Chemieanlage beleuchtet bei Nacht

Topics for final theses

The Chair of Automated and Autonomous Systems offers theses in the subject areas of research into technical systems for the physical relief of manual activities (support systems/exoskeletons) or the automation of production processes. The theses thus address issues relating to production technology, product development and ergonomics. They can be divided into experimental, conceptual/constructive and theoretical/methodological work.

If you are interested, please contact us without obligation (preferably directly by email to the contact person)

TitleShort description of the taskContact
Title Short description of the task Contact 
Potential identification of the use of an exoskeleton for patients with gluteal insufficiency
  • Evaluation of the state of the art regarding gluteal insufficiency and medical/therapeutic exoskeletons
  • Musculoskeletal simulation to identify a potential application of an exoskeleton for patients with gluteal insufficiency
  • Conceptualisation of an exoskeleton prototype for the therapy of patients with gluteal insufficiency
David Scherb
Simulative determination of the required support course of exoskeletons
  • Discovery of the state of the art regarding the industrial activities to be supported with exoskeletons and human simulation
  • Definition of suitable use cases for biomechanical relief using exoskeletons
  • Conception of a simulation method using musculoskeletal human models to determine the required support curve of exoskeletons for different industrial activities depending on the targeted optimisation criterion
David Scherb
Concept development of a network of active exoskeletons, smart hand tools and digital assistance systems
  • Discovery of the state of the art
  • Conception and construction of a workplace for the coupling of exoskeleton, smart hand tools and digital assistance system
  • Enabling an environment for the collection, processing and utilisation of data from the sub-partners
David Scherb
Estimating ground reaction forces and centre of pressures using musculoskeletal simulation
  • Analysis of the current state of the art in methods for estimating ground reaction forces without the use of force plates
  • Development of an approach to determine ground reaction forces and centre of pressure using musculoskeletal simulations
  • Verification of the estimated values using experimental data
  • Evaluation of the applicability for static and dynamic tasks in laboratory and industrial contexts
Vishnu Kiran Surya Vamsam
Automation of a thermal-mechanical process for processing metal oxides into semiconductor raw materials

Currently, an innovative small-scale production plant for processing high-purity critical raw materials 
is in continuous operation (24/7 operation) without significant plant control. However, this must be 
monitored manually to ensure safe operation. Due to the different raw material properties and initial 
states of the metal oxides used for processing, this must be automated for qualitative and economic 
reasons. A basic concept already exists for the practical implementation and integration into the 
entire process and plant operation.
Tasks:

  • Evaluation of the measurement, control & automation concept for practical integration into the 
    production plant
  • Selection of appropriate measurement & automation tools and, if necessary, visualisation options
  • Integration and programming in the existing system and process landscape
  • Creation of a future interface to the subsequent robotic automation and, if necessary, further 
    subsequent steps
Dennis Bäcker
Title Short description of the task Contact 
Concept development of a modular upgradeable robot spider with special tasks
  • Literature review for spider kinematics, drive concepts of the artificial spider, idea generation (e.g. B. inspiration of BionicWheelBot)
  • Derivation of inverse kinematics
  • Modelling/simulation of motion with simple obstacles
  • Equilibrium problem, distribution of forces
Dennis 
Bäcker
Open-source robot arm
  • Literature research on open-source robot arm/cobot
  • Model comparison regarding possibilities, effort, further development, ...
  • Component selection, 3D printing, possibly. Geometry customisation (design in CAD)
  • Control programming
  • Assembly, tests, optimisation for user-friendliness
  • Documentation of the results
Dennis 
Bäcker
Development of a filament extruder
  • Literature research on alternatives on the market
  • Concept develpoment of extruder
  • CAD-Design, Component selection, 3D printing
  • Control programming
  • Assembly, tests
  • Documentation of the results
Dennis Bäcker
Adaptive Autonomy Switching for Industrial Humanoid Robots
in Human-in-the-Loop Collaboration

Industrial humanoid robots are expected to operate in dynamic environments where full autonomy 
is often not sufficient and full manual control is inefficient. In such settings, shared autonomy offers
 a promising approach by combining autonomous robot capabilities with human supervision and 
intervention. A key challenge is deciding when the robot should act autonomously, when it should 
request operator support, and when it should switch to a safer or more controlled mode. This is 
particularly relevant for humanoid robots such as the Unitree G1, which can perform complex tasks
 but must remain reliable, interpretable, and safe in industrial scenarios.The thesis will focus on the 
design, implementation, and evaluation of a switching framework using ROS 2 and the Unitree G1 
platform or a related experimental setup. The work is expected to include:

  • Definition of autonomy levels for industrial humanoid operation
  • Identification of relevant switching conditions such as uncertainty, task state, and failure cases
  • Design of a decision logic for autonomy transitions
  • Implementation of the switching framework in ROS 2
  • Integration with the Unitree G1 software stack
  • Testing in representative industrial task scenarios
  • Evaluation using performance and intervention-related metrics
Ahmed Mahmoud

Courses

Please register for the courses in OPAL!

EventDescriptionPerson responsible
Development of automated and autonomous systems 
2 SWS lecture / 2 SWS seminar		Methods and techniques for the development of automated and autonomous systems. 
The module focuses on:
- analysing the automated and autonomous system
- domain-specific designs and synthesis into a system
- working on a task in group work.		Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner,
Dr.-Ing. Dennis Bäcker
Human-Machine Systems
2 SWS lecture / 2 SWS seminar		The module teaches theoretical and application-oriented parts of 
human-machine systems. After teaching the basics of 
human-machine systems, practical application examples 
such as stress and strain, evaluation and design or 
information processing are dealt with.		Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner,
Dr.-Ing. David Scherb
Conception of innovative mechatronic systems
1 SWS lecture / 3 SWS seminar		The module teaches methods for the development and design of 
technical products or systems from the idea to the concept
(in early phases of the product development process). These 
methods are used to systematically and methodically 
develop a new concept for a product and system based on a task.		Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner,
Dr.-Ing. David Scherb,
Dr.-Ing. Dennis Bäcker
EventDescriptionPerson responsible
Automation systems
3 SWS lecture / 1 SWS exercise		Introduction/overview of automation systems and their significance in industrial 
technology. Industry 1.0 to 5.0. Application examples and case studies. Components and 
basic structure of automated systems including basic properties and their interaction.
Modelling and simulation of automation systems, Systematic analysis of  automation tasks, 
Design of automation solutions, Machine safety in automation Programming and practical applications		Univ.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner, 
Dr.-Ing. Dennis Bäcker
Industry 4.0
2 SWS lecture / 2 SWS seminar		The module teaches modern information and communication technology and how machines and
processes in industry are intelligently networked. Insight into how people, machines, systems and 
products communicate and cooperate with each other in the future.		Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner,
Dr.-Ing. Dennis Bäcker,
Dr.-Ing. David Scherb
Workplace design and organisation
2 SWS lecture / 2 SWS seminar		The module teaches the basics of ergonomics and ergonomics, technologies for 
supporting the workforce, requirements for the humane design of workplaces, 
analysis and evaluation methods, MTM, design approaches for exemplary applications, 
anthropometry and biomechanics in workplace design, digitalisation and assistance systems 
at the workplace as well as aspects of inclusion, diversity and accessibility.		Univ.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner,
Dr.-Ing. David Scherb