Human Interactive Driving Intern – Localization and Mapping
About The Position
At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team in Automated Driving, Energy & Materials, Human-Centered AI, Human Interactive Driving, Large Behavior Models, and Robotics. This is a Summer 2026 paid 12-week internship opportunity. Please note that this internship will be a hybrid in-office role. The Team Within the Extreme Performance Intelligent Control team, we are developing techniques to advance vehicle safety and performance capabilities using tools from machine learning, optimization, and control theory. We are pursuing a cooperative approach to high-performance driving by developing predictive models and control frameworks for extreme vehicle maneuvering that match or exceed the skills of expert drivers. We envision a world where these tools allow each vehicle to support its driver, creating a safe and enjoyable experience for all. The Internship We are looking for a research intern to develop new perception, modeling, and/or control methodologies for high-performance driving that infer and reason about uncertainty. This is an opportunity to apply your knowledge to novel problems and develop impactful research. This paid, 12-week, Summer 2026 internship is a hybrid in-office role in our headquarters in Los Altos, CA, and will involve experiments with high-performance vehicles on a closed racetrack.
Requirements
- Ph.D. candidate working on related fields: robot perception, computer vision, robot learning, deep learning, or related fields.
- Proficiency in at least one of the following: Python, C++, ROS(2), Pytorch, CUDA, JAX.
- Familiarity in one of the following areas: semantic mapping, SLAM, and foundation models.
- Experience in deploying algorithms on real-world platforms.
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
- Strong interest in pushing the limits of robot autonomy.
- Strong publication records in top conferences and journals, including RSS, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, ICRA, RA-L, NeurIPS, ICLR, etc.
Nice To Haves
- Publications related to semantic mapping, neural distance fields, Gaussian Splatting.
- Publications related to SLAM, Lidar/Visual Odometry, and Structure from Motion.
- Publications related to foundational models.
- Please add a link to Google Scholar to include a full list of publications when submitting your CV for this position.
Responsibilities
- Develop novel perception algorithms for high-performance driving.
- Implement, deploy, and evaluate models and algorithms on high-performance cars.
- Present results in verbal and written communications at international conferences and internally.
Benefits
- TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time).
- Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
