Motional

About Motional

Driving the future of autonomous mobility safely

🏢 Tech, Automotive👥 251-1K📅 Founded 2020📍 Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Key Highlights

  • Partnership with Lyft for autonomous ride-hailing services
  • Extensive testing in Las Vegas and Boston
  • Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Over 1,000 employees dedicated to autonomous technology

Motional, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, specializing in driverless cars and mobility solutions. The company has partnered with major players like Lyft and has conducted extensive testing in cities such as Las Vegas and Boston. With over 1,000 e...

🎁 Benefits

Motional offers competitive salaries, equity options, generous PTO, comprehensive health benefits, and a flexible remote work policy to support work-l...

🌟 Culture

Motional fosters a culture of innovation and safety, emphasizing collaboration among engineers and researchers to push the boundaries of autonomous te...

Overview

Motional is hiring a 2026 Summer Intern for their Foundations team focusing on Localization, RVA & Mapping. You'll work on generating reliable actions for autonomous systems using skills in Python, C++, and machine learning. This internship is based in Pittsburgh.

Job Description

Who you are

You are currently pursuing a PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field. You possess strong programming skills, particularly in Python, and have a preference for C++. Your coursework or project experience includes motion planning, control systems, trajectory optimization, and robotics or autonomous systems. You are familiar with machine learning concepts and have a keen interest in applying them to real-world problems.

You have a solid understanding of classical control methods such as PID and MPC, and you are knowledgeable about kinematics, dynamics, and robotics frameworks. You understand actuator constraints, latencies, and real-time execution considerations, which are crucial for developing efficient algorithms in autonomous systems. You are eager to collaborate with cross-functional teams and contribute to innovative solutions in the field of robotics.

What you'll do

As an intern at Motional, you will focus on generating reliable, safe, and efficient actions for autonomous systems. Your responsibilities will include developing or refining action-generation algorithms and models, motion planners, and trajectories. You will run simulations or real-world experiments to evaluate the quality of action execution, supporting the analysis and tuning of action performance in terms of latency, smoothness, and stability.

You will collaborate closely with the Behaviors team to ensure that the actions you develop are feasible and align with higher-level goals. Additionally, you will work with the Perception team to evaluate the downstream impacts of perception noise or drift on action performance. Throughout your internship, you will document tools, experiments, and action models clearly, contributing to the overall knowledge base of the team.

What we offer

Motional provides a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology. You will gain hands-on experience in a collaborative environment, working alongside experts in the field. This internship will not only enhance your technical skills but also provide you with insights into the challenges and innovations in robotics and machine learning. You will be part of a diverse team that values inclusion and encourages you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every requirement. Join us in shaping the future of transportation.

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