Controls Engineer Intern

Location: San Francisco, CA

Department: Hardware

Why are We Hiring for this Role:

• We are building dexterous hands and fingers for an all-purpose humanoid — systems with 20+ degrees of freedom packaged in the volume of a human hand, that must move with precision, speed, and adaptability — and we need dedicated controls engineering bandwidth to make that happen
• Our hands are only as good as the control loops driving them; without tight, well-tuned control at the joint and finger level, even the best mechanism becomes unpredictable in contact with the real world
• We are a small team moving fast — this intern will not be shadowing anyone, they will own real subsystems, write firmware that runs on hardware, and contribute directly to milestones that matter
• The controls stack for a dexterous robotic hand is an unsolved problem at the frontier of robotics — impedance control, contact detection, tendon coupling, and real-time sensor fusion all need engineering attention that our current team cannot absorb alone
• We believe the best controls engineers are built early by working on hard hardware problems — this role is designed to give a talented student that foundation in a compressed, high-impact environment
• Every intern we bring in is a potential full-time hire; we are building the team that will ship the first truly capable humanoid hand, and we want people who want to grow with that mission

What Kind of person are we looking for 

• Currently pursuing a BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field — with coursework in control systems theory (state-space representation, Bode/Nyquist analysis, stability margins, PID design)
• Foundational understanding of dynamics and kinematics for multi-body systems — you know what a Jacobian is, why it matters for robotic finger control, and how to use it
• Exposure to modern control techniques beyond PID: state feedback, LQR, feedforward compensation, or impedance/admittance control — even if only from coursework or self-study
• Understanding of sampled-data systems and discrete-time control — you know why sample rate matters for a fast motor control loop and what aliasing means in a sensor pipeline
• Proficient in Python for simulation, prototyping, and data analysis — you can tune a controller in simulation before touching hardware
• Working knowledge of C or C++ for embedded firmware — you are not afraid of pointers, interrupt handlers, or register-level peripheral configuration on microcontrollers (STM32, Teensy, ESP32, or similar)
• Familiarity with at least one robotics framework — ROS2 preferred — including writing nodes, publishing sensor topics, and using standard tools like rqt and rviz for debugging
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink is a plus, particularly for control loop modeling and simulation before embedded deployment

To be a great candidate, you don't have to check every box. If you're excited about building the next generation of robotic hands and believe you'd bring something valuable to the team, we encourage you to apply. If you have a project presentation or portfolio that showcases relevant work, attach it to your application. Concrete proof of excellence will significantly strengthen your candidacy.

About the Company

About Us

Foundation is developing the future of general purpose robotics with the goal to address the labor shortage.

Our mission is to create advanced robots that can operate in complex environments, reducing human risk in conflict zones and enhancing efficiency in labor-intensive industries.

We are on the lookout for extraordinary engineers and scientists to join our team. 

Your previous experience in robotics isn't a prerequisite — it's your talent and determination that truly count.

We expect that many of our team members will bring diverse perspectives from various industries and fields. We are looking for individuals with a proven record of exceptional ability and a history of creating things that work.

Our Culture

We like to be frank and honest about who we are, so that people can decide for themselves if this is a culture they resonate with. Please read more about our culture here https://foundation.bot/culture.

About This Role

Why You Should Join

• You are highly technical - regardless of the role you are in. We are building technology; you need to understand technology well.
• You care about aesthetics and design inside out. If it's not the best product ever, it bothers you, and you need to “fix” it.
• You don't need someone to motivate you; you get things done.