About the role#
This is a 12-week paid internship for the Summer 2027 term. You will join the Robotics Research division in Cambridge to study how people outside the field of robotics expect to interact with robots. Your work will focus on how users communicate preferences through visual, auditory, and tactile modes while robots perform real-world tasks.
What you'll do#
- Plan and run a human-robot interaction study.
- Incorporate a longitudinal element to explore how user expectations change over time.
- Analyze findings and present them to the team and the broader organization.
- Work toward potential peer-reviewed publications or journal articles based on your research.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in an MS or PhD program in Human-Robot Interaction, Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
- At least 2 years of experience as an academic researcher in Human-Robot Interaction.
- Strong software engineering skills, specifically in C++ or Python.
- Experience debugging autonomous robotic systems and deploying prototype technologies.
- Experience conducting user studies with real robot hardware.
- A lead author credit on peer-reviewed conference papers or journal articles.
- Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, robotic simulators like Drake or Mujoco, behavior cloning, and interactive machine learning.
- Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, including IRB applications, statistical analysis, and managing PII.
- Background in UX design principles and system integration for complex projects.
Location & details#
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Modality: Hybrid.
- Commitment: Full-time intern.
About Toyota Research Institute
Toyota Research Institute is a research organization founded in 2016. Based in Los Altos, California, it operates as a subsidiary of Toyota. The company focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics, automated driving, and material sciences. Its staff of approximately 485 employees works to develop technology for vehicles and robots while researching new materials for batteries and fuel cells.
How to get in at Toyota Research Institute
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