PhD Position in 6G-based Visual/Force Immersive Surgical Robot

27.12.2021, Wissenschaftliches Personal

The Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at the Technical University of Munich is looking for an outstanding applicant for a PhD position in Mechatronics under the supervision of Prof. Sami Haddadin.

About us

Located in the prosperous capital of Bavaria and home to over 39000 students, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world’s top universities (top 4 European technical universities in The World University Ranking, top 50 in Shanghai Ranking, top 10 in Global University Employability Ranking, etc.). It is committed to excellence in research and teaching, interdisciplinary education, and the active promotion of promising young scientists. TUM benefits from the healthy mix of companies and startups of all sizes headquartered in the region and is tightly connected to regional research hospitals. The university also forges strong links with companies and scientific institutions across the world.

The TUM Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) is a globally visible interdisciplinary research center for machine intelligence, which is the integration of robotics, artificial intelligence and perception. Its three central innovation sectors are the future of health, the future of work, the future of environment, and the future of mobility. More than 50 professors from various TUM faculties cooperate within the framework of MIRMI.

Description

We are looking for an outstanding and highly motivated applicant student to join our team at MIRMI to pursue a PhD track in the research and development of a surgical robotics system that involves high-bandwidth visual and tactile feedback subsystems. This PhD position stems out of the large scale 6G-Life project (https://6g-life.de/) and will give you a unique opportunity to work in the field of robotics that operate with 6G communication technologies. Additionally, the methods and findings developed throughout the PhD track will be scalable and applicable to other research projects in MIRMI.

To efficiently use the 5G/6G communication infrastructure, the surgical robotic testbed needs to be equipped with the state-of-the-art high-precision force-controlled robotic arms, haptic control and feedback interfaces, and high-resolution visual and depth sensing instruments. This testbed will be compared to the state-of-the-art surgical robotic instruments used by the consortium partners (e.g., the DaVinci robotic system). You are expected to contribute to the development of a highly versatile and transparent telesurgery test-bed setup with a control and communication infrastructure that can handle the coordination and bilateral transfer of high-dimensional visual and force information between the robotic systems on the operator and the patient side. The test bed will be adjustable to different surgery operations via the modularity of further end effector designs compliant with various surgical tools. The findings throughout the PhD track are expected to be published in leading journals and conferences in the robotics community.

Requirements

You will work closely with supervisors and researchers from MIRMI (in both Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen Campuses) and report the system design and developments to our project officers and founders.

Please consider applying if you have a strong background in robotics and control engineering. We especially seek individuals with excellent background, knowledge and/or interest in the following areas:

• Masters in mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, or a comparable field,
• Experience in mechatronics design and manufacturing, robotics, and control and sensing hardware,
• Hands-on experience with the design and development of physical robotics systems (experience in surgical robotics systems is a major plus),
• Experience with MATLAB Simulink, C++/Python and ROS, and 3D CAD software,
• Fluency in spoken and written English, German is a plus,
• High motivation and willingness to work in an international and interdisciplinary team

How to apply?

The following documents are needed for applications:

• A motivation letter (1-3 pages) describing (i) yourself, (ii) your research interests, (iii) your qualifications, (iv) your future career goals and research focus and (v) why you would be a suitable candidate
• A detailed CV
• Academic transcripts from your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• Email addresses of at least two references

Interested applicants should send the necessary documents via email to [email protected] quoting “PhD Position in Visual/Force Immersive Surgical Robot” in the e-mail subject line. The position will be filled as soon as possible and only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Preference will be given to applications received before Jan. 20th, 2022.

TUM has been pursuing the strategic goal of substantially increasing the diversity of its staff. As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, TUM explicitly encourages nominations of and applications from women as well as from all others who would bring additional diversity dimensions to the university’s research and teaching strategies. Preference will be given to disabled candidates with equal qualifications. International candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Technische Universität München
Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60-62,
80992 München
[email protected]

Data Protection Information:
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Kontakt: [email protected]