Endowed Professorship Embedded Control and Navigation

The Endowed Professorship Embedded Control and Navigation is located at the Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien.

In the professorship, funded by the City of Vienna, department MA23, the idea was pursued to use mobile robotics, e.g. computer controlled model aircrafts, as an attractive means to teach complex technical contents. The indoor flying micro air vehicles determine their position by the use of an external positioning system and fly autonomously a predefined path. For the positioning either ultrasonic waves or an optical localisation system are used.

All the components like positioning systems, inertial navigation systems, test stands for the drive components, radio modules and aircrafts were developed at the universitiy by the students with their professor. The developed learning materials are suitable for distance learning and the test stands and mobile robots can be used by the stundents at home. This helps to familiarise students with the new topics, especially for part-time students, studying parents or girls and women whom the clarity and tangability of  abstract technical topics is particularly close to the heart.

The results of the endowed professorship were presented at several international conferences. With the participation at two international robotic competitions also the practical capabilities of the developed technologies were put to the test. Two third places could be achieved. Due to the great success of the educational concept of the four year endowed professorship, which ended in June 2014, the developed models and teaching materials will be used and further developed also in the next years in the education at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien.

This project was funded by the City of Vienna, department MA23, under grant number MA23-Projekt 10-06.

The duration of the Project was from March 2010 to June 2014.