Consider this: You’re an engineering student with an interest in working on a hands-on project in the tech capital of South Asia, thousands of miles away from Switzerland. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s not.
The India Industry Internship (III) offers Swiss university students a unique immersive experience that encourages them to combine the meticulous and methodical Swiss processes with the unusual Indian innovation mindset.
For three months, engineering students in Switzerland will work with Indian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that are blazing trails in technology and innovation. We match them with companies that they are best suited for to get the most out of this experience.
The internship allows them to work on a real-life industry project in their area of expertise in an international industry alongside a wide pool of talented engineers and young innovators in the heart of Bengaluru.
This year we have three great host companies on board. Systemantics is a robotics company that has developed India’s first ‘cobots’ or assistive robotic arms that can share workspace with humans. CynLr Cybernetics works on technology that can see and manipulate objects, and Pors & Rao is an art studio that works at the intersection of art and technology. Take a look below to see which of the three suits you best.
Simply put, CynLr enables industrial robots to pick up objects from one place and deposit them to another. Let’s say you’re in bed and feeling lazy to get up and retrieve your book from the living room. CynLr equips robots with the ability to perform this task for you. At a larger scale, robots have the ability to Pick, Orient and Place (POP) objects regardless of shape, orientation or weight by being able to see and understand objects in their random, unstructured environments and effectively manipulate them. Considered the holy grail of robotics, getting robots to perform this task has so far remained unsolved because of the complexity of real-world environments.
CynLr recently opened their Hardware Design Office in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud. An opportunity to intern with CynLr in India could potentially translate to more opportunities back in Switzerland!
You can learn more about their work on their website. CynLr offers the following three internship positions for this programme.
I. ROBOTICS APPLICATION RESEARCH INTERN
Team: Robotics and applications engineering team.
Responsibilities: Based on skills and interest, the intern will be involved in exploration and research of advanced robotic tech and tools. The intern will also contribute to CynLr’s application research department where they will be involved in developing applications using robots. They will perform experiments for applications, design an application flow, be involved in developing a portion of an application, or an entire application itself. They will also identify and experiment with advanced application development tools.
Skills required: A background in mechanical, electrical or electronic engineering is ideal. Additionally, a strong systems understanding or an understanding of multiple systems like robots, gripping systems, pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems etc. is required.
Learnings: Interns will have the opportunity to
Team: Design and development team and close collaboration with the algorithms development team.
Responsibilities: Developing code for GPU to implement high speed image processing algorithms.
Skills required: A strong computer architecture understanding with a background in electrical or electronics or computer science engineering, adept at software development using C++.
Learnings: Hands-on experience with high performance computing and in developing hardware accelerated software
Team: Product design and development team.
Responsibilities: The interns will contribute to the product development, as well as designing and developing internal tools (equipment). The work will involve requirement gathering, component selection and PCB (Printed Circuit Board) designing for achieving the functional outcomes and the most compact form factor.
Skills required: A strong understanding of the fundamentals of electronics.
Learnings: There is an opportunity to learn product design, development and manufacturing. Specific topics include
Pors & Rao is an art studio known for their unique sculptural artwork that combines electro-mechanical systems with interactive installations to create life-like movements and responses, and often engages the viewer by blurring the lines between spectator and participant. Their work also employs humour, irony and life-like quality to elicit emotions and provoke thought in the viewer.
Watch this video to know more about the founders Søren Pors and Aparna Rao. You may also listen to their TED talks here, and here.
Pors & Rao offers the following two internship positions under this programme.
Responsibilities: Pors & Rao are seeking interns who can contribute at three levels of difficulty. The first involves coding aspects of artworks, requiring behavioural logic. The second involves sensor signal processing. The third and more architecturally demanding level involves coding for the studio robotics platform, BEING, in their longstanding robotics interface project: PATHOS.
Here, good motor control expertise or UI experience is necessary. The platform project is tailor-made to support the studio’s artmaking, essentially enabling non-engineers to design with robotics.
Skills: Capabilities to make UI-oriented contributions using Javascript, back-end-oriented contributions using Python, or both. This may also include creating new hardware interfaces for the studio’s hands-on robotics toolset called the BEING KIT.
Expectations: A keen sensitivity to the needs of the project, the team, and the artists is essential. Precision, methodical work and cooperation are expected. We aim for contributions to be genuinely utilised in the real world on live projects, so conforming to our programming guides and documentation requirements is crucial.
Learnings: An experience where individual programmers in a dedicated team can be challenged and experience real-life on-site scenarios, both in terms of artwork and toolmaking.
Additional information: To know more about PATHOS and BEING, please check the ETH Zurich Robotics Aesthetics & Usability Center (RAUC). You can also look at this story in Google Arts and Culture and also this story about PATHOS on Planet Digital.
Responsibilities: Interns can contribute mainly in two domains: one involves the artworks themselves, while the other focuses on the robotics tools and platform we are building to support art-making (PATHOS).
Currently, Pors & Rao is developing a hands-on robotics toolset called the BEING KIT for their art practice. The tools are primarily module extractions from previous artworks that have been polished and made user-friendly for non-engineers. This allows artists to sketch and mock up robotics-enabled behavioural installations on the fly. The intern’s role would be to contribute to forthcoming modules with a keen sensitivity to the needs of the analog / less tech-savvy artists and in-house engineers.
Additionally, interns could contribute to the prototyping of new artworks involving creative applications of mechatronic elements. In both cases, the emphasis is on robustness, usability, and real-life practicality. The studio team has many years of practical experience in the field and has developed procedures, methods, and tools (like Autodesk Fusion) over the years that suit the studio’s needs.
Skills: Experience in the field of mechanical design and mechatronics.
Expectations: It is paramount that interns enter the team with an openness to first learn the studio’s methodologies before contributing.
Learnings: Bengaluru presents exciting possibilities in manufacturing, and the studio assists interns in producing and testing their work.
Additional information: To know more about PATHOS and BEING, please check the ETH Zurich Robotics Aesthetics & Usability Center (RAUC). You can also look at this story in Google Arts and Culture and also this story about PATHOS on planet digital.
Systemantics builds affordable, accessible and robust robotics products for Indian small- and medium-scale manufacturing and service sectors. They have brought to market an indigenously developed and manufactured portfolio of collaborative robotic arms. Systemantics continues to enhance cross-functional robotics design competencies at their Bengaluru location. For domestic and international markets, the design team has extensive freedom and ownership to design the cobots, which are assistive robotic arms that can share workspace with humans. Click here to see the cobots in action!
Systemantics offers the position of a robotics intern under this programme.
Responsibilities: The intern will have the following responsibilities:
Skills: We look for candidates with exposure to courses related to robotics/mechatronics, robotics groups/clubs/workshops and strong fundamentals in basic mathematics, physics and core engineering. An engineering mindset and ability to learn and implement multi-disciplinary features across all functions of the robotic arm are valuable requisites. You will have the opportunity to join the team that has developed the cobot arm and work on these cobots and develop them further. You will have mentors who will help you in skill development.
Learnings: The intern will have a chance to learn:
This programme is designed for students enrolled at Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences or Swiss universities (or recent graduates thereof).
The students must have an academic background in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Information and Communication Technologies, Industrial Technologies, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics or any other similar field.
The programme is open to Bachelor’s students (who have completed their 2nd semester) or Master’s students or Bachelor’s/Master’s students who have graduated not more than a year before the date of application.
You may apply by filling out this form. In order to be considered for the internship, each application must contain:
Apply by March 31, 2024. Internships will take place between July and December 2024.
Duration of Internship
It is a three-month internship where the full calendar months are calculated. Starting dates are generally flexible. The internship is expected to be completed at one go (you cannot split the period). An extension of the internship may be considered based on mutual agreement between you and the company. However, the cost of living will need to be borne by the applicant entirely for any duration extending three months.
Visa
Your host company and Swissnex in India will provide you with supporting letters to apply for the visa. The application must be submitted by you directly. Please follow the process mentioned by the Indian Embassy in Bern and apply with sufficient time in hand.
Kindly note that the Swiss universities and Swissnex in India do not have any influence in the visa process.
Accommodation
The host company might provide recommendations as to where you could live during your internship. You are encouraged to explore platforms like AirBnB and No Broker.The accommodation costs are to be covered by you from your living allowance.
Health Insurance
You will have to check with your current health insurance provider in Switzerland and get them to extend it for your duration of stay in India.
Bengaluru Handbook
Swissnex in India has compiled and maintained a handbook of essential information about staying and living in Bengaluru. It is a comprehensive guide that will help you with information including your daily commute, getting a mobile number, fun places to eat and travel. Click on the button below to download the guide!
The Gebert Rüf Foundation promotes innovation for the benefit of Switzerland’s economy and society because innovative ideas—implemented in an entrepreneurial way—ensure an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable future. The foundation supports new technologies to achieve breakthroughs and promotes education and transfer projects that promote entrepreneurial attitudes and interest in innovation.
The India Industry Internship is grateful to the Gebert Rüf Foundation for their support.
During the three months, I had the chance to complete an internship at the robotics vision startup CynLr. The internship was organised through the Swissnex’s India Industry Internship and gave me valuable insights into the Indian work environment and culture. Thanks to Swissnex in India for making that internship possible.
Joel Wenger Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Intern at CynLr CyberneticsA true adventure! Thank you for making this possible.
Sven Becker École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Intern at SystematicsOverall I had a great time in India. Work-wise I learnt that the nature of difficulties changes depending on the country. It was interesting to see how much could be done with less in India than in Switzerland. I liked the flexibility of not always having to make everything "perfect" but first to make something work. Culturally I had the time to visit a lot of different places and to enjoy the city. I found Indians really welcoming, helpful and always ready to share their culture. It was good to be in touch with the international community in India since some were also looking to visit tourist attractions on the weekends.
Alice Delaloye HE-ARC Neuchâtel, Intern at Pors & Rao
Chandrakant Redican
