Intern - Mechatronics Engineer

Human Computer Lab is a research lab building character robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology.

Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.

We're looking for a mechatronics intern who can move fluidly between mechanical prototyping and controls work to support LeLamp's development. You'll build and iterate on prototyping rigs, take on lower-level controls and calibration work that currently competes for our engineers' time with deeper domain work, and support mechanical design tasks as needed. As the platform matures, this role will increasingly bridge mechanical and controls — running test-rig cycles, troubleshooting integration issues, and translating mechanical design changes into controls adjustments. This is a hands-on role for someone who'd rather be a generalist across the physical stack than specialize narrowly in one domain this early in their career.

In this role, you will:

• Build and iterate on prototyping rigs — mechanical assembly, wiring, and basic controls integration

• Take on lower-level controls tasks (sensor wiring, calibration, simple test scripts) that free up our controls and mechanical engineers for deeper domain work

• Support mechanical design tasks as needed — CAD iteration, fixture design, fit checks

• Bridge mechanical and controls as the product matures — run reliability/test-rig cycles, troubleshoot integration issues, and translate mechanical design changes into controls adjustments

• Explore mechanistic interpretability on the models behind LeLamp’s character and behavior, using techniques like probing and activation analysis to understand why the agent responds the way it does

• Help us spot and characterize behavior we didn’t design for, especially as people interact with LeLamp in unexpected ways

• Document test results and communicate issues clearly to the team

You may be a good fit if you:

• Are pursuing a degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field

• Have some exposure to CAD (SolidWorks, Onshape, Fusion360, or similar) and basic controls/embedded work, from class projects, personal builds, or prior internships

• Have hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, machining, microcontrollers, or simple test rigs

• Have exposure to mechanistic interpretability or model-internals work (probing, activation patching, sparse autoencoders, or similar). This is a bonus, not a requirement.

• Are comfortable jumping into unfamiliar systems and can create order through chaos

• Care about users and feel ownership over outcomes, even for systems you don't own

• Think holistically about systems and approach problems with creative, outside-the-box solutions

You will be a strong fit, if you:

• Are a jack-of-all-trades who's drawn to hands-on prototyping over deep specialization in one domain

• Move quickly and work well in rapid iteration cycles

• Are curious about what’s actually happening inside the models we ship, not just whether the outputs look right

• Take ownership over the systems you touch, even when they're not "yours"

• Work well in small, collaborative teams, without needing much day-to-day mentorship

• Are curious, resourceful, and motivated to solve difficult problems

The early team becomes the DNA of the company. We set ourselves and others to a high standard, and we respond with kindness when things get hard but keep everyone accountable. This requires us to be curious, creative, and diverse in our thinking and approach.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Studies show that women and underrepresented groups often hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria - we don’t want that to be the reason we miss out on great talent.