Working Student (f/m/x) - LiDAR Sensors Integration on a Drone Swarm

Place of work: Oberpfaffenhofen

Starting date: 01.09.2026

Career level: Student employment

Type of employment: Part time

Duration of contract: 6 months

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

The DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation is dedicated to mission-oriented research in selected areas of communications and navigation. Its work ranges from the theoretical foundations to the demonstration of new procedures and systems in a real environment and is embedded in DLR's Space, Aeronautics, Transport, Security and Digitalization programmes.

What To Expect

In search and rescue scenarios, dense vegetation and environmental occlusions can significantly limit the effectiveness of aerial search operations. Visibility-aware navigation can improve how drone teams collect information by guiding them towards viewpoints that maximize useful observations while minimizing redundant coverage. Combining LiDAR sensing, computer vision, and autonomous UAV systems enables the creation of visibility maps that can support coordinated navigation and decision-making for multiple drones. The objective of this project is to investigate how visibility information can be generated and used to guide drone swarms in complex environments.

Your Tasks

• Investigate and implement computer vision techniques for creating visibility maps from LiDAR and sensor data
• Develop and evaluate methods for visibility-aware guidance of multiple UAVs
• Design and conduct experiments in simulation and real-world environments
• Support field campaigns using UAV hardware platforms and LiDAR sensors
• Analyze experimental data and assess system performance

• Currently enrolled in a Master's program in Robotics, Geomatics, Remote Sensing, Computer Science, or a related field
• Programming experience in Python and/or C++
• Interest in computer vision, robotics, UAVs, and autonomous systems
• Experience with ROS, LiDAR, or simulation environments is beneficial

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

We look forward to getting to know you!

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 5365) please contact:

Dr. Christian Gentner

Tel.: +49 8153 28 2890