Robotics Intern, Teleoperation and Spatial Computing

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 advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.

This is a paid 12‑week internship opportunity and is a hybrid, in‑office role.

Here’s a glimpse into the Internship experience from some of our TRI interns!

The Team

Our goal is to revolutionize the field of robotic manipulation, enabling long‑horizon dexterous behaviors to be efficiently taught, learned, and improved over time in diverse, real‑world environments.

Our team has deep cross‑functional expertise across simulation, perception, controls, and machine learning, and we measure our success in terms of fundamental capabilities development, as well as research impact via open‑source software and publications. Our north star is fundamental technological advancement in building robots that can flexibly perform a wide variety of tasks in diverse environments with potential for human collaboration.

Come join us and let’s make general‑purpose robots a reality.

The Internship

We are seeking a Robotics Intern passionate about teleoperation, VR/AR, and spatial computing to help advance TRI’s next‑generation telerobotics platform. You will design, implement, and test systems that enable humans to control and teach robots through immersive interfaces, contributing to TRI’s mission of extending human capability through robotics. Working closely with cross‑functional teams in mechanical design, perception, controls, and UX, you’ll develop real‑time software prototypes that integrate robot hardware, motion capture, haptics, and 3D graphics—creating intuitive experiences that blend spatial computing with advanced robotic capabilities.
Your work will involve developing and refining VR/AR interfaces for robot control, building tools for 3D scene reconstruction, and creating interactions for physical AI such as visualizing and communicating policy intent. You’ll also have opportunities to run user studies, contribute to open‑source codebases and research publications, and demonstrate prototypes that push the boundaries of human–robot interaction.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with Python, C++, or Swift for real‑time systems and graphics programming, and familiarity with Git, UNIX/Linux systems, and AI tools (Claude, Codex).
• Familiarity with VR/AR/XR frameworks (Unity, Unreal, visionOS or equivalent) and spatial input systems.
• Understanding of robot kinematics, motion capture, and teleoperation control principles.
• Exposure to 3D perception and visualization (depth images, point clouds, or gaussian splatting).
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills, with a willingness to collaborate and learn across disciplines.

Bonus Qualifications

• Familiarity with Apple development systems and frameworks, such as SwiftUI, Reality Kit, ARKit, and Xcode.
• Background in UX design for immersive or robotics systems.
• Experience with ROS2, Isaac Sim, or similar simulation tools.
• Interest in evaluating system usability through human‑subject studies.
• Knowledge of tactile sensing, force feedback, or haptic interfaces.
• Experience with motion retargeting for manipulation and locomotion control.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $40 and $58/hour for Massachusetts‑based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's experience, skills, job‑related knowledge, and market location. TRI offers a…