Cornelius Ong (mechanical engineering)
I'm Cornelius, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at UVic, and I recently completed an 8-month co-op as an Actuator Design Intern with the Tesla Optimus team, Tesla's humanoid robot division.
Helping design humanoid robots at Tesla
At work, I took charge of diverse projects, such as designing production lines for actuators, implementing robotic torque and force sensing, and optimizing bipedal locomotion through linkage redesigns. What set this experience apart was the amount of responsibility and full ownership I had over these impactful projects—a rarity in most co-ops. Watching Tesla bots walking around and interacting with objects in the lab was a daily highlight.
The Optimus program at Tesla stands out as the speed of design, iteration, and testing is truly unmatched which is only made possible by the brilliant engineers on this team. Being around other like-minded interns was incredibly refreshing as well.
Exploring the Bay Area
Outside the lab, I enjoyed exploring the Bay area on weekends, eating expensive food, and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. The Bay area's resemblance to Victoria, with its great hiking spots and accessible ocean, made me feel right at home.
The impact of co-op
I strongly believe this co-op has given me the best chance to grow in the field of robotics. I am convinced that considering an international co-op like this opens doors to many opportunities, enabling you to forge connections and gain unique experiences that a regular co-op would not normally provide."