Cohesive Robotics has the privilege of welcoming undergraduate and graduate students to the team each year through our internship program. We’re particularly proud to partner with the Brooklyn Navy Yard to host local and underrepresented students in a variety of engineering disciplines. This summer we welcomed Ka Long Ngai to the software team to support product development and deployment testing. Ka Long is a computer science student at Stony Brook University.

We sat down with Ka Long as the summer wrapped up. Read on for his take on what it’s like to work at a robotics startup, and why software engineering is a passion for him.

So you're about half way into your CS degree. On a scale of building a robot to surviving an apocalypse, how prepared do you feel your engineering skills have made you?

Haha, I’m not entirely sure whether I can handle everything on the hardware side, but on the software side, I’m prepared to make it work.

Tell us about your upcoming school year and future plans after the internship.

I will be entering my Junior year, so there’s still some way to go until I graduate. I need to remain focused on my academic career, but I also need to start scouting for future software engineering internships. The field has become much more competitive over the years, and finding the next internships or jobs has become increasingly challenging. So yeah, many things still need to be done but I felt prepared for it.

Why Software Engineering? What drew you to the field? 

When I was young, my parents always limited my time on the computer. Over time, I tried to optimize my usage, which sparked an interest in technology. By my sophomore year of high school, we were required to select a major, and software engineering was the most interesting to me. The ability to create websites, work with robots, and participate in other exciting projects drew me in.

What interests you about robotics?

Before this internship, I had never worked with robots, so jumping into a project of this magnitude was definitely a big leap. I’m glad I was able to pull it all together. Robotics in general seemed like a black box to me, much like how non-engineering majors view engineering. It’s fascinating to see how you can program a robot to do amazing things. This experience has broadened my perspective on how software engineering and other engineering fields can work together to create a robotics product like the Smart Finishing Robotic Workcell I’ve worked on this summer.

Could you share a specific project or course from your academic career that you found particularly interesting or challenging?

Prior to this internship, I took a course on system fundamentals in Linux, which revolved around the C programming language. It was challenging because the class required you to think like a computer, focusing on logical decision-making. I am glad that I was able to transfer much of that knowledge to this internship since the concepts or logic are essentially the same, just implemented differently. Interacting with a computer and a robot is not very different, except that messing up a robot can be much more costly than messing up a computer.

What motivated you to apply for this internship at Cohesive?

Joining this internship through the Brooklyn Navy Yard was a wonderful experience. As I mentioned earlier, I had never really worked with robots before, so being able to join this internship and work with field experts was invaluable. It also broadened the spectrum of things I can do, such as robotics engineering and embedded systems, which I had never considered before.

Discuss a specific skill or concept you've learned or encountered during the internship that surprised you. 

One specific skill that I didn’t have much experience with is the amount of regression testing required for a robotics project like the Smart Finishing Robotic Workcell. Every time you make a change, you need to ensure the robot is still functional and in good condition to perform actions. If testing goes wrong, debugging the system is much harder compared to a software project, as you need to consider environmental variables and many other factors.

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What unique skill or experience do you think is most valuable for thriving in a fast-paced startup environment?

I think adaptability is probably the most important. In a startup, you need to adapt your product to many customers as you try to find funding or clients to support your startup. If you can’t adapt to each customer accordingly, it will be hard to make any real gains in the market, as everything is competitive.

What do you like about studying and working in New York City? What’s the most challenging aspect of it?

The unique thing about New York City is its diversity, which is rare to find in other big cities around the world. Studying and working in a place like this really opens your eyes to many things you might not have known before. However, with a big city like this, the cost of living is also higher, so that is probably the most challenging aspect of living in New York City.

As much as you’re comfortable sharing, tell us about a hidden talent or hobby you have outside of engineering.

I’m very interested in photography. I enjoy taking pictures of everyday items that people might walk by without noticing. I like capturing moments of life, which helps me appreciate different aspects of life more.

If you could give one piece of advice to your freshman year self about pursuing a career in tech or engineering, what would it be?

Don’t worry too much. Yes, there will be times when life is really difficult and feels like it’s kicking your butt, but in the end, things will work out. The fun part of life is the process of getting to where you want to be, not necessarily the end result.

Thanks Ka Long and best of luck on your return to campus!

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Are you an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a STEM or business degree and interested in an internship at Cohesive? Visit our Careers page throughout the school year for opportunities as they become available.