Do you want to contribute to preventing injuries in countless factory workers who are involved in manual tasks? Are you passionate about groundbreaking actuation technologies and wearables? Then this two year postdoctoral position in the University of Twente’s Engineering Technology Biomechatronics and Rehabilitation Technology group may be just for you! You will play a valuable role developing highly ergonomic posture correction and force multiplier wearables. Amidst the SOPHIA project’s network of dedicated biomechanists, roboticists, and partners in machinery and automotive industries you will work on novel rigid and soft actuator technologies that optimally support the movement of the body.

the Horizon 2020 Socio-physical Interaction Skills for Cooperative Human-Robot Systems in Agile Production (SOPHIA https://project-sophia.eu) is a four year EU funded project. It aims to realize realise efficient, adaptable, and safe human-robot manufacturing environments. This joint effort between research institutions, policy makers, and industry pioneers a trustworthy, seamless social interface between humans and robots that aids the efficiency in their mutual physical interaction. Through well-tested sensing methods, modelling, and algorithms, SOPHIA will see humans and novel collaborative robots, such as exoskeletons and collaborative robots, intuitively and synergistically working together in a variety of production scenarios. In this way, SOPHIA will remove the separation between man and machine to improve factory output.

Your role in SOPHIA will focus on factory workers involved in lifting and manipulation tasks. They are prone to injury of joints such as the lower back, knees, shoulders, and elbows. However, many of these injuries can be prevented if the tasks are executed with an optimal body posture. Further, the duration of the tasks can be extended if the joints’ muscles are assisted with externally applied forces. This delays the onset of muscle fatigue. The goal of this position is to develop ergonomic wearables – both for correcting wearer posture and multiplying the force of the wearer to reduce fatigue of their muscles. The focus will lie on the knee joint.

The challenge

We need portable, modular, ergonomic (comfortable, light, compact, non-restrictive), and single degree-of-freedom body-worn devices to be developed for various upper and lower limb joints. Your role will be to do this by:
• Designing a low torque ergonomic device for haptically indicating correct postures to the wearer.
• Designing a high torque ergonomic device (WearBot) for force multiplication.
• Drawing on state-of-the-art electrohydrostatic actuation, sensing and control methods from the eNHANCE, SYMBITRON, Symbionics and VICI Flexible Robotic Suit projects.
• Further reducing the devices’ weight and size while maintaining their power autonomy using  soft fluid powered torque sources and other ultra-ergonomic actuation technologies.
• Testing the ability of the devices to encourage safe postures through haptic feedback  and increase task productivity by reducing muscle fatigue

This will see, for the first time, the realisation of comfortable active posture correction and force multipliers wearables that reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal diseases in workers.

Are you the researcher we are looking for?

You are highly motivated to join our friendly multidisciplinary team, pioneering wearable technologies that make a significant improvement in the conditions of factory workers.
• You hold a doctoral degree in mechanical, mechatronics or electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• You have excellent skills and practical experience in two or more of the following research areas: mechanical design, haptics, hydraulic actuation, servomotors, soft sensors, inflatables 
• You have good experience in designing and controlling servomechanisms, and in developing actuated wearables.
• You are fluent in English.
• You are able to document accurately and neatly.


INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

Apply for the position by submitting the following before the end of 15th March 2020:
• Motivation letter (1 page max). Explain (a) why you are applying, (b) what makes you an outstanding researcher for this position, and (c) experience/achievements/projects that demonstrate your qualities relevant to the position’s profile and challenges.
• Curriculum vitae (2 pages max). List your education, work experience, relevant other activities, and date you could start working in this position. You are encouraged to include links to relevant articles/example projects you have worked on.

Note that incomplete applications (that do not include the letter and CV) will not be considered.
The successful candidate ideally begins 1 May 2020. Submitted applications will be screened within two weeks of the application deadline, after which selected candidates will be invited for an interview (the possibility of a video interview exists).

Please contact Allan Veale (a.j.veale@utwente.nl) for additional information about this position.

• A two-years postdoc position.
• A gross salary between € 3.255,- and € 4.978,-  per month, depending on experience and qualifications.
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual end of year bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• Minimum of 29 leave days in case of full-time employment.
• Professional and personal development programs.
• The University of Twente is situated on a green and lively campus with lots of facilities for sports and other extracurricular activities.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.