About the role#
This internship focuses on the Optimus project, specifically the tactile sensing systems that give the robot a sense of touch. You will work with the team to develop electromechanical sensing technologies, moving concepts from research into scalable, production-ready hardware. This role is full-time and requires you to be on-site in Palo Alto.
What you'll do#
- Design, develop, and integrate tactile sensing systems for high-resolution touch feedback.
- Derive requirements from first principles to meet product-level functionality.
- Create high-density PCBs, flexible circuits, and interconnect solutions that integrate with robot hand structures.
- Research and evaluate new tactile sensing technologies.
- Characterize, calibrate, and optimize sensors for sensitivity, latency, noise, and repeatability.
- Design analog front-end circuits, including signal conditioning, amplification, and filtering.
- Develop test protocols, quality standards, and specifications for sensor components.
- Build custom fixtures and calibration systems for prototype and production environments.
- Conduct reliability and environmental testing to validate performance.
- Work across electrical, mechanical, firmware, and AI teams to integrate and validate systems.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- Graduation date between May 2027 and December 2027.
- Ability to reason using a first principles approach.
- Fundamental knowledge of analog and digital circuits, sensor physics, and statistics.
- Experience with circuit board design, including architecture, schematic, layout, and manufacturing.
- Experience with PCB component selection.
- Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or C/C++ for modeling and analysis.
- Experience with data visualization and statistical analysis.
- Understanding of the hardware development process.
- Strong skills with lab equipment like oscilloscopes, signal generators, and power supplies.
Location & details#
- Location: Palo Alto, California.
- Term: Winter 2027 and Spring 2027.
- Modality: On-site, 40 hours per week.
- Compensation: $20.00 - $55.00 per hour plus benefits.
About Tesla
Tesla produces electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and solar energy products. Founded in 2003, the company operates six vertically integrated factories across three continents. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and employs over 10,000 people. The organization designs, manufactures, sells, and services its products internally.
How to get in at Tesla
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