Internship – AI Autonomy & Control Systems
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Job Description
About Company
Deca Defense exclusively serves Defense OEMs and the DoD, specializing in Edge AI and autonomous systems engineering. The company’s mission is to eliminate warfighter pain points by developing custom autonomous solutions that directly resolve critical field challenges. They integrate advanced autonomy with embedded AI to deliver precise, mission-critical solutions at the tactical edge. Deca Defense is set apart by its team of veterans who have transitioned from the battlefield to a critical capacity behind the scenes, bringing real-world insights to their solutions.
Job Description
• Job Title: Internship – AI Autonomy & Control Systems
• Location: Remote
• Employment Type: Unpaid Internship (25 hours per week)
• ITAR Restriction: U.S. Citizenship Required
Position Overview:
Deca Defense is seeking a highly motivated and technically skilled intern with a focus in Electrical Engineering and Control Systems to contribute to their AI-driven autonomous systems projects. This unpaid internship provides hands-on experience in building and integrating control systems and autonomy algorithms into mission-critical defense platforms.
Key Learning Opportunities and Responsibilities:
• Embedded Control Development: Develop and test control algorithms for real-time systems, including motor control and actuator feedback loops.
• AI Integration: Support the fusion of classical control theory with modern AI techniques, including neural network-based control logic.
• State Estimation: Apply Kalman Filter variants (EKF, UKF) and signal processing methods to enhance estimation accuracy.
• Simulation & Testing: Use MATLAB/Simulink, Gazebo, or AirSim to simulate autonomous systems and validate performance under realistic conditions.
• Low-Level Development: Write embedded C/C++ code for sensor integration, timing-critical routines, and real-time communication.
• Scripting & Analysis: Use Python for rapid prototyping, data analysis, and debugging of ML pipelines and autonomy modules.
• Hardware-Software Interface: Assist in integrating software onto hardware platforms and diagnosing cross-domain bugs.
• Collaboration & Documentation: Work with engineers across disciplines and maintain detailed technical logs for development traceability.
Preferred Qualifications and Learning Objectives:
• Educational Background: Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Control Systems Expertise: Strong understanding of classical and modern control concepts (PID, state-space, observers).
• Embedded Development: Hands-on experience in C/C++ for embedded or low-latency systems.
• Python Proficiency: Comfortable with scripting, data processing, and ML-related tooling.
• State Estimation Techniques: Exposure to Kalman Filters and signal processing approaches for uncertain and dynamic environments.
• Debugging Skills: Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve issues at the hardware-software interface.
• Simulation Tools: Familiarity with MATLAB, Simulink, Gazebo, or AirSim is a plus.
• Autonomy Systems: Experience with PX4 or Unreal Engine for autonomous platform integration.
• AI & Learning Systems: Coursework or project experience in reinforcement learning or neural control is desirable.
