Thesis – Development of an Exhibition Demonstrator for the Manufacturing Industry

This Challenge Awaits You

Modern machines and systems generate large amounts of measurement data during operation, which is exchanged between sensors, control units and operating units. This data is highly relevant both in the development and testing of new systems and in the operation of series products. The key challenge is to extract the relevant information from these large data volumes and to prepare and visualize it according to specific needs.

At IAV, a measurement data management system is operated that enables measurement data from a wide range of applications – from vehicles and test benches to complex systems – to be stored, structured and evaluated automatically. The analysis results are made available to users directly within this system and support, for example, the monitoring of running machines and systems or troubleshooting in complex systems.

As part of a student thesis, an exhibition demonstrator is to be developed that clearly visualizes this measurement data management system using the manufacturing industry as an example and makes it tangible. The objective is to build a demonstrator that illustrates typical processes from manufacturing as well as the benefits of data acquisition and analysis in this context. The thesis therefore combines the conceptual design of a clear demonstration setup, hardware development and programming.

Your Tasks

• You design and build an exhibition demonstrator for the manufacturing industry use case
• You select and integrate suitable hardware components, e.g. microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi, sensors or actuators
• You develop the control and communication logic for generating and transmitting demonstration data
• You transfer real-time data from the demonstrator to the existing measurement data management system, e.g. via MQTT
• You commission a functional prototypical demonstrator
• You document, validate and present the setup

Necessary Skills

• Degree in progress in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a comparable field of study
• Basic knowledge of electrical engineering and working with electronic components
• Experience in programming microcontrollers or working with Raspberry Pi
• Interest in practical prototyping and building technical demonstrators
• Independent, structured and solution-oriented way of working

Desired Skills

• Experience with sensors, actuators and embedded systems
• Knowledge of Python, C/C++ or comparable programming languages for hardware-related development
• Knowledge of MQTT or comparable communication protocols
• Experience with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32 or similar platforms
• Ideally experience with 3D printing for creating or adapting mechanical components, models and housings

Remuneration is based on our collective bargaining agreement. The current monthly salary for this position is EUR 1.012.

You won’t just be working anywhere as a student at IAV. You’ll be right in the middle of it all. Real projects. Exciting future tasks. Completely integrated and side-by-side with IAV experts. Lots of responsibility and at the same time lots of freedom, combining university and work. The result is the best prospects for your professional development. And attractive compensation in accordance with our company wage agreements.

Diversity and equal opportunity are important to us. What matters to us is the individual, with his or her character and strengths.