About the role#
CRABI Robotics is developing autonomous robots that clean the hulls of commercial ships while they are underway. As a Field GNC Intern or Co-op, you will join our GNC team to develop sensing, localization, and control software for a novel hull-crawling marine robot. You will work directly with our GNC and broader engineering teams to turn prototype autonomy software into a reliable system that operates outside the lab. This role requires a strong safety mindset and a willingness to work hands-on with physical hardware.
What you'll do#
- Develop and test localization, state estimation, navigation, and control software for an autonomous marine robot.
- Work with real sensor data to characterize noise, drift, bias, latency, and other performance factors.
- Apply first-principles and physics-based modeling to improve estimation and control performance.
- Build data analysis and visualization tools that turn robot logs into actionable engineering insights.
- Develop automated tests and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) infrastructure to validate software before deployment.
- Define, conduct, and participate in tuning and testing of robotic systems in the lab and on the vehicle.
- Investigate failures using logs, telemetry, and hardware debugging to implement and validate fixes.
- Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and test engineers to integrate software with vehicle hardware.
- Participate in field testing and occasional travel, including testing on and around marine vessels.
What you'll need#
- Current pursuit of a degree in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field.
- Familiarity with robotics fundamentals including state estimation, navigation, controls, or motion planning.
- Experience programming in Python or C++.
- Experience working in Linux and debugging software systems.
- Familiarity with ROS or ROS 2 and common robotics development tools.
- Experience analyzing time-series data using filtering, signal processing, or statistics.
- Experience with software testing, simulation, or integration testing.
- Familiarity with version control using Git.
- Comfort working hands-on with physical hardware and debugging problems that cross the boundary between software, sensors, electronics, and mechanics.
- Preferred experience includes sensor fusion, Kalman filtering, inertial navigation, SLAM, ROS 2 tools like Gazebo or Foxglove, and hands-on participation in student engineering teams like FSAE, rocketry, or robotics competitions.
Location & details#
- This is an on-site, full-time paid internship for Winter 2027 based in Medford, Massachusetts.
- US work authorization is required. We do not provide visa sponsorship.
About CRABI Robotics
CRABI Robotics builds autonomous marine systems for the shipping industry. The company focuses on the Crud Removal Autonomous Brushing Instrument, a tool that cleans vessel hulls while ships are in transit. This technology removes biofouling to improve fuel efficiency and coating performance. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the firm operates with a small team of 2 to 10 employees.
How to get in at CRABI Robotics
Landing a role at a specialized firm like CRABI Robotics often requires catching the opening early. Because they maintain a small team, Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, ensuring you apply among the first before the pile grows. Applying early gives you a better chance of being seen by the hiring team. You can also improve your response rates by reaching out to the recruiters behind the company's roles directly. Intern Insider surfaces these contacts so you can ask about the role or a referral, which is a much more effective strategy than waiting for a response from a general portal.
