Master Thesis - Development of a Tactile Sensor Concept for Mobile Outdoor Robots

Die Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (www.fraunhofer.de) betreibt in Deutschland derzeit 76 Institute und Forschungseinrichtungen und ist die weltweit führende Organisation für anwendungsorientierte Forschung. Rund 30 800 Mitarbeitende erarbeiten das jährliche Forschungsvolumen von 3,0 Milliarden Euro.

In the Professional Service Robots - Outdoor research group we develop autonomous, mobile robots for a variety of outdoor applications, such as agriculture and forestry. The focus is on the development of an autonomous outdoor navigation solution as well as the hardware of the robots.

We are continuously developing our mobile agricultural robots - CURTmini, CURTdiff and CURTmaxi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb3cmzf3Tg4) - in ongoing projects. The safety concepts of conventional mobile service robots often cannot be used in outdoor areas, as such areas are significantly more complex. Particularly in the case of large autonomous robots, there is still a need to protect people and animals from damage. To fulfill these important safety functions, an effective but simple safety sensor system is needed on our mobile robots. The proposed thesis topic will therefore deal with the development of such a concept.

Was Sie bei uns tun

As part of your Master's thesis, you will design and prototype a comprehensive safety sensor concept, presumably based on tactile environment detection, for our CURTdiff mobile outdoor robots. To do this, it is first necessary to research the relevant safety guidelines for robotics in the context of agriculture. Based on this, sensor concepts should then be designed to meet the requirements of the safety guidelines as well as the requirements for robustness in use in complex environmental scenarios (high grass, uneven ground, poor weather). The system will be designed in CAD, built in our workshop and tested under real conditions on our test fields for evaluation.

Was Sie mitbringen

Background in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics or similar
Profound knowledge mechanical design and design methods (e.g. VDI 2221)
Experience with CAD software
Experience with safety equipment and sensors is a plus
Enthusiasm for mobile robotics
Fluent in English or German
Craft skills is a plus

Was Sie erwarten können

Cutting-edge technology in the field of outdoor mobile robotics
Expert supervision from certified safety experts and mechanical design engineers
Hands on with our robots on our own test fields in Stuttgart
Take on responsibility and freedom to implement your own ideas
Familiar atmosphere including Cake Friday

We also offer the possibility of direct entry for excellent graduates.

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Mit ihrer Fokussierung auf zukunftsrelevante Schlüsseltechnologien sowie auf die Verwertung der Ergebnisse in Wirtschaft und Industrie spielt die Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft eine zentrale Rolle im Innovationsprozess. Als Wegweiser und Impulsgeber für innovative Entwicklungen und wissenschaftliche Exzellenz wirkt sie mit an der Gestaltung unserer Gesellschaft und unserer Zukunft.

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If you are interested, please submit a short letter of motivation on your personal favourite topic listed above, CV, current grade transcript to kevin.bregler@ipa.fraunhofer.de

Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung IPA

www.ipa.fraunhofer.de

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Stellensegment: Testing, CAD, Drafting, Developer, Technology, Bilingual, Engineering

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