Robotics Intern - Large Behavior Models at Toyota Research Institute

Los Altos, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

InternshipExperience Level

InternshipJob Type

UnknownVisa

Robotics, Automotive, Artificial IntelligenceIndustries

Requirements

Hands-on experience with using machine learning for learned control, including RL, offline RL or behavior cloning, for manipulation. Or experience with machine learning and familiarity with large multi-modal datasets and models
Strong software development skills in Python
A “make it happen” attitude and comfort with fast prototyping
A passion for robotics and doing research grounded in important fundamental problems
Bonus Qualifications
Hardware experience

Responsibilities

Create working code prototypes
Interact frequently with team members
Run experiments with both simulated and real (physical) robots
Participate in publishing the work to peer-reviewed venues
Work with both existing large static datasets as well as a growing dynamic corpus of robot data
Contribute to research thrusts including: data-efficient and general algorithms for learning robust policies leveraging multiple sensing modalities; scaling learning approaches to large-scale models trained on diverse sources of data; leveraging test time compute for embodied applications; quick and efficient improvement of learned policies; MultiModal Reasoning Models; structured hierarchical reasoning using learned models; Reinforcement Learning for MultiModal models; leveraging history and memory for learning policies for long context tasks; improving robustness and few-shot generalization by leveraging sub-optimal and self-play data; interactive agents that can reduce the embodied and instructional ambiguity and can seek help and clarification

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

RoboticsMachine LearningGenerative AISimulationProprioceptionTactile Sensing3D RepresentationsForce SensingLarge-Scale ModelsSensor Data

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this internship paid, and how long is it?

Yes, this is a paid 12-week summer 2026 internship.

Is this internship remote or in-office?

This internship is an in-office role.

What skills and experience are required for this internship?

Hands-on experience with using machine learning for learned control, including RL, offline RL or behavior cloning, for manipulation is required. Interns should be comfortable working with existing large static datasets and a growing dynamic corpus of robot data.

What is the team and work environment like at TRI?

The Robotics Machine Learning Team focuses on pushing the frontiers of research in robotics and machine learning for general-purpose robots in unstructured environments. Interns will create working code prototypes, interact frequently with team members, run experiments with simulated and real robots, and participate in publishing to peer-reviewed venues.

What makes a strong candidate for this robotics internship?

Strong candidates have hands-on experience in machine learning for robot manipulation, including RL, offline RL, or behavior cloning, and are comfortable with large datasets, coding prototypes, running robot experiments, and research publication.

Toyota Research Institute

Research in mobility, safety, and automation

About Toyota Research Institute

Toyota Research Institute focuses on improving mobility through research and development in the automotive and technology sectors. The company works on enhancing safety, automated driving, robotics, materials science, and machine learning. Their products include advanced safety features and automated driving systems that aim to make driving safer and more efficient. Unlike many competitors, TRI emphasizes a research-driven approach, collaborating with various partners and licensing their innovations to enhance Toyota's offerings and maintain a competitive edge. The goal of TRI is to advance mobility solutions that improve quality of life and support the transition to zero-emissions transportation.

Los Altos, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2016Year Founded

$100MTotal Funding

SEEDCompany Stage

Robotics & Automation, Automotive & Transportation, AI & Machine LearningIndustries

201-500Employees

Benefits

Highly competitive benefits package

Robust programs to support the wellbeing, happiness, and health of our people and their families.

401(k) plan including matching and annual profit sharing along with total vacation and holidays totaling 38 days per year.

Subsidized commuter benefits and generous employee and vehicle allowances

2 paid days per year to participate in volunteer activities.

Maternity Leave program with 10 paid weeks plus baby bonding leave and Milk Stork for traveling moms

Baby Bonding Leave–an additional 16 paid weeks–to all new parents, including those who choose to adopt.

Back-up child and adult / elder care programs to help everyone thrive

WellBeats Virtual Fitness Trainer.

Risks

Public skepticism may undermine AI-assisted driving safety initiatives.

Boston Dynamics' high costs could impact TRI's humanoid robot project returns.

Complexity of real-world environments may delay TRI's robot skill deployment.

Differentiation

TRI focuses on AI to enhance human life and mobility.

Partnerships with Boston Dynamics and Stanford showcase TRI's collaborative innovation.

TRI's Driving Sensei concept integrates AI to improve driver skills and engagement.

Upsides

Generative AI allows TRI's robots to learn complex tasks without new coding.

TRI's AI-driven material synthesis could revolutionize EV battery development.

Autonomous tandem drifting collaboration with Stanford pushes vehicle dynamics boundaries.

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