The Robotic Composites and Compositions (RoCoCo) Group, led by Dr. Buse Aktaş, and the Embodied Social Interaction Group , led by Dr. Philip Müller at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart are seeking a motivated student assistant (f/m/d) on Perception of Distributed Robotic Systems to support an exciting project at the intersection of human-robot interaction, user experience design, psychology, cognitive science, and swarm robotics. This collaborative project combines the complementary expertise of both groups.

About the project

Swarm robotics, multi-robot systems, active matter, programmable matter, and jamming-based systems all explore distributed robotic systems : robots composed of multiple bodies rather than single monolithic ones. While these systems are increasingly common in research, little is known about how people perceive them —as collectives, as individuals, or somewhere in between.

Roles and responsibilities

The student assistant will help plan and carry out a study on people’s perceptions of such systems, including:

• Generating videos of swarm-based robotic systems with distinct motion characteristics
• Designing an online study (including survey questions) to assess perceptions of the videos
• Processing and analyzing the resulting data

If you are excited to help shape the next generation of human-centered distributed robotic systems , we encourage you to apply!

Education and experience

We are looking for Bachelor’s or Master’s students in computer science, industrial design, psychology, physics, engineering cybernetics, or related fields .

Required skills:

• Some experience with animation, simulation, or visualization software (e.g., Unity, Blender, Adobe Animate, After Effects, or similar tools)
• Programming skills in Python, C#, or JavaScript (e.g., for simulating simple motion patterns, running online experiments, or data processing)
• Strong interest in human–robot interaction and willingness to learn experimental design

Recommended skills (a plus, but not required) :

• Background in swarm robotics or other distributed systems (through coursework or projects)
• Experience with user studies (designing surveys, running online experiments, analyzing behavioral data)
• Familiarity with data analysis tools (e.g., Python libraries, R, or MATLAB)
• Exposure to UX methods, cognitive science, or psychology experiments

Our offer

• An international, multidisciplinary, and highly motivating working environment
• Extensive mentoring and supervision directly from two faculty members with complementary expertise (Buse Aktaş and Philip Müller)
• Access to state-of-the-art lab facilities, including advanced fabrication and testing equipment
• Students without a bachelor degree will be paid 13.80 € per hour. Students with a bachelor degree will be paid 14.40 € per hour. Working time: up to 10 hours per week.

Expected start dates and duration

As soon as possible. The candidate should be available for a minimum of 6 months.

Application

Applications should include:

• a CV / resume
• a transcript of records from your current and previous degree, including grades
• a cover letter (written in English, no more than one page long). In this letter please:
• descripe why you are exited about this project
• higlight relevant experiences that match the skill listed above
• explain how your background and interest align with the project’s goals

Please upload your application in one PDF document to our application portal .

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Buse Aktaş at buse.aktas@is.mpg.de or Dr. Philipp Mueller at mueller@is.mpg.de .

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women and non-binary individuals in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages them to apply.