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Mechanical Engineer Summer Intern
Voltic (Yc S22)
Other Engineering
Boston, MA, USA
USD 18-18 / hour
Posted on Apr 11, 2026
Voltic
Electric cargo ships
Mechanical Engineer Summer Intern
$4.5K / monthly•Boston, MA, US
Job type
Internship Role
Engineering, Hardware School year
Any Visa
US citizen/visa only Connect directly with founders of the best YC-funded startups.
Apply to role › Prosser Cathey
Founder
Prosser Cathey
Founder
About the role
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Voltic Shipping is a Y Combinator-backed clean energy startup developing solar-powered cargo vessels for global trade routes. Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and NOAA, our mission is to decarbonise ocean freight. Our engineering team is based in East Boston, MA, and this internship is supported through the MassCEC Clean Energy Internship Program.
Your analytical findings will directly inform Voltic's product roadmap. The hardware build and harbor trial are the means of validating that the model can be trusted across the global latitudes and seasons where Voltic's vessels operate.
THE POSITIONS
We are hiring two interns for Summer 2025, each fully dedicated to one independent engineering project. Both positions share the same qualifications, compensation, and location. Candidates should apply to the track that best matches their interests and background — each project is a complete 12-week scope designed for one person working at full attention.
A) Solar tracking systems for marine applications
Keywords: Embedded controls · photovoltaics · Boston Harbor sea trials
Solar panels on a vessel at sea face a compound challenge: the sun’s position changes with time of day, season, and the vessel’s latitude as it crosses the globe. A fixed panel captures only a fraction of the available irradiance compared to one that actively tracks the sun. This project asks: does solar tracking make commercial sense at ship scale, and if so, what architecture delivers the best energy gain per unit cost and weight?
The intern will build an analytical efficiency model covering the full global latitude range, derive the inter-panel shading constraint that limits useful rotation, and assess whether tracking individual panels or the entire array as a unit is the better approach. They will then build a working single-axis tracker on our prototype pontoon and validate it through sea trials in Boston Harbor — confirming that the measured efficiency gain matches the model’s predictions.
What you’ll do
- Implement a real-time sun-position algorithm (NOAA SPA / pvlib) on a Teensy 4.1 / Raspberry Pi 5 stack, ingesting live GPS coordinates for route-aware tracking
- Derive the inter-panel shading constraint for the pontoon’s panel layout and incorporate it into both the efficiency model and the controller
- Assess whole-array vs. per-panel actuation: quantify which delivers better net energy gain per unit cost and weight, accounting for shading and actuator count
- Survey marine-rated sealed actuator options: cost at volume, weight, IP rating, expected service life in saltwater
- Build a closed-loop single-axis azimuth tracker on the prototype pontoon; tune pointing accuracy to ±5° RMS
- Run sea trials in Boston Harbor: log tracked vs. fixed panel power output and motor draw; confirm measured efficiency gain matches model prediction
- Produce analytical efficiency curves (% gain vs. fixed panel) parameterised by latitude and month across Voltic’s global operating range
- Write a commercial recommendation memo and final technical report
B) Autonomous steering of marine vessels
Keywords: Embedded controls · autonomous vessel following · Boston Harbor sea trials
Autonomous vessel platooning — where one vessel follows another through turns, in crosswind, and against current — is a classic guidance and control problem with direct commercial relevance to Voltic’s operations. This project asks: can a self-contained, solar-powered autonomous vessel reliably follow a lead vessel with no wired connection between them and no external coordination?
The intern will research guidance and control strategies for autonomous marine vessel following, select and implement a suitable approach on a self-contained embedded platform, and validate a working prototype through sea trials in Boston Harbor. The follower vessel must be self-powered, sealed for marine use, and capable of maintaining formation with the lead vessel autonomously.
What you’ll do
- Review autonomous marine vehicle guidance and control literature, vessel platooning and convoy-following strategies, and marine autopilot systems; identify applicable prior work and design standards
- Analytically characterize the positioning accuracy required for the follower vessel under wind and current loads; derive the sensing and actuation requirements to maintain formation
- Survey marine-rated actuator and wireless communication options for vessel-to-vessel coordination: cost, weight, IP rating, and expected service life in saltwater
- Design the follower vessel’s self-contained control unit: dedicated solar panel, LiFePO4 buffer cell, Teensy 4.1 microcontroller, GPS, wireless communication module, and steering actuator
- Implement the chosen guidance law in C++ on Teensy 4.1: receive lead vessel position wirelessly, compute following error, command steering actuator to correct
- Build and install the prototype on the follower vessel; validate guidance law and wireless link on benchtop before water testing
- Conduct sea trials in Boston Harbor: quantify formation-keeping accuracy with the autonomous system active vs. uncontrolled; confirm stable following behavior through turns and in the presence of wind and current
- Write a commercial recommendation memo and final technical report
QUALIFICATIONS — BOTH POSITIONS
Required (both tracks)
- Undergraduate or graduate student in ME, EE, Ocean Engineering, or Robotics
- Completed coursework in feedback control systems
- Python programming (numpy, pandas, matplotlib) and comfort with Linux CLI
- Hands-on experience with microcontrollers (Arduino, Teensy, RPi, or similar)
- Comfortable working near or on water
Preferred
- Experience with mechatronics or actuator-driven hardware projects
- Familiarity with autonomous vehicle or marine navigation concepts (guidance laws, waypoint following, convoy control)
- C++ firmware experience (PlatformIO)
- Exposure to CAD tools (SolidWorks, Rhino, or equivalent)
- Track A: familiarity with solar / PV fundamentals or pvlib
- Track B: experience with wireless communication protocols (RF, LoRa, or similar)
COMPENSATION & LOGISTICS
$18/hr, supported through the MassCEC Clean Energy Internship Program. Work takes place at our workshop in East Boston, MA, approximately a 20-minute walk from Maverick Station (MBTA Blue Line). Sea trials are conducted in Boston Harbor. Both positions are fully on-site; no remote option.
We welcome applicants interested in other projects as well. Please detail your proposal in your application.
About the interview
Submit a brief paragraph describing a controls or embedded systems project you’ve worked on.
About Voltic
Voltic is launching US-built cargo ships that are 4x more profitable than diesel vessels.
We have $100M+ in sales to companies including the largest US shipping company and the largest global shipper by volume. We are on pace for our first commercial deployment in early 2026. The team previously started two shipping lines and has decades of experience in maritime innovation. Our patented battery & solar tech stack was spun out of MIT’s Ocean Engineering department. We are backed by top investors like the largest maritime VC in the world.