Intern - Electrical Engineer

Human Computer Lab is a robotics startup and research lab building expressive robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology.

Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.

What to expect

We're looking for a hands-on electrical engineering intern who wants to help design the hardware that makes LeLamp tick. You'll work on the electronics at the core of the robot's expressiveness (power, sensing, actuation, and computation), contributing to designs from schematic to physical board. This role requires regular bench work, including soldering, board rework, signal probing, and direct hardware debugging. You'll work closely with the CEO and founding team to design, validate, and iterate on the PCBAs that make up LeLamp's electrical architecture and support integration as the full system comes together.

In this role, you will:

• Contribute to PCBA design and validation for robot subsystems including power distribution, motor control, sensing, and compute integration.
• Help develop early electrical concepts and assist with trade studies to support architecture decisions.
• Support schematics and layout work through fabrication and bring-up, iterating quickly based on test results.
• Debug hardware issues systematically and close the loop with clear documentation.
• Review schematics, layouts, and BOMs alongside teammates.
• Support system integration and cross-boundary debugging between hardware and firmware.
• Perform hands-on bench work including soldering small components, rework, probing, and board bring-up.
• Help shape the platform's electrical architecture as it evolves.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Are pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering and have hands-on project or coursework experience (personal projects, club teams, prior internships, or research all count).
• Are fluent in Altium or similar tools across schematics and layout.
• Document clearly and drive issues to resolution.
• Are comfortable at the bench with soldering, rework, probing, and prototype iteration.
• Have experience involving power electronics, motor control, sensing systems, or embedded robotics hardware.
• Have experience programming microcontrollers, DSPs, or FPGAs.
• Are comfortable working in environments where architecture is still evolving and your input shapes direction.

You will be a strong fit, if you:

• Have strong EE fundamentals and curiosity about analog issues inside digital systems, ESD / signals connected to the outside world, voltage mismatch issues, and component behavior details.
• Love being at the bench as much as at the computer, and hardware is not abstract to you.
• Move quickly through iteration cycles and don't wait for perfect information to make progress.
• Take ownership over your work end to end, from first schematic to working hardware in the robot.
• Work well in small, collaborative teams where electrical and mechanical are in constant conversation.
• Care about what the electronics enable: expressiveness, responsiveness, and the feeling that the robot is alive.

The early team becomes the DNA of the company. We set ourselves and others to a high standard, and we respond with kindness when things get hard but keep everyone accountable. This requires us to be curious, creative, and diverse in our thinking and approach.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Studies show that women and underrepresented groups often hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria - we don’t want that to be the reason we miss out on great talent.