About FuturHand Robotics
FuturHand Robotics is a Carnegie Mellon University spin-off developing next-generation dexterous robotic systems that transform how robots interact with the world. We build on cutting-edge research in dexterous hands and manipulation to solve real-world problems, developing dexterous bimanual robots that operate reliably outside controlled lab environments.
The Role
We’re looking for a Robot Perception Engineer Intern to join our perception team and work directly with our Computer Vision Lead. You’ll get hands-on experience with real perception problems on a physical robotic platform – not synthetic benchmarks or toy datasets. This is a great opportunity to see how vision systems are built, tested, and deployed in a production robotics stack, and to contribute meaningfully to a small, fast-moving team.
You’ll take ownership of a well-scoped project or set of tasks within the broader perception pipeline spanning sensor data collection & processing, object detection, pose estimation, or scene understanding with guidance and mentorship from the CV Lead. As you ramp up, you’ll have room to take on more open-ended problems.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Support development of components of the perception pipeline, such as sensor integration, object detection, pose estimation, or state tracking
- Help build and improve tooling for perception: data pipelines, evaluation scripts, debugging/visualization tools, and performance metrics
- Run experiments to test robustness across variation in lighting, object geometry, and scene complexity
- Collaborate with the CV Lead and broader manipulation/controls teams to understand how perception outputs are used downstream
- Explore techniques such as sensor fusion, temporal filtering, or data-driven methods to improve system robustness
- Document findings and contribute to the team’s understanding of what works and what doesn’t
What We’re Looking For
- Currently pursuing a BS (upper-class/senior) or MS/PhD in computer vision, robotics, computer science, or a related field
- Solid fundamentals in computer vision, backed by coursework or project experience in 3D perception, object detection, or pose estimation
- Comfortable programming in Python and/or C++
- Familiarity with common CV/ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, OpenCV)
- Familiarity with data collection, data cleaning, and data labeling
- Curiosity about how perception fits into a larger robotic system, and willingness to learn how design choices affect downstream performance
Nice to have:
- Prior project or coursework experience with robotics perception for manipulation tasks
- Familiarity with ROS 2
- Exposure to depth sensors, RGB-D data, or 3D geometry
- Prior experience working with camera hardware and camera calibration
- Experience building with open-source models
- Exposure to sim-to-real transfer, domain randomization, or data augmentation
- Experience deploying models on embedded or edge hardware (e.g., Jetson)
Logistics
- Positions available: One or more interns
- Terms:
- Spring 2027 — January/February through May/June
- Summer 2027 — May/June through August/September
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA (on-site)
What We Offer
- Direct mentorship from our Computer Vision Lead and close collaboration with a small, highly technical team
- Real ownership of a project that contributes to a novel robotic platform, not busywork
- Exposure to the full perception stack — from sensors to deployed, real-world behavior
- Competitive internship compensation
- Potential path to a full-time offer for strong performers
How to Apply
Email us with your resume, which term(s) you’re available for (Spring 2027, Summer 2027, or both)