Mechanical Engineer Co-op Fall and/or Spring

The ARM Institute leverages a robust consortium of 500+ members and partners across industry, academia, and government to strengthen and grow US manufacturing by catalyzing solutions that drive the adoption of robotics and physical AI. As a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) and part of the Manufacturing USA® network, the ARM Institute plays a critical national role in driving innovations needed to grow US manufacturing.

About the role

This is an on-site, full-time (40 hrs./week) Mechanical Engineering Co-op position for either Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semesters. We view Co-ops as opportunities to identify potential full-time hires while contributing to students' education and their understanding of engineering work practices. Candidates should demonstrate a strong work ethic, technical knowledge, and participation in extracurricular activities that emphasize teamwork and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design of robotic cells
• Design production tooling emphasizing speed, simplicity, and ease-of-use
• Program collaborative and/or industrial robots
• Participate in customer-facing discussions, design reviews, and system demonstrations
• Design vacuum grippers for material handling and manipulation of complex parts
• Design custom tests for robotic components or subsystems
• Create test fixtures to simulate industrial robotic tasks
• Test and analyze production performance data on system build quality and speed
• Perform thermal or structural analysis on industrial robots using hand calculations and simulations
• Analyze test failures and field failures of robot components and propose redesigns
• Create digital twins of systems to evaluate layouts, designs, and efficiencies
• Develop, track, and verify system requirements
• Perform statistical analysis to assess tolerance stack-ups
• Learn about computer vision camera models and algorithms

Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent certificate
• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or advanced degree program in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Must be a US citizen
• Demonstrated understanding of engineering experience or coursework applying foundational principles
• Hands-on approach to engineering, including tooling and machine design, rapid prototyping, and project completion
• Experience with SolidWorks (or Unigraphics, Creo, Fusion 360, Autodesk Inventor, or similar CAD software)
• Prior work experience or participation in team-based activities (e.g., First Robotics, Baja SAE, or other collaborative extracurriculars)