{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"fdb719c683a465e28f6924ae","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/fdb719c683a465e28f6924ae","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/fdb719c683a465e28f6924ae","title":"Robotics Software Intern, Manipulation & Simulation","description":"About ValstadValstad is rebuilding how ships are made.American shipbuilding is constrained by slow, labor-intensive production methods and a shortage of skilled manufacturing capacity. We are developing robotic production systems that can turn engineering data directly into finished steel structures, dramatically reducing the time and manual programming required to build ships.Our first platform combines industrial robots, automated material handling, welding, sensing and AI-driven manufacturing software to produce large ship panels and structural assemblies. Instead of programming each new part by hand, our goal is for the system to understand the CAD model, determine how the structure should be assembled and welded, and generate the robotic plan required to build it.Achieving that requires solving difficult robotics problems involving kinematics, coordinate frames, motion planning, simulation, calibration, collision checking, sensor integration and execution on real industrial hardware.The software you build will be tested against full-scale industrial robots in our Austin facility, not only in simulation.The InternshipValstad is seeking a Robotics Software Intern to work on manipulation, motion-planning, simulation or robot-verification software.You will own a defined technical project that improves the reliability, performance or diagnosability of Valstad's robotic manufacturing systems. Depending on your background and our current priorities, you may work on planning algorithms, simulation infrastructure, coordinate-frame visualization, calibration analysis, robot-log replay or automated path verification.This is not a shadowing program or a collection of disconnected research tasks. You will be expected to implement, test and document a working capability that can become part of Valstad's robotics platform.You will work closely with a robotics engineer and will receive structured mentorship, code review and access to real robotic systems.Potential ProjectsYour primary project will be selected based on your experience and Valstad's highest-priority technical needs. Possible projects include:Building a motion-planning regression-test suite using representative manufacturing scenariosDeveloping tools for visualizing coordinate frames, transforms, robot poses and calibration resultsGenerating reachability maps for robots mounted on linear railsTesting inverse-kinematics continuity along long Cartesian pathsDetecting singularities, wrist flips, joint-limit conditions and trajectory discontinuitiesCreating automated collision-checking and path-validation scenariosBuilding a robot-log replay system for reproducing hardware failures in simulationComparing commanded, simulated and physically executed robot trajectoriesDeveloping cycle-time prediction and trajectory-analysis toolsEvaluating planning algorithms for constrained welding or scanning pathsBuilding tools for calibration-data analysis and error visualizationSupporting integration of a laser scanner, camera, force sensor or other non-safety-critical deviceDeveloping simulation models for robots, fixtures, tools and workpiecesImproving visualization of robot work envelopes, collision geometry and external axesCreating automated pre-execution checks for generated robot programsWhat You Will DoDesign and implement a scoped robotics-software project.Work with rust, Python or both.Use simulation and recorded data to test your work.Work with rigid-body transformations, robot kinematics and 3D geometry where relevant.Build automated tests for nominal and failure scenarios.Participate in robotics architecture discussions and code reviews.Analyze logs and robot behavior to diagnose planning or execution issues.Validate your work using real robotic hardware when appropriate and under supervision.Document assumptions, algorithms, interfaces and limitations.Present your results and demonstrate the completed capability to the Valstad team.Required QualificationsCurrently pursuing a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in robotics, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering or a related field.Strong programming fundamentals.Experience with Python, rust or both.Coursework or practical experience in linear algebra, three-dimensional geometry, kinematics, dynamics, controls or motion planning.Experience completing a meaningful robotics, software or research project.Ability to reason about technical systems and debug unexpected behavior.Ability to work independently within a defined project scope.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Interest in robotic manipulation and real-world industrial systems.Availability to work full-time and on-site in Austin for the duration of the internship.Strongly PreferredStrong rust experience.Experience with ROS or ROS 2.Experience with MoveIt, Tesseract, OMPL, Drake, MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, Gazebo or another robotics framework.Experience with forward and inverse kinematics.Experience with homogeneous transformations, quaternions and coordinate-frame conventions.Experience with collision detection or motion planning.Experience working with robotic manipulators.Experience with Eigen, NumPy or similar numerical libraries.Experience developing simulation or verification tools.Experience with industrial robot arms, linear rails or external axes.Experience with robot calibration, hand-eye calibration or sensor localization.Experience working with cameras, laser scanners, force-torque sensors or other robotics hardware.Participation in a robotics laboratory, student robotics team, Formula SAE, combat robotics or relevant open-source project.What We Look ForWe value evidence that you can apply robotics concepts to systems that behave imperfectly outside the laboratory.Strong candidates often have:A manipulator or hardware project they can explain in depthResearch involving real robot experimentsOpen-source robotics contributionsExperience debugging coordinate-frame or calibration problemsSimulation work connected to physical validationA clear understanding of the difference between an algorithm working once and a system operating reliablyYou do not need industrial-robot or shipbuilding experience. We care more about robotics fundamentals, software quality and an interest in making algorithms work on physical machines.Safety and Production BoundariesInterns may work with industrial robots under the supervision of qualified Valstad personnel.Interns will not independently:Modify safety systemsAuthorize production releasesCommission energized equipment without supervisionMake uncontrolled changes to production robot or PLC programsBypass interlocks, protective devices or established review proceduresProduction-facing changes will be reviewed and approved by full-time engineers.What Success Looks LikeBy the end of the internship, you will have delivered a working robotics-software capability that improves planning, simulation, verification or hardware debugging.Your project will have:A clearly defined technical objectiveA tested implementationRepresentative nominal and failure scenariosDocumentation of assumptions and limitationsIntegration with Valstad's software or simulation environment where appropriateA final demonstration using real robot data or physical hardwareThe strongest interns may be considered for future internships or full-time positions.Compensation and BenefitsThe anticipated pay range for this internship is $34 to $42 per hour , depending on experience and technical depth.The internship also includes:A dedicated robotics mentorAccess to industrial robotic systemsOwnership of a substantive technical projectRegular technical feedback and code reviewPotential relocation or temporary-housing assistance where appropriateConsideration for future internship or full-time opportunitiesValstad is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate candidates based on their ability, experience and potential to contribute to the company's mission.J-18808-Ljbffr","company":"Valstad","rawCompany":"valstad","city":"Austin","state":"TX","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-13T02:11:34.572Z","occupations":[{"code":"17-2199.08","title":"Robotics Engineers","slug":"robotics-engineers"},{"code":"17-3024.01","title":"Robotics Technicians","slug":"robotics-technicians"},{"code":"15-1252.00","title":"Software Developers","slug":"software-developers"}],"industries":[{"code":"333248","title":"All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing","slug":"all-other-industrial-machinery-manufacturing"},{"code":"541330","title":"Engineering Services","slug":"engineering-services"},{"code":"541715","title":"Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)","slug":"research-and-development-in-the-physical-engineering-and-life-sciences-except-nanotechnology-and-biotechnology"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Robotics Software Intern, Manipulation & Simulation","description":"About ValstadValstad is rebuilding how ships are made.American shipbuilding is constrained by slow, labor-intensive production methods and a shortage of skilled manufacturing capacity. We are developing robotic production systems that can turn engineering data directly into finished steel structures, dramatically reducing the time and manual programming required to build ships.Our first platform combines industrial robots, automated material handling, welding, sensing and AI-driven manufacturing software to produce large ship panels and structural assemblies. Instead of programming each new part by hand, our goal is for the system to understand the CAD model, determine how the structure should be assembled and welded, and generate the robotic plan required to build it.Achieving that requires solving difficult robotics problems involving kinematics, coordinate frames, motion planning, simulation, calibration, collision checking, sensor integration and execution on real industrial hardware.The software you build will be tested against full-scale industrial robots in our Austin facility, not only in simulation.The InternshipValstad is seeking a Robotics Software Intern to work on manipulation, motion-planning, simulation or robot-verification software.You will own a defined technical project that improves the reliability, performance or diagnosability of Valstad's robotic manufacturing systems. Depending on your background and our current priorities, you may work on planning algorithms, simulation infrastructure, coordinate-frame visualization, calibration analysis, robot-log replay or automated path verification.This is not a shadowing program or a collection of disconnected research tasks. You will be expected to implement, test and document a working capability that can become part of Valstad's robotics platform.You will work closely with a robotics engineer and will receive structured mentorship, code review and access to real robotic systems.Potential ProjectsYour primary project will be selected based on your experience and Valstad's highest-priority technical needs. Possible projects include:Building a motion-planning regression-test suite using representative manufacturing scenariosDeveloping tools for visualizing coordinate frames, transforms, robot poses and calibration resultsGenerating reachability maps for robots mounted on linear railsTesting inverse-kinematics continuity along long Cartesian pathsDetecting singularities, wrist flips, joint-limit conditions and trajectory discontinuitiesCreating automated collision-checking and path-validation scenariosBuilding a robot-log replay system for reproducing hardware failures in simulationComparing commanded, simulated and physically executed robot trajectoriesDeveloping cycle-time prediction and trajectory-analysis toolsEvaluating planning algorithms for constrained welding or scanning pathsBuilding tools for calibration-data analysis and error visualizationSupporting integration of a laser scanner, camera, force sensor or other non-safety-critical deviceDeveloping simulation models for robots, fixtures, tools and workpiecesImproving visualization of robot work envelopes, collision geometry and external axesCreating automated pre-execution checks for generated robot programsWhat You Will DoDesign and implement a scoped robotics-software project.Work with rust, Python or both.Use simulation and recorded data to test your work.Work with rigid-body transformations, robot kinematics and 3D geometry where relevant.Build automated tests for nominal and failure scenarios.Participate in robotics architecture discussions and code reviews.Analyze logs and robot behavior to diagnose planning or execution issues.Validate your work using real robotic hardware when appropriate and under supervision.Document assumptions, algorithms, interfaces and limitations.Present your results and demonstrate the completed capability to the Valstad team.Required QualificationsCurrently pursuing a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in robotics, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering or a related field.Strong programming fundamentals.Experience with Python, rust or both.Coursework or practical experience in linear algebra, three-dimensional geometry, kinematics, dynamics, controls or motion planning.Experience completing a meaningful robotics, software or research project.Ability to reason about technical systems and debug unexpected behavior.Ability to work independently within a defined project scope.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Interest in robotic manipulation and real-world industrial systems.Availability to work full-time and on-site in Austin for the duration of the internship.Strongly PreferredStrong rust experience.Experience with ROS or ROS 2.Experience with MoveIt, Tesseract, OMPL, Drake, MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, Gazebo or another robotics framework.Experience with forward and inverse kinematics.Experience with homogeneous transformations, quaternions and coordinate-frame conventions.Experience with collision detection or motion planning.Experience working with robotic manipulators.Experience with Eigen, NumPy or similar numerical libraries.Experience developing simulation or verification tools.Experience with industrial robot arms, linear rails or external axes.Experience with robot calibration, hand-eye calibration or sensor localization.Experience working with cameras, laser scanners, force-torque sensors or other robotics hardware.Participation in a robotics laboratory, student robotics team, Formula SAE, combat robotics or relevant open-source project.What We Look ForWe value evidence that you can apply robotics concepts to systems that behave imperfectly outside the laboratory.Strong candidates often have:A manipulator or hardware project they can explain in depthResearch involving real robot experimentsOpen-source robotics contributionsExperience debugging coordinate-frame or calibration problemsSimulation work connected to physical validationA clear understanding of the difference between an algorithm working once and a system operating reliablyYou do not need industrial-robot or shipbuilding experience. We care more about robotics fundamentals, software quality and an interest in making algorithms work on physical machines.Safety and Production BoundariesInterns may work with industrial robots under the supervision of qualified Valstad personnel.Interns will not independently:Modify safety systemsAuthorize production releasesCommission energized equipment without supervisionMake uncontrolled changes to production robot or PLC programsBypass interlocks, protective devices or established review proceduresProduction-facing changes will be reviewed and approved by full-time engineers.What Success Looks LikeBy the end of the internship, you will have delivered a working robotics-software capability that improves planning, simulation, verification or hardware debugging.Your project will have:A clearly defined technical objectiveA tested implementationRepresentative nominal and failure scenariosDocumentation of assumptions and limitationsIntegration with Valstad's software or simulation environment where appropriateA final demonstration using real robot data or physical hardwareThe strongest interns may be considered for future internships or full-time positions.Compensation and BenefitsThe anticipated pay range for this internship is $34 to $42 per hour , depending on experience and technical depth.The internship also includes:A dedicated robotics mentorAccess to industrial robotic systemsOwnership of a substantive technical projectRegular technical feedback and code reviewPotential relocation or temporary-housing assistance where appropriateConsideration for future internship or full-time opportunitiesValstad is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate candidates based on their ability, experience and potential to contribute to the company's mission.J-18808-Ljbffr","datePosted":"2026-08-13T02:11:34.572Z","dateModified":"2026-08-13T02:11:34.572Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Valstad","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Austin","addressRegion":"TX","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"fdb719c683a465e28f6924ae"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/fdb719c683a465e28f6924ae"}}