Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis Development of a virtual simulation environment for the automated disassembly of transmission components

Development of a virtual simulation environment for the automated disassembly of transmission components
ContactName:  Dr.-Ing. Christoph Henke (IfU) Email: christoph.henke@ifu.rwth-aachen.de Type of Thesis: Bachelor & Master

The automation of disassembly processes is becoming increasingly important in the context of the circular economy and sustainable resource management. Automated disassembly poses a major challenge, especially for complex assemblies such as gearboxes, as components must be precisely identified, gripped, and separated from one another. In order to plan and validate such processes efficiently, realistic simulation environments are needed that map both the physical interaction of the components and the interaction between robots and sensor systems.

The aim of this work is to develop a configurable 3D simulation environment that virtually maps the automated disassembly of transmission components. To this end, a simulated 3D camera is to be integrated, which can be used to test different camera models, perspectives, and lighting situations. The environment should enable customizable scenes with different objects, obstacles, and assembly situations.

The simulation will be implemented based on Nvidia Isaac Sim and integrated into a vision pipeline to enable realistic closed-loop simulation of vision-controlled robot applications. At the same time, alternative simulation platforms (e.g., RoboDK, Nvidia Isaac Sim) can be examined for their suitability for future extensions. Coupling with industrial robot simulators (e.g., Fanuc RoboGuide, URSim) enables the testing of various robot strategies for automated disassembly.

Possible research questions/topics:

• How can a 3D simulation environment be set up to map disassembly processes?
• How can a virtual 3D camera be integrated into the simulation to detect and locate gear components?
• How can the interaction between the vision system and robot movement (closed-loop control) be realistically modeled?
• Which simulation platform (Gazebo, RoboDK, Isaac Sim) offers the best conditions for future expansions in the field of automated disassembly?

Prerequisites:

• Degree in robotics, mechatronics, mechanical engineering, CES, computer science, or related fields
• Interest in industrial robotics, 3D simulation, and computer vision
• Programming skills in Python or C++
• Initial experience with ROS, Gazebo, or robot simulations (e.g., RoboDK, URSim) is an advantage

We offer:

• Collaboration on a current research project with high practical relevance and with industry partners
• Modern development environment and access to robotics and vision systems
• Opportunity to transfer the results into a real application scenario