About the Company
PathOn Robotics is a stealth-stage robotics startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area, building at the intersection of AI Agents + Robotics.
Role Description
PathOn Robotics is looking for a full-time, on-site Co-op Robotics Software Engineer to work directly with the founder on building and shipping robotics features end-to-end — from simulation to real robot deployment.
This is a hands-on, high-ownership role for someone who enjoys moving quickly, learning independently, and working across the robotics stack. You will help research open-source solutions, integrate them into our system, prototype quickly, and contribute to real product development.
This role is ideal for students seeking a co-op experience in robotics, embodied AI, and full-stack robotic systems.
Minimum commitment: 6 months. Longer durations are preferred.
No visa sponsorship available. Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
What You’ll Work On
- Build and improve grasping, locomotion, and navigation pipelines in simulation using tools such as MuJoCo, ROS2/Gazebo, and Isaac Gym
- Integrate and test ML models for robot control, including areas such as GraspNet, VLA, RL policies, or imitation learning
- Set up and maintain Docker-based environments for simulation, training, and inference
- Work with real robot hardware, including calibration, control, and sim-to-real workflows
- Contribute to full-stack platform infrastructure supporting robotics development and deployment
- Research open-source robotics tools and help adapt them into internal systems
Requirements
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
- Available for a full-time, on-site co-op internship for at least 6 months
- Experience with Python
- Familiarity with one or more of the following:
- ROS2, MuJoCo, Gazebo, Isaac Gym, or similar robotics frameworks
- Robot manipulation (grasping, motion planning, IK/FK)
- RL for locomotion
- VLA / imitation learning
- Comfortable with Linux, Docker, and GPU-based development workflows
- Able to work independently, learn quickly, and ship with limited hand-holding
Nice to Have
- Experience with LeRobot, Isaac Gym, or MoveIt
- Full-stack skills such as Next.js, Supabase, or WebRTC
- Prior startup, research lab, or open-source experience
- Exposure to hardware integration, including cameras, IMUs, and sensors
Why Join
- Work directly with the founder and have meaningful impact from day one
- Gain hands-on experience across the full robotics stack: simulation, ML, hardware, and platform
- Fast-paced environment with high ownership and rapid learning
- Opportunity to help shape real product and engineering direction