Software Engineer Intern - Runtime, Robotics

PlusAI is a Physical AI company pioneering AI-based virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in the United States and Europe, Plus was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Partners including TRATON GROUP’s Scania, MAN, and International brands, Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco Group, Bosch, and DSV are working with Plus to accelerate the deployment of next-generation autonomous trucks. If you’re ready to make a huge impact and drive the future of autonomy, Plus is looking for talented individuals to join its fast-growing teams.

The intern will help spearhead the evolution of our robot’s communication backbone by integrating ROS2 into our high-performance software stack. - Hybrid Middleware Evolution: Implement a migration path that transitions established features into a ROS2-based architecture while maintaining the reliability of our internal custom transport layer. - Seamless Framework Interoperability: Developing robust integration layers to allow existing robot logic to coexist and communicate fluently with new ROS2-native nodes. - Performance Characterization: Establishing a comprehensive benchmarking suite to evaluate the efficiency, latency, and throughput of the hybrid system compared to the standalone original stack. - Deployment & Road Validation: Taking the project from the "lab" to the "street" by executing a full-scale road test on physical hardware to ensure system stability in real-world environments.

Responsibilities:

• Modern Middleware Architectures: Transitioning systems toward ROS2 and DDS (Data Distribution Service) paradigms.
• System Interoperability: Designing bridges and custom RMW (ROS Middleware) configurations for hybrid environments.
• Field Engineering: On-vehicle deployment, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, and performance optimization.

Required Skills:

• Advanced Proficiency in C++ (17 or later): Strong background in systems-level programming and modern software design patterns.
• Robotics Middleware Knowledge: Familiarity with the ROS2 ecosystem (Nodes, Pub/Sub, Services) and an interest in how different transport layers handle data.
• Systems Analysis: Experience or interest in benchmarking software performance and identifying optimization opportunities, comfortable working in Linux environments and debugging hardware-software interfaces.
• Familiarity with robotics middleware (such as ROS, DDS, or Cyber RT) is highly preferred.

$19 - $65 an hour

Your opportunities joining PlusAI

Work, learn and grow in a highly future-oriented, innovative and dynamic field.

Wide range of opportunities for personal and professional development.

Catered free lunch, unlimited snacks and beverages.

Highly competitive salary and benefits package, including 401(k) plan.