Robotics Engineering Intern

About Tangent Robotics

At Tangent Robotics (), we're building dexterous robot hands and the learned policies that make them useful. We believe manipulation is the last great unsolved problem in robotics, and the place where the real value of a general-purpose robot lives. Our mission is to give future robots the hands they deserve.

We're a small and tight-knit team of builders, backed by early-stage investors, based in New York City, and carrying forward the research spirit of Columbia University. We move fast, stay at the frontier, and care deeply about the craft of full-stack robotics.

About the Role

We're looking for a Robotics Engineering Intern to join us for a hands-on internship at the heart of our robot stack. You'll work alongside our software, robot learning, and mechatronics engineers on real problems — bringing up hardware, building tools, and getting policies running on our own dexterous robot hands.

If you love sitting next to a robot, enjoy turning ideas into working code, and want to learn fast from people obsessed with manipulation — this is that internship.

You may be working on one or more of the following areas:

• Supporting the robotics software stack — writing, testing, and debugging code that controls our robot hand and arm
• Training policies for certain tasks, and helping improve our robot learning stack
• Helping build tools for teleoperation, data collection, and experiment tracking that make robot learning move faster
• Working with the mechatronics engineers to design new hardware, debug failure modes, set up testing jigs, etc.
• Running experiments on real hardware, and helping evaluate and improve the system performance

What We’re Looking For

• Currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in robotics, computer science, engineering, or a related field
• Coursework or project experience in robotics, such as kinematics, dynamics, control, computer vision, hardware design, etc
• Patience and persistence in debugging when things do not work as expected
• Clear communicator who thrives in a collaborative, fast-moving environment
• Authorized to work in the US without sponsorship, available to work onsite in New York City for more than two months

Bonus Points

• Proficient in Python and Linux development environment
• Experience with ROS/ROS2
• Experience with a deep learning framework (PyTorch, JAX)
• Experience with physics simulators (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, etc.)
• Experience with 3D CAD for mechanical design and analysis (Onshape, Solidworks, etc.)
• Experience with electrical schematics and PCB design (Altium, KiCAD, etc.)
• Class, research, or competition projects (e.g., FIRST, RoboCup, F1/10, etc.) on robotics
• Publications or open-source contributions in robotics

Why You'll Want to Join Us

Manipulation is hard – that's the point. You'll be working on one of the most technically challenging problems in robotics, with full ownership over your work.

We're building the team and the culture from scratch, which means your voice matters — on the research direction, the engineering stack, and what kind of place Tangent becomes. We're friends who hold each other to a high standard and genuinely enjoy the work.

We're based in the heart of Manhattan, New York City — great access to one of the world's most active innovation hubs and tech communities.

Last but not least, you'll get direct mentorship from experienced engineers and researchers, and strong performers may be considered for full-time roles after the internship.

Pay: $5,000.00 - $10,000.00 per month

Benefits:

• Relocation assistance

Experience:

• robotics (academia & industry): 1 year (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• New York, NY 10001: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person