AerodrOHM | Mobile Robotics Research Group — Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner

Markerless Indoor Localization of a Drone without GNSS

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Description

The drone used at the AerodrOHM currently determines its position via an external, marker-based tracking system. This provides very accurate poses but requires a permanently installed, instrumented flight space. The goal of this thesis is a markerless, GNSS-free indoor localization based solely on onboard sensors, so that the drone can fly independently of the external tracking. The work builds on the existing drone and the established ROS system architecture.

Work Packages

Familiarization with the existing drone platform and the marker-based tracking system at the AerodrOHM
Selection and integration of suitable onboard sensors (camera, IMU, optionally optical-flow or depth sensor)
Implementation of a markerless, GNSS-free localization method (e.g. visual-inertial odometry or visual SLAM)
Integration into the existing ROS system architecture and flight control
Evaluation of accuracy and robustness against the marker-based tracking as ground truth
Flight experiments and documentation of the results at the AerodrOHM

Requirements

Programming skills (Python and/or C++)
Ideally some experience with ROS / ROS 2
Basic knowledge of computer vision and/or state estimation (e.g. Kalman filter)
Interest in drones, sensor integration and localization
Independent and diligent way of working

This topic can be completed as a project or bachelor’s thesis subject to agreement.

Supervision

Role	Name	E-Mail
Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner	christian.pfitzner@th-nuernberg.de

Drone Charging Setup – Automated Wireless Charging of Micro-Drones

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Work Packages

Familiarisation with the drone platform and available charging infrastructure
Development of precise approach and landing planning for the charging pads
Mechanical adaptation and fabrication of components (3D printing)
Integration of the charging infrastructure into the automated workflow
Test and evaluation of the charging setup in the flight space

Requirements

Programming skills in Python and/or C++
Experience or interest in mechanical design, CAD or prototyping
Enthusiasm for hands-on hardware work and building prototypes

This topic can be completed as a project, bachelor’s or master’s thesis subject to agreement.

Supervision

Role	Name	E-Mail
Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner	christian.pfitzner@th-nuernberg.de

Drone Light Painting – Coordinated Light Image Generation with Micro-Drones

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Work Packages

Familiarisation with the drone platform and its programming interface
Design and implementation of flight paths for various light patterns
Coordination and synchronisation of multiple drones in the swarm
Experimental testing and photographic documentation of the light images

Requirements

Good programming skills in Python
Interest in autonomous flight and multi-robot systems
Basic understanding of coordinate systems and spatial geometry

This topic can be completed as a project, bachelor’s or master’s thesis subject to agreement.

Supervision

Role	Name	E-Mail
Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner	christian.pfitzner@th-nuernberg.de

Drone Swarm Obstacle Avoidance – Collision-Free Navigation of Micro-Drones

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Work Packages

Integration and calibration of the external 3D camera
Processing, filtering and transformation of point cloud data
Development of a classification to distinguish between persons and drones
Design and implementation of a reactive swarm behaviour with safety zones
Test and evaluation in the flight space with real persons

Requirements

Programming skills (Python and/or C++)
Ideally some experience with ROS
Interest in sensor integration, point cloud processing and perception methods

This topic can be completed as a project or master’s thesis subject to agreement.

Supervision

Role	Name	E-Mail
Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner	christian.pfitzner@th-nuernberg.de

Robotics Has So Many Facets

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Robots are no longer a vision of the future — they are already deployed in manufacturing, logistics, and service industries. This was demonstrated by the diverse contributions at this year’s efi colloquium on robotics, organised by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Precision Engineering and Information Technology (efi). The well-attended event addressed the question of “how intelligent robotic systems will transform our working world and society”, featuring contributions from industry and research.

Matthias Nickl from Siemens Energy spoke about deploying robots for maintenance and inspection tasks in response to demographic challenges. Dr. Jonas Graetz from Ziehm Imaging presented an X-ray robotic system. Dr. Jürgen Baier from IsentoVier introduced the humanoid open-source platform pip for educational use. Markus Fenn, an alumnus of the Faculty efi, presented his robotics start-up EduArt.

Prof. Dr. Christian Pfitzner introduced AerodrOHM — a research environment for complex flight systems at the OHM Innovation Center, spanning 280 m² with a ceiling height of up to 12 metres. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Enrico Schröder addressed AI trends in robotics, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Sander spoke about humanoid mechatronics.

A particular highlight was the announcement of RoboCup 2027 in Nuremberg. The TH Nürnberg’s successful robotics team autonOHM is already preparing for the world championship of autonomous robots — to be held in their home city.

Source: TH Nürnberg — Original article