Robots gone global, my co-op adventures abroad
Lokesh Patel (he/him) is a fourth-year Mechatronics Engineering student. He talks about working across robotics software, controls and hardware integration during his international co-op terms. Lokesh also shares advice for engineering students interested in exploring different technical areas and adapting to life in new countries.
Lokesh's co-op journey
Work term one: At Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA), Lokesh worked as a robotics software engineer. His responsibilities included developing motion tools and writing software related to the company’s robotics platform. He focused on programming functionalities that supported robotic motion and system-level behaviour.
Work term two: During his second term at Trexo Robotics, Lokesh served as a robotics engineer, contributing to the development of wearable robotic exoskeletons for children with motor impairments. His work involved robotics software development and system integration tasks to support device functionality.
Work term three: At Sanctuary AI in Vancouver, British Columbia, Lokesh worked as a control software engineer, focusing on humanoid robotics. He developed control algorithms and software to manage complex robotic behaviours, contributing to the company’s efforts in building autonomous humanoid systems.
Work term four: In his fourth term at Intrinsic in Munich, Germany, Lokesh worked as a software engineer on the hardware integration team. His role involved creating programs that translated high-level robotic commands into machine-executable instructions. He worked on developing and supporting the hardware abstraction layer to interface with various modules and devices.
Work term five: At Reazon Robotics in Japan, Lokesh was a robotics engineer with a focus on embedded systems and control. He developed low-cost open-source robotic arms for teleoperation and research purposes. His specific role entailed developing motor control algorithms and doing mechatronics tasks for the end-effector.
Q&A with Lokesh
Has co-op refined your interest into something specific in the field or are you keeping your options open?
“I'm keeping my options open. I think what originally sparked my interest in the software side was when I was in high school. What really interested me were the robotics competitions. There were different parts to the competition, and one of them was the autonomous section.”
“You had to program the robot to operate completely on its own and score as many points as possible. That part really stood out to me because I was programming a robot to do something without any human interaction. I thought, if something could operate by itself at that scale, it was already really interesting.”
“I wanted to carry that forward and see if I could implement it on a larger scale because I felt there were a lot of possibilities for high-impact work with autonomous systems. So yeah, initially I really thought that the robotics software route was something I wanted to dig into.”
“I also wanted to understand how the whole system worked end-to-end. That's why I focused on robotics software roles early on, but recently, at my current co-op in Japan, I’ve been trying to explore the mechanical and electrical sides along with the software side, just to learn more about the full system.”
“To be honest, I think I’ve actually become slightly more confused about where I want to be than I was before. I thought I had a better idea of what I wanted maybe three co-ops ago, but I think that’s a good thing. It means I want to keep learning about different areas and that exploration will hopefully help me figure out which path I truly want to take.”
Which project did you find most rewarding?
“For sure my second co-op at Trexo Robotics.”
“It really made me realize the type of work I want to do in the future when it comes to full-time roles.”
“I strive to find jobs where I can genuinely change someone's life. Even if I'm not creating the entire product, knowing that my work contributes to helping someone live a better life is incredibly rewarding to me.”
“The reason the company built these devices was because children with cerebral palsy or other motor disabilities often live shorter lives. As they grow older, they’re not able to get the physical exercise needed to stay healthy.”
“They aren’t able to do the level of physical activity necessary for humans to live healthy lives. But building these exoskeletons allows them to walk, and also learn how walking works, how the joints move and co-ordinate. This helps them get daily exercise and improves their overall gait, patterns and mobility.”
“I would see these kids come in to try on the exoskeletons every few days. The customer success managers would even share videos on Slack. You could genuinely see the happiness, not only in the kids, but also in the parents and just how much it truly changed someone’s life. That was really rewarding for me.”
“It confirmed that I want to explore more medical-related work in the future. Now that I’ve learned more about what I want, I definitely see myself in a field where I can help people live better lives.”
“Doing something I love while making a difference is the goal. Combining my passions and technical interests in engineering to create medical products that help people live better lives is definitely something Trexo Robotics helped me realize that might be something I want to do in the future.”
Do you have any tips for students who are living in multiple areas?
“Initially, I struggled with settling down, especially when moving from co-op to co-op.”
“In my first few co-ops, I always felt a level of homesickness. When you're at Waterloo, you're constantly surrounded by your friends. You're always trying to distract yourself, whether it's hanging out with friends, being buried in schoolwork or just having a lot of activities to do. That kind of environment helps you forget that on co-op, you may not be with your friends and might have to make new ones.”
“Those first few days can feel a little isolating. I think the best way to combat that is to go out and find new things to keep yourself busy. That’s the advice I’d give to anyone moving to a new place.”
“Really put yourself out there, it’ll shape the rest of your time there. If you make that effort at the beginning, you might meet people you end up traveling with or connect with interns at your company who become close friends. You never know where life will take you and putting yourself out there each term really helps, whether you're in Canada or abroad.”
“It’ll help you live your best life. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true.”
“If someone’s on the fence about doing an international experience—whether it’s an exchange or working abroad—I’d definitely encourage them to go for it. It’s one of those things that can really shift your perspective on life. You might come away realizing you want to live in a certain place or that you’re drawn to a different kind of lifestyle. Either way, it helps you figure out who you are and what you want.”
“It also opens doors you didn’t even know existed. You’ll come across opportunities, ideas and people that you never would have encountered otherwise. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, makes you more adaptable and ultimately helps you grow into a stronger, more confident person.”
Where did you like living the most?
“In terms of where I preferred living, I really enjoyed Vancouver. It had a great balance, close to friends and family but also surrounded by amazing nature like mountains and beaches, along with a vibrant city life. That balance was really nice.”
“That said, it was definitely expensive. The cost of living compared to what people typically earn there can be tough, especially with the ongoing housing crisis.”
“In terms of overall balance, work-life, travel and new experiences, Munich was also a great place to spend four months and potentially even live full-time. Europe, in general, has an incredible infrastructure. You can take a train from almost anywhere and arrive in another country within a day.”
“For example, I took a train from southern Germany and arrived in Amsterdam the next morning, about 8 hours later. The trains are super high-speed and as long as you're willing to pay, you can pretty much get anywhere.”
“Also, I think people in Europe really know how to live life well. They have an amazing work-life balance and strong social benefits. People genuinely care about family, well-being, eating healthily, taking breaks when needed and mental health.”
“That stood out to me, especially at the company I worked at in Munich. It gave me the impression that people there lived healthy and stable lives, which definitely helped shape my picture of living in Munich.”
“The city itself was super clean, beautiful, full of amazing architecture and surrounded by great scenery.”
“Munich will always be special to me, especially because I moved there alone. It was overwhelming at first. I remember going to grocery stores and not understanding anything, having to Google Translate everything but it turned out to be a great learning experience. It made me more comfortable and open to taking opportunities, like going to Japan, where I also came in basically blind. By then I knew I’d figure it out, adapt and learn about my surroundings.”
What did you find most challenging about your co-ops?
“I think one of the most challenging parts is getting started, especially at a big company. Sometimes the task you’re given, or even just the codebase you have to look at when you first start, is super overwhelming. At big companies, they kind of just throw everything at you, like, ‘Here’s what we have, try to figure out what you want to work on.’ There’s so much content that it’s hard to digest it all.”
“This is especially true for software or robotics roles. One thing that really helps is asking a lot of questions. It’s way better to start your first task slowly and understand it, than to dive in blind and realize later you’ve done something totally wrong and have to restart.”
“So yeah, definitely ask questions early on about the product, the system and how everything connects. Getting that high-level overview really helps.”
“Most mentors are very open to answering even the “dumb” questions. That’s what they signed up for when they hired an intern. They don’t expect you to know everything.”
What's next for you?
"I don't know, honestly.”
“I feel like doing these last two co-ops, especially the international ones, has made me more open to exploring different things.”
“If anything, I’m less sure about what I want to do than I was before. Previously, I had a pretty stable idea, like, 'Okay, just keep moving up the ladder, working at better and better companies,' and eventually end up in a high-paying, impactful role that could support the kind of flexible, travel-based lifestyle I want. But now, I think I’ve started to really chase experiences. I want to make sure I’m actually in the field I truly want to be in. Originally, I was very sure I wanted to be in robotics software, but recently I’ve become interested in other parts of the system as well.”
“So, I think learning more about everything is something I want to do. Whether that means taking a year off after graduation to explore different fields or doing a co-op in a completely different area, that’s something that could really interest me.”
“One thing I think is super important for engineers at Waterloo is the fourth-year design project. You get to build something with your classmates and it can be super impactful. You learn a lot from it.”
“So, I want to focus on creating a really solid capstone project. I also want to make the most of my current co-op, because it gives me the freedom to learn about whatever I want.”
“That means exploring areas I’m not as familiar with, seeing what interests me and then maybe pursuing that in my final co-op and possibly even full-time after that, but realistically, I try to live in the moment and see what happens. So who knows, this could all change in a few months."