Robotics Engineering Intern

It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.

We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.

The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.

If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.

Primary Function of Position

The Robotics Engineering Intern will report to future forward research lad and contribute to creating a sim-to-real-to-sim platform for the Intuitive surgical robot system. The intern will enable rapid prototyping and de-risking of new controller architectures, particularly semi-supervised and supervised autonomous systems that are data-hungry and require extensive validation. Key functions include developing tools that systematically transfer and test controllers from simulation to robot hardware, building virtual models of the surgical field for simulation interaction, and closing the loop between simulation and reality to accelerate development and evaluation of autonomous controllers.

Essential Job Duties

• Implement novel control architectures in high-level (e.g., MATLAB) and low-level (e.g., embedded C++) targets.
• Systematically test controller performance in simulation and on robot hardware.
• Create simulation environments that integrate constrained rigid-body dynamics (e.g., MuJoCo) and realistic texture and lighting (e.g., Isaac Sim).
• Synthesize simulated environments from video data, including geometry, texture, and inferred stiffness.
• Execute closed-loop round-trip tests: train a controller in simulation, test it experimentally, and use experimental data to construct new simulation environments.

Required Skills and Experience

University Hiring Program Eligibility Requirements:

• University Enrollment: Must be currently enrolled in and returning to an accredited degree-seeking academic program after the internship.
• Internship Work Period: Must be available to work full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) during a 10-12 week period starting May or June. Specific start dates are shared during the recruiting process.

Required Education and Training

• Current enrollment in a Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or related degree-seeking program at the Master's or Doctorate level.

Working Conditions

• None.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with MATLAB and/or Python for control system design and analysis.
• Experience with MuJoCo or similar constrained rigid-body dynamics simulators.
• Experience with sim-to-real transfer methods for robotic systems.
• Familiarity with NVIDIA Isaac Sim or similar platforms for realistic rendering and simulation.
• Familiarity with embedded C++ for low-level controller implementation.
• Awareness of video-based 3D reconstruction and environment synthesis techniques.
• Awareness of autonomous or semi-autonomous control architectures.

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees
who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s
start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [email protected].

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay (paid at an hourly rate), benefits, and a housing allowance. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills and experience for this internship, degree-seeking academic program (PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc), year in school, and location. The hourly rate is prorated against the intern program salaries listed and total program compensation will be based on internship duration.