A Day in the Life of an Intern at Scythe
Over the past 12 weeks, Scythe interns Caroline, Cristian, and Zak embarked on an exciting journey, working closely with our mechanical and testing teams on real-time projects. They rolled up their sleeves and made meaningful contributions to developing M.52 and helped shape the future of Scythe. From tackling complex challenges to witnessing the direct impact of their work, this cohort truly exemplified the passion and progress that drives us forward.
Meet Scythe's 2024 Intern Cohort
Caroline Rippey
Colorado School of Mines
Masters in Robotics
Class of 2025
Cristian Lopez
Front Range Community College
Automation Engineering & Robotics
Class of 2025
Zak Chedhadi
University of Colorado Boulder
Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2025
What do you like most about the work we do here at Scythe?
Caroline: I like how collaborative the environment is. It’s great to have people from various teams all in the same room. You can always turn to a neighbor and learn something new, and there’s always some sort of collaborative discussion happening. I love the focus on being innovative and cutting-edge while also producing a high-quality product.
Zak: Everyone here is incredibly knowledgeable and always willing to help. You're encouraged to do your best and push yourself to learn more. Scythe is all about helping you grow in your field. I wanted this internship because I knew I'd gain a lot of technical skills and learn how to collaborate on engineering projects.
Meet-and-greet breakfast to kick off the start of summer internships
What is the main project you're working on right now?
Cristian: The main project I'm working on involves hands-on testing our robots in the field. Every morning, I get to the office early, load up two robots onto a trailer, and head to our local testing site.
Once there, I dive into testing the latest software release, guiding the robots through the testing zone to ensure they can plan a course and distinguish different types of objects in real time. My primary responsibility is to identify and report any errors or issues, ensuring everything runs smoothly. It’s a challenging and exciting role that keeps me engaged and always learning.
Caroline: I am working on modifying our hardware-in-the-loop test setup to enable effective autonomy testing by adjusting sensor data so that the bot can simulate driving in the real world rather than just sitting on a desk. This includes tasks like coding embedded software for microcontrollers, developing interfaces for our autonomy software, and creating test scripts. This hands-on work ensures that the bots can handle real-world scenarios accurately, making it an engaging and dynamic part of my job.
Intern team immersion with the Scythe Field Operations team
What's one thing you've learned at Scythe that you didn't expect?
Zak: I didn’t expect to learn as much about the landscape industry as I have. I thought the internship would be only focused on tech, but over the past four summers at Scythe, I’ve gained a surprising amount of industry knowledge.
A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Scythe Austin office and work directly with customers. Seeing the machine's impact firsthand was incredibly informative and helped shape my technical work at Scythe. It’s been a neat journey learning how our technology fits into the bigger picture.
What's been the highlight of your internship so far?
Cristian: So far, the highlight has been working with the robots in the field and seeing them in action. It's amazing to watch them plan a course and distinguish different types of objects in real time. I’ve always been passionate about robotics, and getting hands-on experience with industrial-grade robots has been a fantastic opportunity.
Learning the in and outs of building M.52 on the production line
How do you plan to apply the knowledge and experience gained from this internship in your future career?
Caroline: I think learning all of the different subsystems that make a robot like this work is going to be very helpful in the future. It’s giving me a solid foundation of knowledge that I can build on in various areas. Plus, the mix of skills and knowledge I’ve picked up during this internship has kept me on my toes. I’m sure this experience will come in handy when dealing with complex systems and problems in my future career.
Cristian: This internship has been great with preparing me in how to use various automation software, such as Jira, Airtable, and Zapier. I know these tools will definitely be used again in my future career. Since my field relies heavily on this kind of software, it’s very useful to get a hands-on understanding of how they work now.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to work at Scythe?
Zak: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and push yourself. You’ll learn so much more by trying new things, even if you fail. Everyone here is eager to help, so if you’re curious about something, just ask. Someone will either guide you or point you to someone who can help you out.
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