Bachelor Thesis within Airbus Defence & Space: Design & Development of a Smart Vision-based Hazard Detection Sensor 

Job description

Airbus DS GmbH

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 130,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Our people work with passion and determination to make the world a more connected, safer and smarter place. Taking pride in our work, we draw on each other's expertise and experience to achieve excellence. Our diversity and teamwork culture propel us to accomplish the extraordinary - on the ground, in the sky and in space.

Description of the job

Are you looking for a final year project? Would you like to discover the work of the
Autonomous Systems & Robotics Engineering? Then apply now! We look forward to you joining us!
 
Location: Bremen
Start: as soon as possible
Duration: 12 weeks
 
You will support the department in Design & Development of a Smart Vision-based Hazard Detection & Avoidance Sensor (SV-HDA) for safety landing on lunar surface.
Safety landing on the moon is a key technology function for future lunar exploration. The landing area should be free of critical slopes, big boulders and shadowless to guarantee a safety landing and immediately recharging of the battery power by the irradiated solar panels.
For commercial lunar transportation systems cost-efficient solutions for avionics equipment and sensors are required. In the frame of the bachelor-thesis, a Smart Vision-based HDA Sensor shall be developed. It consists of a camera and the processing unit (SVU). The SVU shall be based on a commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) processor board (with space flight heritage) from company XIPHOS.
 
It shall acquire a single camera image, which shall be processed by a passive HDA function to obtain a hazard map regarding shadows, texture (e.g. boulders) and slopes. Based on the hazard map the HDA function shall provide the coordinates of the safe landing site.

Tasks & accountabilities

The work can be spilt into three exciting phases:
 
Study Phase: To study possible hazard detection functions based on artificial camera images (PANGU). Perform prototyping by Matlab models and conduct performance tests. Analysis of the system requirements and the definition of criteria for shadow, bolder and slope detection. Establishment of the SV-HDA specification.
 
Implementation Phase: Design and implementation of HDA function on the COTS processor board. Built-up of adequate testing environment, by using an industrial camera, a prototype PILOT camera or artificial lunar surface images.

Test Phase: To test the implemented HDA function with images and to evaluate the HDA results.

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Required skills

You offer:
· Enrolled bachelor student (d/f/m) within Embedded Systems, Electronics, Image Processing or similar field of study
· Software skills (C, C++, RTOS) and technical skills (Optics)
· Fluent in German and English
 
You are a good team player, have excellent communication skills, and are able to work independently.