Student Research Assistant (m/f/div) for artificial muscle fabrication and testing

High-performance artificial muscles provide new opportunities for the field of robotics.

The Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, led by Prof. Christoph Keplinger, aims to fundamentally challenge current limitations of robotic hardware, using an interdisciplinary approach that synergizes concepts from soft matter physics and chemistry with advanced engineering technologies to devise robotic materials that enable the creation of intelligent machines that mimic the astonishing capabilities of organisms in nature.

One of our central goals is the development of new classes of actuators - a key component of all robotic systems - that replicate the sweeping success of biological muscle, a masterpiece of evolution featuring astonishing all-around actuation performance, the ability to self-heal after damage, and seamless integration with distributed sensing. Our fundamental research aims to realize practical applications for soft robotic systems that span from industrial automation, over medical and wearable robotics, all the way to new types of human-machine interfaces.

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We are looking for a

Student Research Assistant (m/f/div) for artificial muscle fabrication and testing

Roles & Responsibilities

The student assistant position is paid hourly and will allow the student to gain hands-on experience with hardware systems, as well as to be exposed to ongoing robotics research. The position and tasks are subject to discussion with the interested candidates. Selected candidates can start working as soon as they are hired.

Possible tasks include:

• Fabricating film-based soft actuators.
• Silicone casting and 3D printing.
• Testing the actuators and evaluating their performance.

Education & Experience

We are looking for talented students who are pursuing a Master of Science in mechanical engineering (Maschinenbau), mechatronics (Mechatronik), robotics (Robotik), biomedical engineering (Medizintechnik), electrical engineering (Elektrotechnik), material science (Materialwissenschaften), physics (Physik) or related fields to support our research as student assistants (HiWis), and to shape the future of robotics with us.

Applicants should

• have high motivation.
• be pursuing a master’s degree.
• be currently enrolled in a German university.
• want to work in an international and interdisciplinary research group.
• have good oral and written communication skills in English.
• be able to work on site at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany.

We are especially interested in applicants who have

• interest and/or experience in
  • rapid prototyping techniques (3D CAD, laser cutter, 3D printer, screen printing, silicone casting, etc…).
  • handicraft
  • mechanical testing

Our offer

Master students holding a Bachelor’s degree will be paid 15,61 € per hour, maximum 20 hours per week. The job will start as soon as possible. An initial contract will be offered for three months, with the possibility to be extended for a longer period of time.

We offer a modernly equipped workplace, a strongly international working environment, as well as affiliation with a daycare center for young children.

The Max-Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

Application

Please upload your application, including a resumé in English or German and a cover letter in English to our application system:

For further questions, please contact Corrado De Pascali at [email protected]

Closing date for applications

November 30, 2026