Intern or Student Assistant (HiWi) f/m/div

About the project

Jamming is a structural phenomenon that can provide dynamically tunable mechanical behavior for adaptive robotic systems. A jamming structure typically consists of a collection of elements which can freely move and slide with respect to each other. When a pressure gradient (e.g., vacuum) is applied to the structure, the coupling between elements increase, resulting in the overall structure to behave like a cohesive solid body. This alteration dramatically increases the stiffness and damping compared to the unpressurized state. The resulting mechanical behavior can be temporally, spatially, and directionally programmed by modifying the geometry, number, and distribution of the individual constituents. This project aims to develop computational tools to optimize the design of jamming structures.

This project is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Gökhan Serhat from KU Leuven, an expert in computational mechanics.

Roles & Responsibilities

In this project, the student will create a computational modeling framework to enable the inverse design of jamming structures for target robotic applications. Specifically, the goal is to develop a stress-based structural optimization approach that can provide the optimal jamming-based design(s) for a given robot component (e.g., finger, leg) with a specific morphology and task-specific loading conditions (e.g., bending for grasping, compression under weight). The optimization process will involve a variety of objective functions based on the considered robotic tasks, such as maximizing stiffness range or minimizing damping.

Education & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s student in mechanical engineering, physics, material science, engineering cybernetics, biomedical engineering, or related fields.
• Familiarity with finite element analysis (FEA)
• Theoretical background on solid mechanics (e.g., coursework or previous projects on stress analysis, elasticity, continuum mechanics, etc.)
• Applicants who wish to apply for a position as a student assistant must be enrolled at a German university.

Recommended:

• Experience with FEA simulation software (e.g., Abaqus, Ansys, COMSOL)
• Coding experience with MATLAB or Python
• Background in optimization (e.g., coursework, former projects involving optimization algorithms)
• Basic experience with computer-aided design (CAD) and/or parametric modeling tools
• Interest in or exposure to topology optimization methods.

Our offer:

• An international, multidisciplinary, and highly motivating working environment
• Extensive mentoring and supervision directly from two faculty members with complementary expertise (Buse Aktaş and Gökhan Serhat)
• Access to state-of-the-art lab facilities, including advanced fabrication and testing equipment
• For an Internship: Students will be paid 2174 EUR (gross) per month for a full-time internship if the internship is voluntary, i.e., not required by the study program of the student.
• For Student Assistants (HiWis): Students without a bachelor degree will be paid €13,08 per hour.  Students with a bachelor degree will be paid 13,65€ per hour. Working time: up to 20 hours per week.

If you are interested in getting more experience with leveraging computational modeling for complex mechanical systems and helping develop the next generation of smart programmable structures for robotics applications, make sure to apply as soon as possible!

Application:

Please upload your application files including:

• a CV/resume
• a transcript of records from your current and previous degree, including grades
• a cover letter (written in English, no more than one page long) In this letter, please:
  • describe why you’re excited about this project
  • highlight relevant experiences that match the skills listed above
  • explain how your background and interests align with the project’s goals

via our application portal.

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Buse Aktaş at buse.aktas@is.mpg.de.

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women and non-binary individuals in its workforce in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages them to apply.

Closing date for applications:

Starting as soon as possible.

HiWi contracts are given out per semester. The candidate should be available for a minimum of 6 months. 

A shorter duration can be discussed if the internship is full-time.