PhD in wireless magnetic motion tracking systems

The Project: 

This PhD project focuses on developing a novel magnetic sensor interface to enable wireless motion tracking objects in 3D space. This PhD opportunity will see the successful candidate design, simulate, prototype, build and test new hardware to enable the next generation of motion tracking applications.

Motion capture systems are used to measure the motion of people and objects in 3D space and are widely used in film production, engineering, virtual reality and medicine. The market leading motion capture systems use optical techniques to measure light from a subject to track its position and orientation in space. However, the underlying principles of optical motion capture make these systems prone to tracking errors due to line-of-sight constraints; Magnetic tracking technology serves as an alternative tracking method that does not require line of sight to be maintained thus enabling further industrial applications.

Tyndall National Institute is a world leader in the development of magnetic sensors and systems for use in industrial and medical applications. Previous work from the group featured the development of the Anser EMT system which utilised wired magnetic sensors to track the position and orientation of objects in 3D space. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44rin3eplZE).

What’s on offer

    You will have the opportunity to work directly with the supervisor in a small, highly focussed engineering team.

    Work as a highly valuable research team member in a world-class technology centre that has results which are strongly aligned to Industry partners.

    Great career development and advancement that is highly visible to the semiconductor industry through direct contact or IEEE publications.

    Collaborate with Medical Device industry on advanced implantable sensors

    Opportunity to attend and publish work at leading conferences

    Opportunity to publish in leading IEEE journals.

    A generous tax free scholarship payment per year. Details discussed on application.

Key responsibilities

This is an exciting project in a fast-moving, industrially relevant area. The successful candidate will be working in a small, focussed research team led by the supervisor Dr. Alex Jaeger. The candidate is expected to take a hands-on role with shared responsibility for the day-to-day execution of the technical research tasks. Scientific dissemination (preparation of regular internal reports, journal and conference publications) is an integral part of the position.

•     Participate in Education and Public Engagement activities, as required.
•     Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system.
•     Ensure all activities are compliant with the required Health and Safety standards.
•     Carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post

Essential Criteria

•     A first class or upper second class honours degree (BEng/BSc Hons) in one of the following disciplines: Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Applied Physics, Embedded Systems engineering.
•     A solid understanding of electromagnetism
•     Good communication, writing, organisation and interpersonal skills.
•     Proficiency in English
•     A commitment to personal development

Desirable criteria

•     Background in Electrical & Electronic Engineering
•     Hands-on experience with prototyping circuits and instrumentation
•     Experience with PCB design tools
•     Familiarity with microcontroller programming in C
•     Experience in writing Matlab/Python scripts
•     Electromagnetic simulation experience (FEMM, Maxwell)

This is a 4-year fully funded PhD position funded by Science Foundation Ireland.

The annual stipend is €22,000 pa. In addition, yearly University academic fees will paid by the Tyndall National Institute.

For enquiries please contact Dr. Alex Jaeger at [email protected]