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Undergraduate and/or Master's thesis (m/f/x)-Predicting Steering Effort for Rover Motion Planning
Job Description
Req ID:  5903
Place of work:  Oberpfaffenhofen
Starting date:  01.10.2026
Career level:  Student research project and final thesis
Type of employment:  Part time
Duration of contract:  6 Monate

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics develops robots that enable people to interact with the environment more efficiently, effectively and safely. The robots are designed to work in environments that are inaccessible or dangerous for humans, but also to support and relieve people at work and in everyday life.

 

What to expect

The Autonomy and Remote Programming department develops control systems for complex movements on multi-armed robots with many degrees of freedom. The tasks range from simple motion sequences to autonomous planning of complex manipulation tasks. Research is also being conducted into the control of robots on flexible, high-performance computing platforms under realtime conditions.

 

Your tasks

  • Establishing a pipeline to gather, extract, and process the relevant actuator and motion signals from the rover
  • Deriving and evaluating a classical, kinematics-based cost as a baseline proxy for steering effort
  • Systematically characterizing where and why this simple proxy holds or breaks down across terrain and motion conditions
  • Developing and evaluating stronger, terrain-aware models that estimate steering effort for the rover's full motion through a mapped environment.
  • Assessing how these effort estimates can inform motion planning, and summarizing recommendations for rover navigation

 

Your profil

  • currently enrolled in a Master's or Bachelor's degree in robotics, computer science, or a related field
  • knowledge of fundamental concepts in autonomous systems / robotics (planning, control, state-estimation, mapping)
  • familiarity with machine learning methods and a willingness to apply them to a real robotics problem
  • proficiency in Python and/or C++, basics of linux and git
  • professional working proficiency in English and/or German
  • experience with mobile robotics / ROS

 

Remuneration is based on qualifications and pay band, up to pay band 5 of the TVöD.

 

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

We look forward to getting to know you!

 

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 5903) please contact:

 

Prof. Dr. Alin Olimpiu Albu-Schäffer 
Tel.: +49 8153 28 3689 
Apply now