Field Operations Intern

Bonsai Robotics Davis, California, United States

About Bonsai Robotics

Bonsai Robotics develops affordable, vision-based autonomy that makes off-road equipment smarter, safer, and more productive. We are redefining outdoor autonomy with Bonsai Intelligence, a connected platform that’s inspired by biology to see, think, and act with precision like a human. We bring together advanced perception, embodied AI, integrations with equipment manufacturers, and our compact, modular Amiga vehicles to deliver reliable automation to the world’s most demanding field operations—reducing costs and increasing operational efficiencies.

About the role

We are seeking an energetic, hands‑on Field Operations Intern to join our team at our primary test farm in Davis, California . This internship offers a unique, direct opportunity to work alongside field engineers and robotics developers, helping run daily testing, troubleshoot equipment, and maintain cutting‑edge autonomous agricultural machinery under real‑world conditions.

If you are a student driven by innovation, love being outdoors in the field, and are eager to gain practical experience supporting autonomous systems and agtech, we want to hear from you.

What you’ll do

• Test Farm Operations: Assist in the daily setup, staging, operation, and field testing of our autonomous vehicles and equipment at our Davis test facility.
• Essential Test Site & Fleet Support: Keep field testing running efficiently by maintaining an organized, safe, and ready testing environment, managing equipment staging, and assisting with local part and component transport between facilities and test plots.
• Test Plan Execution: Execute structured test plans to evaluate hardware, software, machine vision sensors, and overall system performance under varied field conditions.
• Basic Support & Maintenance: Help diagnose mechanical, electrical, and software issues on test machinery, assisting the team with immediate field fixes and routine hardware maintenance.
• Data Collection & Documentation: Meticulously collect, log, and document test run results, system issues, and performance metrics to share with Engineering and Product teams.
• Logistics & Equipment Prep: Help maintain test farm inventory, prepare prototype equipment for testing sessions, and ensure test rigs and tools are properly organized and calibrated.
• Team
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Work closely with field operations, hardware, and software engineering teams to communicate on‑ground observations and help keep operations running smoothly.

Qualifications

• Education Focus: Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Agricultural Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Ag Systems Technology, Agronomy, or a related technical field.
• Hands‑on Aptitude: Comfort and experience working around mechanical tools, basic electronics, or outdoor machinery (farm machinery, shop tools, or robotics projects).
• Problem‑Solving
  
  Skills:
  
  Practical, methodical approach to troubleshooting complex equipment involving integrated hardware and software.
• Communication & Teamwork: Strong verbal and written communication skills with a collaborative, eager‑to‑learn mindset and a "no task too small" attitude toward operational success.
• Physical & Outdoor Readiness: Ability to work comfortably outdoors on the test farm in varying seasonal weather conditions. Must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds.
• Location & Travel: Based locally near Davis, CA. Position is centered at the Davis test farm with occasional travel to nearby local partner fields (up to 15%). Must possess a valid driver's license for local component runs.

Life at Bonsai Robotics

At Bonsai, we’re…