Self-Directed Study Internship - Human Performance and Robotics

This unpaid internship is designed around the student’s course of study and research interests, focusing on student learning and growth. It can serve as an ideal opportunity for visiting researchers. Examples include learning new skills such as programming, software use, or prototype fabrication, or researching specific academic areas like bipedal balance algorithms, actuator design, or neural networks. Internships may also be part of a degree program, potentially leading to course credit, a thesis, or a doctoral dissertation. If you have an idea or area of interest—whether in programming, mechanical design, or algorithm development—we may provide facilities and guidance to support your pursuits.

Research Platforms

Platforms in the robot lab currently include:

• DRC-era Atlas
• NASA Valkyrie
• MIT Mini-Cheetah
• Quix Exoskeleton
• In-progress Nadia Humanoid
• Several small UAVs

Research and development on any of these platforms is possible.

Areas of Interest

Current areas of interest in the lab include but are not limited to:

• Multi-contact locomotion planning
• Perception for localization and locomotion planning
• High-speed autonomous behaviors
• Whole body manipulation
• Virtual reality for operator interfaces
• Autonomous exoskeleton balance
• High-speed, efficient exoskeleton locomotion
• Understanding inherent balance in fast-running robots
• Lightweight mechanical design
• Hydraulic and electric actuator control

Requirements

• Have obtained or currently pursuing a degree in Engineering, Science, or related STEM field.
• A fundamental knowledge of programming is highly recommended.

Duration: between 3-9 months. This is an unpaid internship located in Pensacola, Florida.

About IHMC

The Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) pioneers technologies aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities. A not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System, IHMC is affiliated with several Florida universities. Researchers focus on a human-centered approach, developing systems that act as cognitive, physical, or perceptual orthoses.

IHMC’s interdisciplinary staff includes computer scientists, cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, linguists, physicians, philosophers, engineers, and social scientists. Current active research areas include artificial intelligence, cognitive science, humanoid robotics, exoskeletons, advanced interfaces, cybersecurity, linguistics, machine learning, and more.

IHMC collaborates extensively with industry and government, receiving funding from sources such as DARPA, NSF, NASA, the military branches, NIH, and private companies like Raytheon, IBM, Microsoft, and Boeing.