PhD Research Opportunity:Robotic handling and inspection of complex materials using tactile and visual feedback (MATX-07)

Atlantic Technological University (ATU)

  • Galway
  • €22,000 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 13 days ago
Job Information Organisation/CompanyAtlantic Technological University (ATU) DepartmentResearch Research FieldComputer science » OtherEngineering » Mechanical engineeringEngineering » Other Researcher ProfileFirst Stage Researcher (R1) CountryIreland Application Deadline29 Apr 2024 - 17:00 (Europe/Dublin) Type of ContractNot Applicable Job StatusNot Applicable Hours Per WeekFull Time study Offer Starting Date2 Sep 2024 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?European Union / Next Generation EU Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?NoOffer DescriptionThe Higher Education Authority (HEA) Technological University Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise, Scheme (TU RISE) is co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021- 27 and the Northern & Western Regional Programme 2021-27.Funding for this Project includes:
  • A student stipend (usually tax-exempt) valued at €22,000 per annum
  • Annual waivers of postgraduate tuition fee
  • Extensive research training programme
  • Support for travel, consumables and dissemination expenses
The Postgraduate Research Programme MedAgriTech AI eXcellence (MATX) funded under TU RISE, 12 PhD research scholarships to commence in 2024. Each project will include an enterprise placement of minimum 12 weeks duration.Project title, MATX-07: Robotic handling and inspection of complex materials using tactile and visual feedback.The medical device manufacturing industry requires precise assembly and inspection of complex objects typically carried out by highly trained operators. The labour shortage and competition with low-cost countries mean automating production is urgent. Yet, these operations are difficult to accomplish and even program using standard automation tools. Additionally, since many materials are deformable, task parameters vary, leading to proposed automated solutions which are inflexible and rely on complex jigs and fixtures. The resulting solutions are applicable to a narrow class of assembly tasks and reduce reconfigurability. The size of such components means that humans often rely on a sense of touch to judge the quality of the assembly, an operation extremely difficult to replicate using automated solutions. In this project, an automated cell for the handling and inspection of these objects will be designed and implemented. The project will use state-of-the-art tactile sensors developed in UCD to equip the robot with a sense of touch. A new position and force controller using these sensors will be designed for material handling. A supervised machine learning framework will be designed to replicate manual tactile inspection and then furthered to train a visual inspection feed for a novel non-contact inspection method.Objectives of the research project
  • Design of material handling gripper for robot end effector to cope with deformable and complex objects.
  • Integration and refinement of tactile sensors for Medtech applications.
  • Tactile inspection of Medtech components through supervised machine learning and training and validation of a vision-based system using tactile inspection data.
  • Development and validation of robot controller using visual and tactile feedback to manipulate and inspect components in Medtech manufacturing.
Then add the details belowA minimum of 2.1 honours degree (Level 8) in a relevant discipline.Project Duration:48 months (PhD)Preferred Location:ATU Galway, CampusApplications:Application Form / Terms of Conditions can be obtained on the website:The closing date for receipt of applications is 5pm, (GMT) Monday 29th April, 2024.Only selected applicants will be called for an online interview (shortlisting may apply).RequirementsResearch Field Engineering » Mechanical engineering Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalentSkills/QualificationsDesired Qualifications and Skills: Masters in the relevant disciplines, Experience with Robotic hardware and sensor integrationSpecific RequirementsEssential Qualifications and Skills: First-class or High Second-class degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics or related discipline
Desired Qualifications and Skills: Masters in the relevant disciplines, Experience with Robotic hardware and sensor integrationLanguages ENGLISH Level GoodResearch Field Computer scienceEngineeringAdditional InformationWebsite for additional job detailsWork Location(s)Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Country Ireland City Galway GeofieldWhere to apply WebsiteContact CityATU Galway, Campus (Preferred)) WebsiteE-Mailphilip.long@atu.ieSTATUS: EXPIRED

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