Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!
Vacancy-ID: 4408
Place of work: Braunschweig
Starting date: Zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt
Career level: Student research project and final thesis
Type of employment: Part time; Full-time
Duration of contract: bis zu 6 Monate
Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector – Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)
The DLR Institute of Software Technology sees software as a catalyst for research and innovation. The institute’s staff, currently numbering around 200, make a significant contribution to advancements in the fields of aviation, space, energy, transportation, and security through the development of state-of-the-art software solutions and innovative research.
Our areas of competence include reliable and safety-critical software systems, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and quantum computing, human-system interaction and visualisation, software and systems engineering as well as digital platforms and digital twins.
The Research Project
The current project is a multiplayer application that allows users to view the world in miniature on an augmented reality (AR) map, which they can scale, extend, and reposition. Users can also switch from augmented reality to virtual reality (VR) to experience the environment at a 1:1 scale. Map visualization applications are in general computationally demanding and can negatively impact overall system performance. In this context, all additional elements such as paths, vehicles, drones, and user interface components must be optimized and integrated using real-world coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude). The goal of this project is to ensure smooth performance and prevent user discomfort when interacting with the data and simulations.
The Research Questions
This thesis examines how real-time drone and path data can be visualized efficiently in AR/VR on immersive devices such as the Meta Quest or HoloLens. The research focuses on how rendering optimizations and predictive movement techniques may affect visual smoothness, system performance, and user comfort. A further aim is to identify which visualization methods provide the best balance between accuracy, responsiveness, and computational efficiency for large-scale AR/VR map environments.
Your tasks
- Conduct a literature review on AR/VR map design and techniques for optimizing textures and rendering in Unreal Engine for immersive headsets
- Design intuitive AR/VR interactions and user interfaces using hand tracking
- Improvement of existing and development of novel methods for visualizing drones and drone paths, including real-time communication with a server for live drone and path updates
- Conduct an evaluation to identify which visualization methods are the most performance-optimized
- Develop scalable, maintainable code, including comprehensive documentation and well-commented implementation
- Documentation of the evaluation results
We offer
DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. The institute offers friendly working environments with international research groups. All team members have access to modern computer hardware and powerful software. Eventually, research is carried out in well-equipped laboratories for Virtual and eXtended Reality, Agile Software Engineering, Embedded Software, and more.
We look forward to getting to know you!
Your Qualification
- Currently enrolled in Computer Science, Informatics, Geo-informatics, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field degree program
- Experience in C++, C# is mandatory
- Experience in XR development or game development (Unreal Engine, Unity) is desired
- Experience in Python
- Interest in XR, human factors, and/or interface design
We offer
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 4408) please contact:
Florian Baugé
Tel.: +49 531 295 1882
