Ship, measure, improve.
Own meaningful technical problems end-to-end instead of spending a term on a narrow subtask.
Careers at ACORN
Build intelligence that flies.
We’re building event-driven, neuromorphic computing for autonomous drones — from sensors and embedded software to FPGA acceleration and custom silicon. Join a small team where your work reaches real hardware fast.
Why ACORN
Do the work that normally gets split across five teams.
ACORN is early-stage by design. That means short feedback loops, direct ownership, and the chance to work across the full autonomous-systems stack.
Work with real systems.
Prototype with cameras, embedded compute, FPGAs, flight controllers, sensors, and the software that connects them.
From sensing to silicon.
Help turn neuromorphic computing from a research idea into practical, power-efficient autonomy for drones.
Areas of work
One autonomy stack. Many hard problems.
We care more about builders who learn quickly than perfectly matching a checklist. Strong candidates often overlap several of these areas.
Embedded Systems & Robotics
Firmware, Linux edge compute, sensor integration, flight control, hardware bring-up, and real-time system debugging.
Perception & Edge AI
Event-based vision, computer vision, spiking neural networks, model optimization, and deployment under tight power budgets.
FPGA & Digital Design
Accelerator architecture, RTL, verification, fixed-point inference, memory systems, and hardware/software interfaces.
Autonomy Systems
Simulation, telemetry, mission logic, controls integration, benchmarking, and validation on increasingly realistic flight systems.
Where we work
Built in Waterloo. Accelerated in Cambridge.
ACORN works across our Waterloo roots and our startup residency in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The exact working arrangement depends on the role and project.
Canada
Waterloo, Ontario
Engineering roots and university ecosystem.
United States
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Startup work through The Engine ecosystem.
Open roles
Come build with us.
Our roles are hands-on and interdisciplinary. Open a position below for the current scope and application details.
Engineering Intern — Neuromorphic Robotics
Engineering
Engineering Intern — Neuromorphic Robotics
About the role
You’ll work with the founding engineering team on the systems that let ACORN perceive, compute, and act onboard autonomous drones. The role is intentionally broad: you may move between embedded software, perception, flight-control integration, FPGA acceleration, and test infrastructure as the prototype evolves.
What you’ll work on
- Build and test embedded perception and autonomy pipelines on real hardware.
- Integrate sensors, edge compute, flight controllers, and FPGA-based accelerators.
- Profile latency, power, reliability, and model/system performance.
- Write production-minded C/C++ and Python for prototypes, tooling, and validation.
- Debug hardware/software interfaces and document repeatable experiments.
What we’re looking for
- Strong fundamentals in electrical/computer engineering, robotics, computer science, mechatronics, biomedical engineering, or a related technical field.
- Experience with C/C++ and/or Python, Git, and Linux development.
- Comfort working with incomplete prototypes and debugging across system boundaries.
- Evidence that you build things: projects, research, design teams, internships, open source, or a strong technical portfolio.
Useful, not required
PX4, MAVSDK, ROS 2, Jetson/CUDA, FPGA/Verilog, computer vision, event cameras, spiking neural networks, PCB bring-up, or real-time embedded systems.
Don’t see the exact role?
If your work touches embedded systems, robotics, edge AI, FPGA, or autonomy, we still want to hear from strong builders.