Master's Thesis: Visual Tracking for On-Orbit Robotic Manipulation
At the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), we are developing future capabilities of robotic systems in space. With the increasing presence of humans in orbit, the sustainability of the orbital environment and its infrastructure is becoming even more important. Hence, we are investigating methods which allow robotic systems to execute complex manipulation skills, such as on-orbit servicing. Here, accurate and fast determination of the target’s pose is vital in order to sustain safe interaction. Therefore, this thesis project delves into the exciting field of computer vision for spacecraft applications to provide the required pose estimates for satellites and tackle the additional challenges posed by the space environment.
Your Contribution:
We are seeking a highly motivated Master's student to conduct research on visual tracking of target satellites in orbit. You will develop, implement, and evaluate algorithms utilizing classic and machine learning approaches that analyze images captured by a camera to determine the target satellite's pose relative to a servicer satellite. This includes the integration of your developed application to DLR’s on-orbit servicing simulator.
Project Scope:
- Literature review on existing pose estimation techniques for terrestrial and space applications.
- Extension of the existing 6D pose tracking framework to the orbital domain.
- Evaluation of the developed algorithm on simulated and real-world spacecraft imagery.
- Analysis and interpretation of the results to assess performance and limitations.
Your Qualifications:
- Enrolled in a Master's program in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong background in computer vision, statistics, and machine learning.
- Programming experience in C++, Python with libraries like OpenCV and PyTorch.
- Familiarity with deep learning concepts is a plus.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
We offer:
- Gain valuable research experience in a cutting-edge field with high demand.
- Make significant contributions to the advancement of satellite tracking technology.
- Work on real hardware at the on-orbit servicing simulator.
- Publish your research findings in a scientific journal or conference (subject to approval).
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