Student Assistant – Hardware Prototyping & Sensors for XR Medical Simulation

About the company

Working at Charité The project: IMPACT (Immersive Medical Practice and Competency Training) is developing a Mixed Reality trainer for chest tube insertion. This is a life-saving emergency procedure that medical students usually see explained but rarely get to perform. Students work on a physical manikin with real instruments, and the headset overlays step-by-step guidance and anatomy. The project is based at the Digital Surgery Lab, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in collaboration with emergency medicine and medical education.

Germany's best clinic Work at Germany's best hospital! You can learn more about our pursuit of excellent healthcare, education, translation, and research here.

We live collaboration Binding and functioning teamwork is essential for us. Collaboration is characterized not only by respectful and open interaction but also by a shared responsibility. Caring for one another as well as for the patients is a matter of course for us.

Your tasks

You will help to build the physical side of the system: the sensors and tracking that connect real objects to the MR application.

• Build sensor modules for the training manikin. This means wiring microcontrollers (Arduino, ESP32), cameras and IR sensors, and integrating them into custom enclosures.
• Prototype tracking for surgical instruments using active IR LED markers or passive retroreflective markers, and test how accurate they are.
• Evaluate sensors for measuring force and contact during the procedure.
• Design and 3D-print mounts and housings.
• Document your builds so the team can reproduce and extend them.

Requirements

• You are enrolled in Mechatronics, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or a related field (Bachelor from 3rd semester or Master).
• You have hands-on experience with Arduino, ESP32 or Raspberry Pi and basic circuit design.
• You can read sensor data, filter it, and pass it to another system (serial, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi).
• You work independently and document what you do.
• You speak English and some German

Nice to have (we'll teach the rest)

• CAD and desktop 3D printing
• Optical tracking systems (e.g. OptiTrack) or VR hardware
• Unity or another game engine

What we offer

What Charité offers

• The chance to write your Bachelor's or Master's thesis within the project, with supervision
• A permanent workstation/desk at Campus Virchow-Klinikum
• An interdisciplinary team of researchers, surgeons, developers and designers
• Hands-on work on a clinically relevant MR application, not just a look at one
• Free access to Charité's training and continuing education programmes
• Flexible hours that fit around your studies

Job Information

• Pay group TV Stud III.
• The hourly wage is 15.08 Euro Charité-wide.
• Working hours: 40 monthly hours
• Fixed-term: 31.03.2028
• Application deadline: 31.10.2026
• Reference number: 8437

How to apply

Application deadline 31.10.2026

For data protection reasons, we only accept applications via our application portal. The contact person listed below is available for inquiries only.

If you have any questions, please contact Reach out via email if you have any question to Prof. Dr. Moritz Queisner, moritz.queisner@charite.de

Send your CV, a few lines about yourself, and links or photos of things you've built.

Other

Benefits and services Working hours Full-time

Start date 01.01.2027

Duration of employment Fixed-term

Location Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Wedding

Reference number 8437

At Charité, everyone is welcome, regardless of age, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, ethnic or social origin. Every person counts here! We are committed to equal opportunity and inclusion.