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

Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems; Stuttgart; On-site; EUR 18,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

15.61 € per hour

20 hours per week max

Initial 3-month contract with possible

International working environment

Affiliation with daycare center

Job summary

The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart is seeking a Student Research Assistant (m/f/div) for artificial muscle fabrication and testing. You will gain hands-on experience with hardware systems and be exposed to ongoing robotics research.

Tasks include fabricating film-based soft actuators, silicone casting, and testing actuator performance. Applicants should be Master’s students in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, robotics, biomedical engineering, electrical

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Master of Science in one of the listed fields.
• Interest and/or experience in rapid prototyping techniques (3D CAD, laser cutter, 3D printer, screen printing, silicone casting, etc…).
• Willingness to work on site at the MPI in Stuttgart, Germany.

Responsibilities

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

Skills

3D CAD

Laser cutting

3D printing

Silicone casting

Screen printing

Mechanical testing

Handicraft

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Mechatronics

Robotics

Biomedical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Material Science

Physics

Tools

3D CAD software

Laser cutter

3D printer

Screen printing equipment

Silicone casting equipment

Job description

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.

Department website: https://rm.is.mpg.de/

Department videos: https://www.youtube.com/@RoboticMaterials

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.

Closing date for applications

November 30, 2026