical platforms, closing the sim-to-real gap and validating system behavior under real-world conditions.
• Hardware Iteration —Debug hardware, perform sensor calibration, and fix edge cases under real deployment conditions
• Approach Evaluation —Evaluate and weigh tradeoffs between classical robotics and learning-based methods, choosing the right tool for each problem and contributing to technical decision-making on the team.

What You’ll Bring

• Currently enrolled in (or a recent graduate of) a BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern deep learning frameworks (PyTorch or JAX).
• Hands‑on experience with simulation environments (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo) and physical robotic hardware.
• Ability to work on-site full‑time in San Francisco, CA for the duration of the program. Relocation or housing stipends are not included in this fall program.

Preferred Skills

• Can take a robotics system from 0 to 1 and iterate quickly based on real world feedback.
• Comfortable working with hardware - sensor calibration, hardware debugging, and fixing edge cases under tight deadlines.
• Ability to weigh trade‑offs between classical robotics and learning‑based approaches
• High intellectual curiosity and a focus on pushing systems beyond existing baselines.
• Passionate about robotics and love what you do because you will be doing a lot of it.

Program Details

Term — 12 to 16 weeks, full‑time commitment.

Location — 100% on-site in San Francisco, CA.

Role Type — Open to undergraduate, masters, and PhD students, as well as co‑op program participants.

Inclusive Application

We know the strongest candidates don’t always tick every box. If you’re excited about this role and believe you could do it well, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t match every qualification listed — you may be exactly who we’re looking for.

Equal Opportunity

Niantic Spatial is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at Niantic Spatial are considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under applicable laws. Niantic Spatial will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable laws. Please contact your recruiter if you want to request an accommodation for the job application or interview process.

Candidate Privacy

I understand that by submitting my job application, the information I provide as part of that application will be used in accordance with Niantic Spatial’s Privacy Notice for Job Applicants and Candidates https://www.nianticspatial.com/applicant-privacy-notice.