Robotics Intern — Build Real-World Systems in Pittsburgh

FuturHand Robotics; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship

Ownership of project

Full-stack exposure

Competitive internship compensation

Possibility of full-time offer

Job summary

FuturHand Robotics in Pittsburgh, PA is seeking Robotics Interns for Spring 2027 and/or Summer 2027. You will work with engineering leads on a real robotic platform, taking ownership of scoped projects spanning perception and hardware design.

Start dates and terms vary, with mentorship and hands-on experience throughout a small, fast-moving team. You will gain exposure to sensing, actuation, materials selection, fabrication, and deployment within a production stack, with room to tackle

Qualifications

• Pursuing BS/MS/PhD in computer vision, robotics,mechanical engineering, CS or related field.
• Strong fundamentals in computer vision or robotics, with coursework or projects.
• Proficient in Python and/or C++.
• Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks or Fusion 360.
• Familiarity with PyTorch and OpenCV.

Responsibilities

• Support development across perception, mechanics and hardware tasks.
• Build tooling, data pipelines, evaluation scripts, and debug/visualization tools.
• Run experiments to test robustness under varied lighting, geometry, or load conditions.
• Collaborate with leads and teams to ensure downstream integration.
• Document findings and contribute to system reliability and learnings.

Skills

Python

C++

CAD tools

PyTorch

OpenCV

ROS 2

Education

BS/MS/PhD in computer vision, robotics, or related field

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

PyTorch

OpenCV

ROS 2

Job description

About FuturHand Robotics

FuturHand Robotics is a Carnegie Mellon University spin-off developing next-generation dexterous robotic systems that transform how robots interact with the world. We build on cutting-edge research in dexterous hands and manipulation to solve real-world problems, developing dexterous bimanual robots that operate reliably outside controlled lab environments.

The Role

We’re looking for one or more Robotics Interns to join our team, with start dates available for Spring 2027 (January/February through May/June) and/or Summer 2027 (May/June through August/September). You’ll work directly with our engineering leads. You’ll get hands-on experience with real problems on a physical robotic platform — not synthetic benchmarks or toy datasets. This is a great opportunity to see how a robotic system is built, tested, and deployed in a production stack, and to contribute meaningfully to a small, fast-moving team.

You’ll take ownership of a well-scoped project or set of tasks within the broader robotics stack — spanning perception (sensor data collection & processing, object detection, pose estimation, scene understanding), mechanical design and hardware (mechanisms, actuation, materials selection, fabrication), or some combination of the two — with guidance and mentorship from the relevant technical lead. As you ramp up, you’ll have room to take on more open-ended problems.

We’re flexible on where your particular strengths lie — computer vision and perception, mechanical/hardware engineering, or a mix — and will scope your project to match your background and interests.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Support development of components across the robotic system — for example, perception pipeline elements (sensor integration, object detection, pose estimation, state tracking) or mechanical/hardware elements (mechanism design, actuator integration, materials selection, fabrication and assembly)
• Help build and improve tooling: data pipelines, evaluation scripts, debugging/visualization tools, test rigs, and performance metrics
• Run experiments to test robustness — across variation in lighting, object geometry, and scene complexity for perception work, or across loading, wear, and environmental conditions for mechanical/hardware work
• Collaborate with the relevant technical leads and broader perception/manipulation/controls teams to understand how your work is used downstream
• Explore techniques such as sensor fusion, temporal filtering, or data-driven methods (perception track) or explore material choices, tolerancing, and mechanism trade-offs (hardware track) to improve system robustness
• Document findings and contribute to the team’s understanding of what works and what doesn’t

What We’re Looking For

• Currently pursuing a BS (upper-class/senior) or MS/PhD in computer vision, robotics, mechanical engineering, computer science, or a related field
• Solid fundamentals in at least one of the following areas, backed by coursework or project experience:
  • Computer vision / perception: 3D perception, object detection, or pose estimation
  • Mechanical engineering / hardware: mechanism design, mechanics and materials, actuation, or fabrication (e.g., machining, CNC, 3D printing)
• Comfortable programming in Python and/or C++ (perception track); and/or comfortable with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion 360) and basic hand/shop tools (hardware track)
• Familiarity with common frameworks or tools relevant to your track (e.g., PyTorch, OpenCV for perception; FEA/simulation tools, standard machine shop practices for hardware)
• Curiosity about how your work fits into a larger robotic system, and willingness to learn how design choices affect downstream performance
• Based in or willing to relocate to Pittsburgh, PA for the duration of the internship
• Available to start in Spring 2027 (Jan/Feb–May/Jun) and/or Summer 2027 (May/Jun–Aug/Sept); please indicate which term(s) you’re available for when applying

Nice to have:

• Prior project or coursework experience with robotics perception or robotic hardware for manipulation tasks
• Familiarity with ROS 2
• Exposure to depth sensors, RGB-D data, or 3D geometry
• Prior experience working with camera hardware and camera calibration
• Familiarity with data collection, data cleaning, and data labeling
• Exposure to sim-to-real transfer, domain randomization, or data augmentation
• Experience deploying models on embedded or edge hardware (e.g., Jetson)
• Experience with mechanism design, tolerancing, or materials selection for robotic hands, grippers, or manipulators
• Hands-on fabrication experience (machining, 3D printing, sheet metal, composites, etc.)
• Experience with structural analysis, FEA, or mechanical testing

Logistics

• Positions available: One or more interns
• Terms:
  • Spring 2027 — January/February through May/June
  • Summer 2027 — May/June through August/September
• Location: Pittsburgh, PA (on-site)

What We Offer

• Direct mentorship from our technical leads and close collaboration with a small, highly technical team
• Real ownership of a project that contributes to a novel robotic platform, not busywork
• Exposure to the full robotics stack — from sensors and mechanisms to deployed, real-world behavior
• Competitive internship compensation
• Potential path to a full-time offer for strong performers

How to Apply

Email us with your resume, which term(s) you’re available for (Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or both)

[e-mail]