Research Intern Vehicle Dynamics and Simulation for Marine Robotics

Job Number: P25INT-67 Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) is seeking a self-motivated research intern to develop the marine vehicle capability of our Unreal Engine 5 simulator. You will set up and tune vessel hydrodynamics and multi-engine propulsion in UE5 and package them as reusable simulator plugins. The goal is to build a simulator that reflects real on-water vessel behavior closely enough to generate synthetic data and run closed-loop experiments ahead of field testing.

San Jose, CA Key

Responsibilities Develop the marine-specific vehicle platform and water environment in the UE5 simulator — the foundation the hydrodynamics and propulsion work build on. Implement and tune hydrodynamics in the UE5 environment — buoyancy, wave and current forcing, and wind disturbance — so vessel motion responds realistically to conditions. Implement a multi-engine (twin-engine) propulsion model, including thrust allocation and differential-thrust maneuvering.

Integrate the above as modular simulator plugins exposed through ROS 2 interfaces for scenario generation. Validate simulated vessel motion against reference behavior; document assumptions and limitations. Minimum

Qualifications M.S. candidate in robotics, mechanical/aerospace engineering, or a related field. Working experience with Unreal Engine 5 (C++ and/or Blueprints). Solid grounding in rigid-body dynamics and physics-based simulation. Proficiency in C++ and Python.

Experience with ROS 2. Bonus

Qualifications Ph.D. candidate in a related field. Background in marine/vehicle dynamics, hydrodynamics, or naval architecture.

Experience developing custom plugins for a UE5-based simulator.

Experience with closed-loop, physics-based vehicle simulation under environmental disturbances (wind, waves, currents).

Experience modeling propulsion or thrust allocation. Solid understanding of classical motion planning & control, including Model Predictive Control (MPC). Prior experience taking simulation models toward real-world validation. Years of Work

Experience Required 0 Desired Start Date 1/11/2027 Internship Duration 3 Months Position Keywords Marine robotics, simulation, hydrodynamics, vehicle dynamics, Unreal Engine 5, ROS 2, propulsion Warning: You do not have the permission to access the upload fields on this form. Contact the form owner or portal administrator to request the access.