This program has a flexible start and length.
Preferred student profile
Master student in Robotics, Drones, Embedded Systems, Electronics, Autonomous systems, or other closely related fields.
Background and interest in one or more of the following fields:
- Infrastructure Inspection
- Energy harvesting
- Reconfigurable hardware; FPGAs
- Distributed embedded systems
- AI and Fault detection
- Sensing and Navigation
Maximum number of students to host: 5
Description
The energized infrastructures such as overhead powerlines and railways need contentious and frequent inspections to assure energy delivery to our modern society.
Traditional inspections using helicopters or manually flying drones are challenged by the large inspection areas, distance to the infrastructure, and the flying time of the inspection vehicles.
The research goal is to build autonomous drones that can inspect these infrastructures without human intervention and utilizing all energy sources to operate autonomously.
The key research interest is to develop lightweight intelligent drones that can identify energized overhead cables, mitigate electromagnetic and wind disturbances, and safely grasp powerlines and railway cables for recharging. Afterward, the drones continuously inspecting the infrastructures and their surroundings.
The research interests encompass:
- Onboard processing using advanced embed boards
- AI for object detection and identification
- Sensor fusion for object tracking
- Drone control for disturbance rejection
- Electromagnetic interference and shielding
- Energy harvesting and wireless charging.
The participating students will be engaged in an innovative research environment and be involved in large-scale research projects such as H2020 Drones4Safety, H2020 AerialCore, and Drones4Energy with possible interaction with industrial partners.
According to the assigned topic, applicants will define a tailored project with their supervisors. The valuable outcomes of the projects will be presented in high-rank internationally recognized conferences and journals.