Droid Autonomy Intern - Motion Planning (Summer 2025)

About Zipline

Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building the first instant logistics system that serves all humans equally. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy, Zipline designs, builds, and operates a fleet of cutting edge, autonomous delivery drones. We serve tens of millions of people around the world.

Joining Zipline’s Emerging Talent program as an intern is an opportunity to contribute to our promise of building a system that provides equitable access to critical healthcare supplies for millions of people. We believe that internships are more than just opportunities to learn by watching or doing low level tasks. We expect our interns to take on meaningful work that actively contributes to moving Zipline’s mission forward, while learning real-world skills that will serve them in their careers for the long term. 

Join us, and build the future of logistics with the best humans around!

About the Droid Planning Team 

The Droid Planning team is responsible for developing the cutting-edge technologies that enable our drones to make pinpoint deliveries at scale. Specifically, we are developing an autonomy stack that allows our drones to deliver packages in high winds and all kinds of weather conditions,and  in all types of backyard environments with people, pets, and objects in the scene. This role involves working with the perception team to identify obstacles and working with the controls team to safely maneuver around them.

The Role 

Our distinctive challenges require groundbreaking approaches, and you'll have the chance to see your ideas transition from concept to real-world application. In a fast-paced and collaborative environment, you'll devise novel solutions to our pressing planning challenges. You’ll work directly with our team, designing algorithms and writing software to deploy to our fleet. Join us, and be at the frontier of shaping the future of autonomous deliveries.

What You'll Do  

• Design and develop planning and behavioral algorithms for our autonomous delivery Droids.
• Transition experimental solutions to scalable, real-world applications.
• Collaborate closely with team members, brainstorming and deriving creative solutions from first principles.
• Develop new simulation and analysis tools that allow us to determine the impact of new features before we deploy them to the field
• Share findings and insights, fostering knowledge exchange across teams.

What You'll Bring  

• Working toward a BS, MS, or PhD in engineering, computer science, or robotics.
• Experience with C++ or Rust
• Familiarity with planning and search algorithms or trajectory optimization
• Familiarity solving problems involving real-world physics and dynamics
• Solid engineering intuition for keeping things simple and solving the right problems

What Else You Should Know

Zipline is unable to sponsor work visas for applicants to this position.

The starting cash range for this internship is $42 - 46 / hour. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, and working location. The total compensation package for each role may also include: a housing stipend; overtime pay; relocation support; paid sick time; and more. 

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

Zipline is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your point of contact at Zipline know if you require any accommodations throughout your interview process.