Zip Motion Planning Intern (Summer 2027)
Zipline · South San Francisco, California, USA
About this role
**Zip Motion Planning Intern (Summer 2027)** **About Zipline** Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We’re on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine, and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate autonomous logistics systems that deliver critical supplies quickly and reliably—operating across four continents and completing millions of deliveries to date. **About the Motion Planning Team** The Motion Planning team is central to Zipline’s autonomous delivery service. As we hyper-scale from thousands to tens of thousands of coordinated drone deliveries in dense, dynamic U.S. metros, the team is responsible for decision-making and trajectory generation to enable accurate and timely delivery in a wide range of environments. **The Role** Help gather data, measure system performance, analyze results, and drive the next generation of algorithmic motion planning designs. You’ll work closely with the team in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, interacting daily with flight testing operations and fleet data. **What You’ll Do** - Develop and evaluate motion planning algorithms for autonomous aircraft (e.g., search, sampling, optimization) - Build simulation and analysis tools to compare planner behavior and investigate challenging scenarios - Use simulation and flight data to identify long-tail issues, validate safety metrics, and guide improvements - Transition experimental solutions into scalable, real-world applications - Collaborate closely with teammates to brainstorm and derive solutions from first principles - Share findings and insights to foster 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** - Full-time, in-person internship at our South San Francisco office - Summer 2027 internship dates: May/June to August/September - Candidates are limited to **three (3) applications within a 30-day period** - Final cash pay depends on experience, qualifications, skills, and working location; total compensation may include housing stipend, overtime pay, relocation support, paid sick time, and more - Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities *If you’re interested, apply!*
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