As part of the DFG Priority Program 2305, sensor-integrated machine elements are being researched in ten sub-projects. This involves researching the measurement principle, data transmission, power supply, and the impact on the respective machine element. In a student competition, a sphere was to be developed that could record and transmit its path in space in three dimensions. Additionally, the sphere should be able to distinguish between rolling and sliding. A team quickly formed at TU Darmstadt, consisting of three SAE students and two mechanical engineering students: Simon Dechant, Jan-Gode Pösnecker, Daniel Schmitt, Daniel Heiner Seip, and Simon Emmert. Supervised by the staff of the PMD, IES, and MUST departments, they worked on their solution in our laboratories for over six months.

The five master’s students developed a 3D-printed sphere made up of two hemispheres connected by threads. Inside is a custom-developed electronic system for measuring and processing data, which, thanks to the methods used, lasts several months on a single battery charge. For charging, a base station with an inductive charging cradle is used, which also serves as a gateway to the outside world and a storage device for measurements. With a web app, the sphere's path can then be tracked on any device.

On May 13, the final competition was held in Dresden. In an exciting event, all participating groups presented their spheres and demonstrated their functions in a course. The TU Darmstadt team convinced the jury and won the competition. The second place went to RPTU Kaiserslautern, closely followed by TU Munich in third place. In September, the team will present the sphere to a larger audience at the SPP Summer School in Munich and gain further insights into current research in the field of sensor-integrated machine elements.

We are developing a bolt for multi-axial force measurement in the SiSmaK project. Interested? We look forward to inquiries about thesis and project work!