Requirements above-average university and, if applicable, PhD degree in the fields of electrical engineering, microsystems engineering, materials science or related fields experience in at least three of the fields of mechatronics, biomedical engineering, microtechnologies and soft robotics is desirable ability and willingness to work independently and in a goal-oriented manner high level of commitment good command of English How to apply

Tasks As part of an interdisciplinary Emmy Noether junior research group "MEiTNER - Multifunctional dielectric elastomer electronics for next generation soft robotics", engineers and biomedical scientists are working on developing novel concepts for flexible electronics based on dielectric elastomers as well as the necessary manufacturing technologies and materials, especially electrically conductive inks, and on developing the next generation of bio-inspired, flexible robots. Building on the preliminary work in the field of dielectric elastomer electronics from the first funding phase of the junior research group, novel DE electronic components and circuits are now to be integrated into compliant robot structures and drive and control them autonomously. In particular, the design of multifunctional, bio-inspired robot systems is the focus here. We are working closely with scientists from various Dresden scientific institutions, clusters of excellence and start-ups as well as the University of Auckland. As part of the project, there is the opportunity for short research stays in New Zealand. For the junior research group MEiTNER we are looking for one research assistant to develop multifunctional, bio-inspired components for the next generation of flexible robots and interactive human-machine interfaces. Your work will include the following tasks: identification of suitable biological role models to demonstrate the potential of autonomous, bio-inspired, flexible robots and human-machine interfaces developing the basic definition of the system architecture based on basic units consisting of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), dielectric elastomer switches (DESs) and DE sensors conducting development work to improve the capabilities of DESs and analyzing fundamental problems related to the design, operation and environmental sensing of multifunctional DE electronic components investigate the passive mechanical behavior of the designed elastomeric circuits in combination with flexible robot or system components and the active system properties and transfer functions investigation of possible future applications of the developed components in the fields of collaborative robotics, industrial robotics, medical technology and human-machine communication design, realization, validation of demonstrators