2026 Summer Robotics Lab – Software Engineering Internships

Seeking talented summer interns to be part of the IHMC Robotics Team to develop software tools for controlling bipedal robots and exoskeletons and multi-robot systems.

We are seeking interns for the following areas:

  • Controls. Control algorithms for exoskeletons, locomotion, and drones. This can include balance, optimization, and state estimation.
  • Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning. Collect data, formulate & train models, and test on hardware. Areas include Manipulation, biped locomotion, and quadruped locomotion.
  • Planning. Valid foot placements, body path planning, foot step planning, and trajectory planning for obstacle avoidance, and behavior planning.
  • Develop high level coordination strategies for complex and reactive autonomous behaviors.
  • Operator Interfaces. Design of interface tools and widgets in GUIs for monitoring and editing behaviors. Additionally, defining messages for communicating with and controlling the systems.
  • Web Development. Develop web-based tools (JavaScript/Node.js) for the design of behaviors and the analysis of human machine teams.
  • Human-Machine Teaming. Develop unique solutions to complex human-machine teaming challenges at the control, tactical and strategic levels, as well as developing measures for understanding the effectiveness of the team.

Internships are available for students who are currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, computer science, or related field.

An ideal internship candidate should have the ability to write clean code, particularly in Java, to the highest standards, have an understanding of advanced object-oriented programming concepts, and have excellent analytical, problem solving, and organizational skills. Applicants must have excellent communication and documentation skills, be self-motivated and function with little micro-management, thriving in both a team and individual environment.

This summer internship is for a full-time, paid position in Pensacola, Florida. You must be available every day during regular work hours, for a minimum of 9 weeks and be authorized to work in the United States.

As part of the application, we require that you provide a link (unlisted or public) to a YouTube video of you talking about one of your software projects. You can see a sample video of someone talking about a project at: https://youtu.be/iazm1KD5qoQ . This video should highlight your communication skills as well as show your project. The video should:

  • Show you the entire time
  • Include you talking about your project
  • Be 1 minute (+/- 15 seconds) in length
  • Show your design, either actual or on computer screen
  • Have clear audio

To Apply:

Please follow these instructions carefully. Your ability to follow the instructions and provide all the documents in the requested format will be part of your evaluation. Any application not following the instructions will be returned.

Email your application to: robotjobs at ihmc.org

The subject of the email must be: 2026 SE Internship – YourLastName

Include the following 3 items as attachments in the email:

  1. Current resume in pdf format. Name your file: “YourLastName_Resume.pdf”
  2. Cover letter in pdf format. Name your file: “YourLastName_CoverLetter.pdf”.

In the cover letter, include the following items:

  • Dates you are available for an internship. Note you must be available full time at IHMC in Pensacola, FL.
  • Describe your relevant software engineering experience.
  • Discuss why you are interested in an internship at IHMC.
  • Provide a link (URL) to your YouTube video.
  • Provide email and phone number for three (3) professional references.

  1. Download this Pre-Interview Questionnairepdf, fill it out and attach it. Name your file: “YourLastName_Questionnaire.pdf”

For example, the subject line of an email application for John Smith would be:

2026 SE Internship – Smith

His resume file would be titled: Smith_Resume.pdf

His cover letter file would titled: Smith_CoverLetter.pdf

His questionnaire file would be titled: Smith_Questionnaire.pdf

Updates to this announcement may appear at robots.ihmc.us/jobs

Questions: robotjobs at ihmc.org

Location: Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), Pensacola, FL

Application Deadline: March 27th, 2026

IHMC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.