You can apply for this internship untill the 7th of June.
Context
RIWO has a large track record in control for autonomous guided vehicles in agricultural and industrial applications. The current generation of AGVs navigates using guidance wires and RFID tags. Although this is a robust solution in various circumstances, we are seeking opportunities to provide more flexible localization and navigation solutions for our customers. At the R&D department we are investigating the possibilities in the Robotics Operating System to get to functional proof-of-concepts for our AGV solutions.
Assignments
We have several assignments available related to our AGV development. In all assignments you will learn to use C++ and ROS2 (Robotic Operating System). You will also get the chance to test your software with physical test setups. Assignments can always be tailored to specific interests or requirements imposed by study programs. We have assignments available with the following topics, the topics may change focus depending on the outcomes of the internship and graduation assignments that are currently running.
1.1 Wheel slip detection
Odometry based localization of mobile robots can become inaccurate due to slippery floors. This is caused by wheel slip which is unobservable by the sensors. Inaccuracies due to wheel slip can be compensated for partially using odometry-IMU based sensor fusion. However, this compensation is insufficient during severe wheel slip which can cause dangerous behavior. Therefore, we are interested in techniques to detect and ideally estimate wheel slip using odometry and the IMU. The robot can subsequently use this knowledge to react to the situation by slowing down or stopping. Your task will be to investigate suitable algorithms and implement them with ROS 2.
Suggested programs: (applied) computer science, electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics
1.2 Wheel model calibration
Physical systems may not always adhere perfectly to their models or may change over time. For example, the wheels of a mobile robot will never be exactly the same size from the factory and may wear with use. Their diameter, together with other factors, impacts the accuracy of the odometry. Highly accurate odometry is critical for robot platforms that use low frequency global absolute position sources. The accuracy of the odometry can be improved through calibration. Therefore, we are interested in odometry calibration methods for our robot platform. Your job is to investigate suitable algorithms (e.g. UMBmark), implement an automated calibration procedure in ROS 2, and analyze the results using our robot platform.
Suggested programs: (applied) computer science, electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics
1.3 Global localization transitions
A mobile robot can use multiple sensors that provide global absolute measurements, such as RFID tag detection, lidar/visual SLAM or GPS. When moving from an indoor environment to an outdoor environment or vice-versa, the localization algorithm should handle various sensor inputs differently. For example, GPS measurements can become unreliable in indoor environments or outdoor environments close to structures. Your job will be to investigate and implement this transition between localization methods, based on a map.
Suggested programs: (applied) computer science, electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics
1.4 RFID tag mapping with EKF-based landmark SLAM
A mobile robot can use multiple sensors that provide global absolute measurements, such as RFID tag detection, lidar/visual SLAM or GPS. When moving from an indoor environment to an outdoor environment or vice-versa, the localization algorithm should handle various sensor inputs differently. For example, GPS measurements can become unreliable in indoor environments or outdoor environments close to structures. Your job will be to investigate and implement this transition between localization methods, based on a map.
Suggested programs: (applied) computer science, electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics
How we work
All of our student assignments are all related to ongoing R&D projects, so your input may end up in a real product at one of our customers.
At our department we work in with the Agile/SCRUM workflow. At the start of you assignment you will write a problem description in your own words, to see if you clearly understand the goal of the assignment. Then for each 3-week sprint you write a sprint report where you discuss the process, implementation and results of the finished sprint and determine the functional requirements and planning for the upcoming sprint.
At the end of your assignment you will present your achievements to the company in the form of a presentation and demonstration.
We are happy with curious, enthusiastic and independent students who want to look back on a meaningful internship period. You’ll have a lot of freedom to develop yourself, with personal guidance. Take control of your assignment, tailor it to your needs. Your ideas are welcome!
All internship students receive a internship allowance, the amount depends on the level of education.
About RIWO
RIWO specializes in industrial automation and machine and process control. We work on (customized) projects which are prepared in our office and commissioned onsite. Within RIWO, we appreciate an informal and collegial working atmosphere.
We differentiate ourselves by relieving our customers by supporting them in project management, organization and selection of machine controls, be in lead of automation development, but especially by investing in ourselves. Most importantly, our employees make the difference. By combining the aspects mentioned above, our customer relations will turn into partnerships.