--- title: 'Internship at Robotics and AI Institute' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/internship-robotics-and-ai-institute-zurich-q044a2zp6k1a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Internship at Robotics and AI Institute - **Company:** Robotics and AI Institute - **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland - **Employment:** internship - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2025-01-10 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rai/c121ffe1-e462-4902-a32f-d4f4aec02bc0 ## Job description ## Our Mission Our mission is to solve the most important and fundamental challenges in AI and Robotics to enable future generations of intelligent machines that will help us all live better lives. What we are looking for..... Students at Master or PhD level looking to work full-time for an extended period (~6 months) in an invigorating environment where researchers and engineers are enhancing the future of robotics.  If you have a passion for robots and a desire to be part of the advancement of robot capabilities and usefulness, you will want to join us! ## What you'll do - Work collaboratively with researchers focused on advancing robotic systems - Provide solutions to complex problem - Collaborate on publications to be submitted at worldwide conferences - System Design using model based and data driven techniques - Creatively apply modern learning algorithms to real-world problems - Use your strong development skills to develop algorithms and improve systems - Working with researchers and engineers to develop prototypes ## What we are looking for - MS and PhD students in a robotics-relevant field at a top university - Good grasp of a broad set of techniques related to state and world estimation, active control of dynamic systems and planning/cognitive challenges of these types of systems - Expertise with at least one programming language (Python, C++, C) or proven track record in electronics/hardware design - Project experience - Experience with systems that have complex physical interaction (locomotion & manipulation) Bonus (Not required) - Proven track record of publications in top-tier conferences and journals in Machine Learning, Robotics, or related fields (e.g. CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, TPAMI, IJCV, NIPS, ICLR, ICML, IJRR, RSS, etc.) Please provide with your application - CV - Motivation letter emphasizing your skills, interest and details on availability - Complete Transcripts ## About Robotics and AI Institute ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: A research institute founded by Boston Dynamics’ founder Marc Raibert, dedicated to advancing fundamental robotics and AI to create smarter, more capable robots for real-world applications. - **Entity Type**: Private (Research Institute) - **Headquarters**: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (main campus in Kendall Square); additional office in Zurich, Switzerland - **Founded**: Not publicly available (inferred as 2022 based on Marc Raibert’s departure from Boston Dynamics) - **Founders**: Marc Raibert ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Robotics research, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering - Target customers: Academic partners, industry collaborators, and the broader robotics ecosystem (B2B / institutional) - Mission or purpose statement: “Create future generations of robots” that are smarter, more agile, dexterous, and easier to use – increasing productivity, freeing people from dangerous work, caring for the disabled, and helping people live better lives. ## Products & Services The institute does not sell commercial products; instead it produces open research and technology in five core areas: - **Dexterous Manipulation**: Algorithms, data, and hardware for dynamic manipulation of physical objects (assembly, repair, transport). - **Advanced Learning for Control**: Reinforcement learning, AI-directed long-horizon tasks, incremental learning, and adaptation to novel environments. - **Data-Driven AI Models for Physical Robot Interaction**: Foundation models that combine data-driven learning with principled physics models for complex physical tasks (precision assembly, force-mediated behavior). - **Navigation in Challenging Environments**: Advanced sensors and semantic understanding for wheeled, humanoid, and quadruped robots to navigate factories, cities, and homes. - **Ethics of Robots in Society**: Research on the social, legal, and ethical contexts of integrating robots into daily life. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (non-commercial research institute) - **Key Metric**: Not disclosed (no revenue or funding rounds reported) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly listed; led by Marc Raibert (founder of Boston Dynamics) with a team of seasoned robotics professionals - **Growth Signals**: Expanding team with open positions in research and engineering (internships and full-time) across two locations; active hiring for autonomous agent engineering, software engineering, sensor calibration & integration ## Competitive Advantages - **Founder pedigree**: Marc Raibert’s track record with Boston Dynamics (Spot, Atlas, Handle) gives the institute deep credibility and access to top talent. - **Focus on fundamental challenges**: Targets the hardest unsolved problems in robotics (dexterity, long-horizon control, force-mediated AI) rather than incremental improvements. - **Collaborative environment**: Blends academic research freedom with industry-level resources and structure, enabling cross-functional teams to tackle tough problems. ## Strategic Focus - Advance five core research areas simultaneously to create “future generations of robots” - Bridge the gap between current AI models and real-world physical interaction (force control, tight tolerances) - Build ethical frameworks alongside technical breakthroughs to ensure responsible integration of robots into society ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Described as a “collaborative research environment” where team members learn from diverse experts and work on cross-functional challenges. - **Locations**: Main campus in Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square) and Zurich, Switzerland (Oerlikon robotics & AI hub). Both are vibrant tech ecosystems. - **Benefits**: Competitive packages including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) with matching, and 12 weeks parental leave. - **Work style**: Roles are on-site (internships and full-time positions specify on-site in Zurich or Cambridge). No explicit remote policy mentioned. - **Engineering culture**: Teams span AI, robotics, computing, machine learning, perception, software, mechanical, and electrical engineering – offering exposure to full-stack robot development. ## Sources 1. [RAI Institute Careers Page](https://rai-inst.com/careers/) 2. [RAI Institute Home Page](https://rai-inst.com/) 3. [RAI Institute Jobs on Lever](https://jobs.lever.co/rai) 4. [RAI Institute Leadership Overview](https://rai-inst.com/about/leadership-overview/) 5. [RAI Institute Research Areas](https://rai-inst.com/research/) ## Other roles at Robotics and AI Institute - [Autonomous Agent Engineering Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomous-agent-engineering-intern-robotics-and-ai-institute-zurich-0ehkqjraddj9) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Sensor Calibration & Integration Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/sensor-calibration-integration-intern-robotics-and-ai-institute-zurich-v135hwcaw2er) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Internship - Software Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-software-engineering-robotics-and-ai-institute-zurich-7qf8sd6xz80h) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-chai-discovery-san-francisco-web8x5z637y7) — San Francisco, CA - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-in-the-pocket-belgium-bppdekgq8ja9) — Belgium - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-prime-intellect-san-francisco-nseavm09w3wg) — San Francisco, CA - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-fuse-san-leandro-hgp1fgqbfj9p) — San Leandro, CA - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-fuse-montreal-pxfjbdmtagam) — Montréal, Canada - [Internship](https://feeny.ai/job/internship-plix-san-mateo-zeargk1b7avc) — San Mateo, CA