As part of a collaboration with other research groups, ASM is developing a regenerator for muscle tissue. The software development for this system is to be further professionalized by setting up a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. The system runs on a Beckhoff IPC using TwinCAT. The main challenge is that many standard tools are typically not optimized for PLC and embedded software development.
The goal of this thesis is to build a CI/CD pipeline that transfers best practices from standard software development to embedded software development.
In addition, the thesis will investigate to what extent Large Language Models (LLMs) can be integrated into this workflow. Relevant questions include how LLMs can be incorporated into the pipeline, for example for code reviews, and to what extent the pipeline can improve the robustness of the codebase when LLM-based codebase modifications are introduced.
Tasks and objectives
- Give an overview of best practices in CI/CD
- Set up a CI/CD pipeline, including at least unit tests
- configure a runner to enable unit testing of PLC code
- Investigate the possibility of integrating HMI design into the CI/CD pipeline
Requirements
- Degree program: Mechatronics, Medical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Computational Engineering
- Interest in and/or experience with software development and best practices
- Interest in and/or experience with embedded software development
Contact
niklas.buente@fau.de