On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, we had the pleasure of welcoming interested students from the Hamburg area and Johanna Peters from the TUHH's Mechanical Engineering Department to the IFPT. The aim of the visit was to give the young people a practical insight into the work of scientific staff and current research topics - an opportunity that we were happy to take!
After a brief welcome, Marvin Höhner took over the tour of our institute hall, where the students were able to experience three exciting projects live:
Johann Gierecker kicked things off by presenting our OptiTrack system. This high-precision camera system is known from the motion capture process that was used in the film "Avatar", among other things. At the IFPT, however, we use it to precisely control a UR10e cobot, for example for demanding assembly tasks. Even if, as expected in a research project, not everything is running smoothly, the students were impressed by how technology from the world of film is finding new applications in aviation research.
In the second project, Falko Kähler showed how automated fine work is carried out on aircraft components. Here the group was able to experience how a robot with a fan grinder, a tool that plays a very important role despite being little known, overcomes the challenges of the aviation industry - with precision and efficiency.
The final part was Lukas Bath, who presented a self-developed system for detecting leaks in hydrogen tanks. Since hydrogen is a key issue for sustainable aircraft propulsion, the safety of the tanks plays a crucial role. The students were able to see how our research is actively developing solutions for the aviation of tomorrow.
In addition to the technical insights, the colleagues took the time to talk about their own studies and career paths, which was particularly well received. They encouraged the students to consider studying technology and emphasized that success does not depend on perfect math grades, but much more on interest and commitment.
We thank Johanna Peters for organizing the event and the students for their great interest. We were very happy to encourage the next generation's enthusiasm for technology!