Robotics and Controls Intern

Capstan Medical, Inc. • Santa Cruz, CA

1d

About The Position

This internship focuses on designing and executing benchtop characterization studies of catheter driving performance, including tip position accuracy, tracking error, and hysteresis. The intern will build Python automation scripts and small test harnesses for repeatable data collection, tune control loops and parameters on real hardware, and develop reusable analysis tooling. Responsibilities also include supporting design verification testing, contributing to the team's data infrastructure, documenting work on Confluence, and presenting findings in team design reviews.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a BS or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• Solid Python fundamentals (NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, pandas) and the ability to write clean scripts that other people will read and run
• Working knowledge of feedback control: you've taken a controls course and can talk through PID, frequency response, and stability concepts
• Experience characterizing or testing real hardware in a lab setting, even at the coursework or research scale
• Ability to design an experiment, run it carefully, and write up what you found
• Comfortable in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift and you're expected to ask good questions

Nice To Haves

• Coursework or research in robot kinematics, dynamics, or continuum/flexible robotics
• C++ exposure, particularly for reading existing code and writing simple changes
• Experience with ROS1/ROS2, bagfiles, or similar middleware
• MATLAB or Simulink for control design and system identification
• Familiarity with Git, code review workflows, and unit testing
• Prior internship or research experience at a robotics, medtech, or hardware-heavy company

Responsibilities

• Design and execute benchtop characterization studies of catheter driving performance: tip position accuracy, tracking error, hysteresis, friction, and other performance metrics
• Build Python automation scripts and small test harnesses for repeatable, hands-off data collection across the robotic system
• Tune control loops and parameters on real hardware and quantify the improvement with clean before-and-after data
• Develop reusable analysis tooling: data ingestion, plotting utilities, and reporting templates the team can keep using after you leave
• Support design verification testing by writing protocols, executing runs, and documenting results in line with medical device standards
• Contribute to the team's data infrastructure: log parsing, bagfile processing, metric extraction, automation scripts, dashboards
• Document your work on Confluence and present findings in team design reviews

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Associate degree