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The following list contains currently open thesis topics in the area of Cooperative Systems. Should you have an own idea for a potential thesis which you think might fit the research interests of our group, do not hesitate to contact us directly. |
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Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
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Networks and Network Security
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- Human Factors and Interaction Design of ICTs
- Usability, Usable Security, User Research, (Participatory) ideation and iterative prototyping
- Social Computing, Technology and the cultural domain - “Culture over IP”
- Ubiquitous and mobile HCI
- Computer Supported Cooperative World - Social Computing/Social Informatics, Cooperative Systems
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- Internet of Things / Internet of People
- AAA - Authentication, Authorization, Accounting in IoT ecosystems
- Decentralized security mechanisms (blockchain, trust, transparency, privacy)
- (Computer) Networks --- design, operation, and use
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If you plan on doing your Bachelor's or Master's thesis/P1/P2 with COSY,we invite you visit the current semester's COSY seminar (u:find link):
For an actual agreement on supervision, please attend the topic discussion session for WiSe 2024/2025:When: TBD (October 2024) |
1. COSY Research Areas
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) | Computer Networks and Alternative Social Media |
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If you are interested in "Praktika" or Bachelor/Master-Theses in the Area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), please contact: Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) Florian Güldenpfennig (florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at) | If you are interested in "Praktika" or Bachelor/Master-Theses in the Area of Networks and Network Security, please contact: Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder(at)univie.ac.at) or Paul Fuxjäger (paul.fuxjaeger(at)univie.ac.at). |
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2. Current COSY-Thesis/Praktikum-Topics
Table of Contents minLevel 3
a. Topics with an HCI-related focus
Smart Subtitles App: Opera.Guru - available |
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Opera.Guru is an application suite to provide subtitles for live opera performances. (see www.opera.guru for details) The existing application contains a web-based frontend and smartphone app (Android/iOS) and a web-based CMS. The task of this thesis is to add new funcionality and improve existing ones. The goal of this extension is to use the Opera.Guru application suite for events other than opera and to access new user groups as well as new application scenarios. Basic programming skills and knowledge with mobile, web and server applications are recommended. The work for this thesis will include a user study to evaluate the web app. See the project's website for further information and finished theses about opera.guru. |
If you're interested, please contact Peter Reichl (peter.reichl@univie.ac.at) and |
2. Current COSY-Thesis/Praktikum-Topics
Table of Contents minLevel 3
a. Topics with an HCI-related focus
Smart Subtitles App: Opera.Guru |
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Opera.Guru is an application suite to provide subtitles for live opera performances. (see www.opera.guru for details) The existing application contains a smartphone app (Android/iOS) and a web-based CMS. The task of this thesis is to develop a new web app in addition to the existing smartphone app. The goal of this extension is to use the Opera.Guru application suite for events other than opera and to access new user groups as well as new application scenarios. Basic programming skills and knowledge with mobile, web and server applications (Xamarin for Android/iOS apps, IIS) are recommended. The work for this thesis will include a user study to evaluate the web app. See the project's website for further information and finished theses about opera.guru. |
If you're interested, please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) and Peter Reichl (peter.reichl@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the project and your prior experience. |
SANDRA - Das sprechende Schlagzeug |
The current prototype of the SANDRA project is implemented as a display mounted inside a real bass drum. The display is powered by a Raspberry Pi mini computer that runs a Python program for the visualization. It is connected to the drum kit controller via an Arduino microcontroller that handles the communication using the MIDI standard. Several “sets” containing different visualizations can be selected using a custom interface that is also showing the current set number to the drummer. The visualizations are hard coded into the software at this point. Further work will include making the software more modular to enable the drummer to easily create new visualizations and sets. A communication form between the Raspberry Pi and the microcontroller will be needed to update its functionalities without having to flash the ROM for every change in the sets. The hardware may also be updated to be redundant as a measure of fault tolerance. To work within this project is possible as theses (bachelor or master) or praktika (P1 or P2) which can be discussed with the supervisor. Further information is available on the project's website. |
If you're interested, please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the project and your prior experience. |
eParticipation |
Im Rahmen der Entwicklung hin zu einer "Hochgeschwindigkeitsdemokratie" arbeiten wir an einer eParticipation-Plattform mit, die zur vermehrten Einbindung interessierter BürgerInnen in politische, insbesondere parlamentarische Prozesse führen soll. Das Spektrum reicht dabei von Ideenfindungsprozessen bis hin zur Kommentierung von Gesetzesvorlagen. Besonders interessant sind dabei Konzepte zur nachhaltigen Beteiligung und zur Überwindung der Schwelle zwischen physischer und Online-Diskussion. |
If you're interested, please contact Peter Reichl (peter.reichl@univie.ac.at) |
Mobile CoCoVis: Visualizing Multi-Sensorial Time Series Data on a Smartphone Screen - open |
The CoConUT project (http://coconut.cosy.wien) features smartphone apps which collect sensor data (location, speed, noise, nearby Bluetooth devices, heart rate, etc.) for each participant during mobile field studies. Result is a time series which shows information about the context and possibly interesting events the field study participants encountered („Why did the participant slow down on the corner?“, „Why were so many people present nearby during this time period?“, etc.). The data sets hereby consist of sensor data collected during a field study on the participants' smartphones. These time series data should be visualized in the smartphone app itself and enriched by meaningful analyses to enable exploration and potentially reasoning. Focus hereby lies on the visualization for small device screens (smartphone / tablet). Requirements: You have already attended either the Vis and/or the HCI lecture and had good grades. You are fit in Android programming. You don't shy away from statistics. |
If you're interested, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Inspecting Human Errors on the Go - open |
While being on the move the error rate for smartphone usage presumably is higher. But which kinds of errors occur and when do they occur? Do they occur at home, at one's workplace, while being in transit? Is there a difference whether the user is stressed or relaxed? This thesis will explore the aforementioned questions for a specific usage scenario. For example by means of an enhanced Open Source keyboard for Android a deeper look at typing errors on the go could be made. Several other scenarios are possible: mobile security (e.g. while entering the locking pattern), navigation, and so on. Requirements: You are fit in Android programming. You don't shy away from statistics. |
If you're interested, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Engineering Context and Activities by Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects - open |
There are several frameworks which try to automatically assess the context and activity of the user (e.g. the Google Activity framework), but automatically detecting current context and activity remain a challenge. One possibility is to ask the user via notifications and obtain contextual data on a subjective basis, which is highly obtrusive, but quite correct. Another way is using Machine Learning or heuristics to determine the circumstances by automatically evaluating data on the smartphone itself. In this work, you will explore options to assess information about the user's context and activities. Requirements: You are fit in Android programming. You don't shy away from statistics. This preferably is either a P1/P2 or master thesis topic, but it's also possible to take this as an highly ambitious bachelor thesis topic. |
If you're interested, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Regulating Stress via HRV Monitoring - Adaptive Meditation App - open |
In our fast paced society it sometimes is hard to find a peaceful moment. Meditation and self-regulation apps can hereby help to focus on the present moment and regulate oneself by the help of technology. In this work an existing meditation app will be enhanced to incorporate HRV (heart rate variability) measurements into the meditation praxis. Before, during and after a meditation HRV data is gathered via a chestbelt to assess the user's stress level. According to the stress level (on a daily, weekly, monthly... base) the app will be adapted (suggestions, meditations, etc.) and the user will get useful feedback for self-regulation. Requirements: You have already attended the HCI lecture and had good grades. You are fit in Android programming. You don't shy away from statistics. |
If you're interested, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Enhancing the Capabilities of a Mobile Field Study Toolkit - open |
This is an umbrella topic for several works potentially possible in the scope of the CoConUT framework. If you're interested in working on the project, or have some great ideas yourself, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Serious Gaming in Mental e-Health - offen |
Diese Bachelorarbeit ist eine Zusammenarbeit mit einem Studierenden der klinischen Psychologie. Gegenstand ist die Entwicklung und Evaluation einer Smartphone-Applikation, die mithilfe einer Kombination verschiedener psychologisch erprobter Methoden die mentale Gesundheit bei Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen verbessern soll. Während der klinisch-psychologische Teil der Bachelorarbeit sich mit den klinisch-psychologischen Konzepten und der Durchführung der Evaluation auseinandersetzt, wird der informatische Teil die Entwicklung eines motivationalen Konzeptes (Serious Gaming) und die Umsetzung der App mittels eines User Centered Design Cycles umfassen. In einem iterativen soll die Usability der App schrittweise verbessert werden, sodass am Ende des gemeinsamen Aufwandes ein funktionierender App-Prototyp steht. Voraussetzungen: HCI-Vorlesung muss besucht worden sein, Kenntnisse in Programmierung für Android erforderlich |
If you're interested, please contact Svenja Schröder (Svenja.schroeder@univie.ac.at). |
Mobile Application for ABAC-enabled Smart-Home management - vergeben / already taken |
"Develop mobile application that enables control, monitoring and analytics in the Smart-Home secured with ABAC". Make use of the existing solution Smart-Home in COSY:Lab to develop novel mobile application and improve usability of the already integrated sensors and actuators - DHT, Philips Hue... This thesis will have two main aspects:
Testing and verification will be conducted in the COSY:Lab using existing equipment and development and verification environment. |
If you're interested, please contact Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) and Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) |
Chat-bots as the (chat) window to your Smart-Home environment - vergeben |
This topic aims at utilizing a chatbot-type agent to interact with users of a Smart-Home environment. A conversation-based interaction/service design is to be designed to support Smart-Home-related tasks, such as (1) adding and removing IoT-devices to the Smart Home, (2) effective management of access and security policies (ABAC), (3) everyday usage. Your task is to create a chat-bot interaction/service design with regard to usability-related qualities (simplicity, usable and understandable security features) and meaningful features, and make use of the existing Smart-Home setting of COSY:Lab to develop a chat-bot prototype for this context. A small user trial should then collect feedback and test for conceptual feasibility and usability. |
If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) and Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) |
Social Computing meets the Smart Environment: COSY Healthy-Living Bot: Extending the service design - vergeben |
This thesis is about interaction design and prototypical implementation of a chat-bot which supports a healthy lifestyle by incorporating different types of functionality into a holistic service composition. A prototype exists already, and your core job is to further extend the existing service composition by incorporating further APIs and related functionalities. Currently supported are APIs of Google Calendar (supporting scheduling physical activity and healthy eating), Fitbit, as well as APIs of recipe and work-out platforms. What else could be helpful? Be creative! |
If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) |
Social Computing meets the Smart Environment: COSY Healthy-Living Bot: Supporting users with pursuing meaningful fitness goals - open |
This thesis is about interaction design and prototypical implementation of a chat-bot which supports a healthy lifestyle. A prototype exists already, and your core job is to incorporate motivational design, e.g. by means of gamification, in order to support the user with finding meaningful fitness goals. To achieve this, you can make full use of the existing prototype feature-set (already integrated APIs: Google Calendar, Fitbit, Recipe API, Work-Out API) and extend it if necessary. |
If you're interested, please contact Christian Löw (christian.loew@univie.ac.at) |
Social Computing meets the Smart Environment: COSY Healthy-Living Bot: Usability Evaluation - open
This thesis is about usability evaluation of a chat-bot which supports a healthy lifestyle. Your core job is to conduct a usability study on an existing prototype. This will include group discussions with users and a questinaire-based evaluation of usage practice.
Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2.
Social Software meets the Internet of Things (IoT): Sensors and/or displays for a Smart Grätzel community platform - open
This thesis is about interaction design and prototyping of a community platform ("Smart Grätzel") that incorporates IoT devices. This thesis comprises (1) defining a social software concept that supports a given community by incorporating software (e.g. a web-platform, a chat-bot) and IoT devices (e.g sensors or displays), (2) creating a prototype, (3) conducting a small user trial to explore/validate meaning from a user perspective.
Chat-bots as Adaptive Interfaces: Personalizing interaction? - open
This topic is about personalized services. With interfaces getting more and more "smart", possibilities for adaptive functionality and adaptive interaction concepts widen, taking into account the users' preferences, current state or overall personality. This points to the question: Can adapting to situative states and/or personal attributes of a user improve the user experience, usability and overall "successful" usage of a software?
This thesis comprises (1) the identification of a suitable setting for a comparative study (e.g. see Grätzelbot topics, Healthy-Living-Bot topics, or your own topic), (2) the enhancement of the respective user-interface to support adaptive behavior/interaction design, (3) the realization of a comparative usability/user experience study.
Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 or Master's Thesis.
Social Software for Computer-Supported Community-Building - open
This topic is about computer-supported community building. Social networks emanate from purposeful social mingling and interaction and can bring about significant positive social change, a process that can be specifically supported and nurtured, e.g. as described by Plastrik and Taylor (1). While the authors have created their framework before there were social networks like Facebook on the Internet, it seems clear that today's technology can add a lot to this effort.
This thesis is about (1) creating a social software concept that supports the building of ad-hoc social communities, following Plastrik and Taylors approach, and investigating how the specific network goals defined by them can be supported by ICT, (2) prototyping this concept and (3) conducting a small user trial to test for conceptual feasibility.
(1) https://networkimpact.org/downloads/NetGainsHandbookVersion1.pdf
Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 or Master's Thesis.
A youth perspective on social networks - co-designing a social network with children - open
While social networks are very popular among younger people, none of them have been designed from their perspective, putting them first. This topic is about designing a social network from the perspective of youth/young persons. The thesis comprises (1) the participatory design of a social network concept that is based in the interests, wishes and needs of young persons, (2) the prototypical realization of this concept, (3) conducting a small user trial to validate the prototype.
Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 or Master's Thesis.
ScoutApp - A social smartphone application for scouting
This thesis is about designing and creating a smart phone application that supports activities undertaken by the scouts, a worldwide youth movement. The functionality can focus around different areas: (1) An outdoor, location-based gaming application, (2) a social diary aimed at collecting experiences, (3) an application that supports connecting scouts worldwide, ..
The thesis comprises (1) the design of an application concept (2) the prototypical realization of this concept, (3) conducting a small user trial with members of the scout movement to validate the prototype.
Note: This topic is only available as P1/P2 or Master's Thesis.
b. Topics with a Network-related Focus
EDDIE - European Distributed Data Infrastructure for Energy - available |
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There is an increasing need for energy-related technological innovation. Concerning computer science, more and more energy data-based services emerge within and beyond the energy sector, enabled by technological advance as well as the continuous revision of European legislation. COSY will be involved in the design, development and evaluation of new energy-related software services, which are data-driven and human-centred to target and support customers in the best possible way. Possible research activities for the resulting prototypes (e.g., smartphone apps, smart IoT devices) range from soft- and hardware development to user research to support the social acceptance of new energy technologies and increase participation of consumers in energy-related services. |
If you're interested in this topic for your master thesis, bachelor thesis or practicum (P1, P2), please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) or Florian Güldenpfennig (florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the topic and your prior experience. |
User Interface Design for EDDIE https://eddie.energy/ - assigned |
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We are looking for a committed student with an affinity for design or web design who would like to accompany the EDDIE project described above as part of a bachelor's or master's thesis or practicum with a focus on user interface design. In the described project a number of user interfaces will be created, for example, a market place for offering a variety of digital services. In order to contribute to the sustainable success of the project, the student should contribute to the design, analysis and evaluation of these interfaces. Interested persons should work independently and enjoy design: e.g. wireframes, user interface design guidelines, visual design. |
If you're interested in this topic for your master thesis, bachelor thesis or practicum (P1, P2), please contact Florian Güldenpfennig (florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the topic and your prior experience. |
Designing Tangible Interfaces and Interactive Systems with Lego bricks - available |
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Bricks, in particular Lego, are - apart from being a toy - diversly and beneficially used because of their tangible and modular nature that offers a haptic experience and wideranging applicability, e.g., for design, creative thinking or idea finding. However, there is also rich potential to develop interactive brick-built models or turn pure tangible models into interactive systems. One particular useful example is The Playel, which is a Lego Grand Piano turned into a fully MIDI-compliant keyboard. Working on this topic does not require any musical background or special electronic skills, but certainly interest in (re-)building Lego brick models, tinkering and embedded systems (e.g., Arduino, RaspberryPi). |
If you're interested in this topic for your master thesis, bachelor thesis or practicum (P1, P2), please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the topic and your prior experience. |
Neue digitale Musikinstrumente und musikalische Interaktionsformen - available |
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Die Elektrifizierung der Gitarre und der Synthesizer haben vor hundert bzw. fünfzig Jahren die Musik drastisch verändert. Heute sind es digitale und mobile Technologien aller Art von Smartphones, über Mikrocomputer bis hin zur Sensortechnik und künstlicher Intelligenz, die Musik, das Musikmachen und den Musikkonsum verändern. Dazu gehören neue digitale Musikinstrumente und Klangwelten genauso wie neue Interaktionsformen in der Live-Musik, die das Publikum mit den Musikern "vernetzen". Aufbauend auf unsere Forschungsprojekte Breaking The Wall (https://www.piglab.org/breakingthewall) und Sparkling Instruments (http://www.piglab.org/sparkling-instruments) sowie Music Participation (http://www.musicparticipation.com/) bieten sich viele Möglichkeiten für Bachelor- und Masterarbeiten sowie Praktika (P1 und P2) für alle Musik- und Computer-Interessierten. |
Wenn Sie sich für dieses Thema im Rahmen Ihrer Bachelor- oder Masterarbeit oder auch Praktika (P1, P2) interessieren, informieren Sie sich bitte über die beiden oben genannten Projekte auf den jeweiligen Seiten und kontaktieren Sie Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at). Ergänzen Sie bitte in Ihrer Anfrage warum Sie dieses Thema interessiert, welchen Bereich Sie konkret untersuchen möchten und welche fachlichen Kenntnisse Sie dabei mitbringen. |
Design Cards To Go Web App - available |
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Design or method cards are an approach to find inspiration and promote innovation, to think about user needs, behaviour and interaction, to seek for sustainability and to enable gamification and playfulness. The Design Cards To Go Web App (https://designcards.cosy.univie.ac.at/) is a web-based application to provide card sets online. Currently, the app implements the TMAP Design Cards for the design of technology-mediated audience participation in live music. This topic can be done as Bachelor thesis or Praktika (P1, P2). |
If you're interested, please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the project and your prior experience. |
STEAM Learning - Using music instruments for new learning concepts in STEM education - available |
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STEAM is an acronym that combines STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) with arts and humanities (the "A" in STEAM). The topics around STEAM learning can be hardware-focused such as in the research project Sparkling Instruments (http://www.piglab.org/sparkling-instruments) or software-based. In any way you are working on the development and evaluation of novel concepts for STEAM learning in the context of our research project in this area. |
If you're interested, please contact Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) and describe why you are interested in the project and your prior experience. |
Digitalisierung im Ballsaal - available |
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Die Wiener Ballsaison ist nicht nur einzigartig und ein besonderes Erlebnis für alle Besucher, sondern auch ein wichtiger Faktor für den Tourismus, die Wirtschaft und das Image der Stadt Wien. Egal ob auf großen oder kleinen Bällen, im Vordergrund stehen Musik, Tanz und Unterhaltung in eleganter Atmosphäre. Doch auch in den Ballsaal hat auch nach über hundert Jahren die digitale Technik Einzug gehalten. Seien es die Smartphones der Besucher, große Bildschirme auf den Gängen, komplexe Lichtshows oder Barcode-Scanner am Eingang statt der herkömmlichen Eintrittskarte. Die Ballbesucher tanzen und unterhalten sich nicht mehr ausschließlich, sondern posten die schönsten Eindrücke online in diversen sozialen Medien. Am Charakter eines Balles selbst hat sich nun nicht viel geändert. Aber die Möglichkeiten zur Kommunikation, Interaktion und letztendlich Unterhaltung in diesem Rahmen sind mehr geworden. Das wirft unmittelbar Fragen auf: Wie können digitale Systeme im Rahmen eines Balles genutzt oder weiterentwickelt werden und welchen Bedarf gibt es? Die konkreten Fragestellungen für eine Abschlussarbeit in diesem Themenkomplex sind vielseitig und können sowohl technischer als auch gestalterischer Natur sein. |
Wenn Sie sich für dieses Thema im Rahmen Ihrer Bachelor- oder Masterarbeit oder auch Praktika interessieren, kontaktieren Sie bitte Oliver Hödl (oliver.hoedl@univie.ac.at) und ergänzen Sie warum Sie dieses Thema interessiert, welchen Bereich Sie konkret untersuchen möchten und welche fachlichen Kenntnisse Sie dabei mitbringen. |
Data Visualization on Small Displays - assigned |
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The objective of this Praktikum or Bachelor's Thesis is to explore how sensor readings, such as energy data, can be displayed on small devices (e.g., 240 x 240 pixels) to offer users interesting information on small gadgets in their daily lives. The topic may also be expanded into a master's thesis if applicable. Programming microcontrollers using the Arduino IDE and relevant display libraries will be essential for this project. |
If you are interested in this topic, please contact florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at |
Interaction Logger for User Studies - available |
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When evaluating interactive applications such as web applications, mobile apps, smart IoT gadgets, etc., the interactions of the users play a crucial role. To be able to analyze these within user studies, they must be logged (e.g., by calling a URL on a study server, provided the interactive application is connected to the Internet). Later, this information becomes invaluable in research contexts. The goal of this work is to develop an interaction logger for user studies as a web application (technology stack of your choice). The project can be conducted as a bachelor’s thesis, master’s thesis, or "Informatik Praktikum". For the latter, a concept should be developed as an interactive prototype. For a bachelor’s or master’s thesis, interviews with (professional) developers and researchers should first be conducted to determine their needs when logging in the context of user studies, and these needs should then be implemented as a prototype. This work is suitable for students with an interest in user research and web development. |
If you are interested in this topic, please contact florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at |
Visualization of the Problem Space of Data-Driven Services - available |
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The goal of this bachelor's thesis or "Informatik Praktikum" is to create an (interactive) visualization that depicts the problem space and possibilities surrounding energy data in the development of innovative applications. In recent years, there have been intensive efforts to centralize the consumption data of energy consumers in Europe into shared data-spaces. This has led to a landscape with a variety of innovative business models and use cases. The work is divided into two parts. First, the problem space needs to be explored. We have conducted and transcribed a series of interviews. These documents need to be evaluated, and if necessary, supplementary literature research should be conducted. This work is particularly suitable for students who want to dive into qualitative data analysis and then creatively explore the presentation of the results. |
If you are interested in this topic, please contact florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at |
b. Topics with a Network-related Focus
Federated Online Social Network Monitoring - available |
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The Mastodon network - currently around 1.5 million monthly active accounts on +10000 servers - is regarded as the most successful alternative online social network yet: Unlike Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok - this service is NOT based on manipulative strategies like targeted advertising and algorithmic outrage maximisation - which are posing imminent threats to democracies worldwide - and for this reason, the network keeps evolving rapidly. → However, its decentralized nature creates exciting challenges for monitoring "network health". Your task is to:
Further reading: https://fediverse.party/en/mastodon Further watching: "The State of the Federation, with Mastodon's Eugen Rochko" https://flipboard.video/w/cTBu4HusskGTuPBahqm6WY Further watching: "Die rosarote Brille des Fediverse" https://media.ccc.de/v/rc3-857362-die_rosarote_brille_des_fediverse If you are interested in the future of online social networking systems (democratically legitimised moderation and algorithms + resistance against spam, censorship, denial-of-service...) then this topic may be something for you |
If you're interested, please contact Paul Fuxjäger (paul.fuxjaeger(at)univie.ac.at). |
Markdown Spreadsheets - available |
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Markdown is a simple text formatting method that translates to HTML and other formats easily. Extensions exist to add table formatting to Markdown as well. In this project, you devise a method to augment Markdown with spreadsheet functionality. That is, your Markdown version should understand simple formulas, cell references etc., much like LibreOffice Calc, Gnumeric, or Excel do, and be able to calculate formula values. Outcomes of this project may include:
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If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
Markdown for Questionnaires - available |
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(For some context of Markdown, see above :-) The plan for this topic is:
The topic includes a survey and comparison of existing tools and literature on (online) surveying, a usable implementation, and a qualitative evaluation with prospective users of the technology. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
Pure Data Software Engineering Best Practices - available |
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Pure Data is a visual language for multimedia computing. Pure Data programs, usually called "patches", may use various software engineering techniques such as modularization to achieve better readability, reusability, and maintainability. There exist some established patterns. Yet, there is little introductory literature on on them. In this project, you research the existing material such as public patches and libraries, Pure Data's own documentation system and included examples, and your own experience creating programs in this (and other) programming language(s). The outcome of the project is a set of well-documented worked examples of good software engineering practices in Pure Data. Participation and research intervention in our current course Network-based Communication Ecosystems is possible – you are invited to include our students in your research. We can also connect you with the international community of Pure Data users and developers for further investigation. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
An open-source GVRP/GARP dissector for Wireshark - available |
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Wireshark is a renowned measurement and analysis software for computer networks. Its dissector library is large, yet lower-layer protocols such as GARP and GVRP (protocols for configuration management between switches in LANs) are only partially implemented, do not appear to be tested, lack documentation, etc. Your task in this project is to assess the state of GARP / GVRP / GMRP protocol support in Wireshark through experiments, and extend the implementation and documentation to support the use cases that you identify as most relevant. For this project, you will work with practical network equipment such as switches and wiretaps, as well as write software in C, and glue code in other languages. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
iLO Hacking - available |
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Server hardware includes management interfaces to remote-control the hardware and BIOS of a server even if the main operating system or hypervisor becomes inaccessible through usual means such as ssh. For this, a fully separate embedded system is built into the server. It provides its own firmware and operating system, RAM, storage, a separate physical Ethernet port, and low-level access to the running server hardware (e.g. fan and power supply status) and software (e.g. main memory of the server). Little is known about the actual software comprising these management interfaces, although (mostly-informal) investigations have been conducted, e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Feel free to research other projects, useful search terms include iLO, IPMI, iDRAC, LOM, OOB, BMC... In this project, you aim to expand and formalize this knowledge by trying out existing and developing new methods of analyzing and modifying firmware of management interfaces. A distant goal could be a fully free and open-source operating system, e.g. based on OpenWrt, for a management controller. We have multiple HP servers from different generations at our disposal for hardware analysis and hacking. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
A Configurable Études Generator - assigned |
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Études are musical pieces designed as practice materials for perfecting particular musical skills (Wikipedia). The skills to be perfected can differ (in difficulty and category) from étude to étude, and are different between instruments, players, and also dimensions of musical content (melody, harmony, rhythm). Develop a sufficiently generic, configurable generator for études that outputs études of choosable difficulty. For this, define a system that encodes the difficulty of a task to be studied, and transformations that assess the difficulty of combinations of study tasks appropriately. |
Public IP Fog-based Smart Home services reachability |
This thesis relies heavily on computer networks knowledge, especially in layers 3,4,5 of TCP/IP stack. Goal of this thesis is to enable access to the services provided in local network to the public IP. Therefore, in scope of this topic you will get very familiar and try out multiple network protocols, such as HTTP, WebSockets, MQTT,AMQP, NAT, UPnP, etc...Or whatever else you find suitable to resolve the given challenge! This thesis relies on already existing Smart Home framework, developed in the Cooperative Systems research group. The framework - COSYLab, already provides all the required services, such as user and device management, sensing capabilities. Your assignment is "just" to expose these services to be reachable all over the world and adapt existing mobile and web applications to make use of the implemented reachability. |
If you're interested, please contact Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) |
Configuration engine for Smart-Home environment |
"Define event-based environment for runtime configuration of the Smart-Home and make Smart-Home smarter" Make use of the collected data from the sensors in the Smart-Home and define events that could be of interest to define optimal behavior of the Smart-Home appliances. Use defined events and bind them with script language(JavaScript for example) to trigger proper actions and optimise usage of the Smart-Home sensors( disable temperature readings if there isn't any user present in the system). This solution will be integrated with already existing Smart-Home management framework, present on COSY:Lab. |
If you're interested, please contact Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) |
Indoor localization Access Control management |
"Manage Access Control policies based on presence of users in the Smart-Home" Integrate some of the existing technologies for localization and presence detection(RDIF, BLE) with ABAC-enabled Smart-Home management system. Goal of this thesis is to enable definition and validation of the access policies in Smart-Home that required users' presence events as input and allow/forbid particular actions in Smart-Home based on those events. This solution will be integrated with already existing Smart-Home management framework, present on COSY:Lab. |
If you're interested, please contact Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) |
Blockchain-based Smart Home device registry |
"Use blockchain to make services, features and bugs of IoT devices transparent to all users!" Implement blockchain-based storage for all types of sensors, which are used inside of Smart Home framework. This storage should contain information on supported functionalities on the devices, combined with firmware versions of sensors. Moreover, this registry should support option of providing client-side feedback on some sensor services and whether they work properly, so that other Smart Home framework users can become more aware of possible malfunctions and/or security breaches inside their Smart Homes. Ultimate goal is to achieve trust reputation network, which would make perfect match with blochain properties, such as : backward traceability, immutability and transparency. |
If you're interested, please contact Nemanja Ignjatov (nemanja.ignjatov@univie.ac.at) |
Traffic And Load Models For ISM- And SRD-Band LoRa |
LoRa is an emerging proprietary physical-layer modulation technology for IoT WANs; LoRaWAN adds gateways and network uplink to bridge Things to the Internet. This project proposes to investigate traffic on the frequency bands locally used for LoRa (see for example https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/community/vienna/ ) and suggest spatial, spectral, and traffic load models for this new type of data communication. Collaboration with Vienna's community-driven, partipatory LoRaWAN installation by https://openiot.network is welcome. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
A FLOSS Framework For Exponentially-Swept Sine Based Measurement Techniques |
Excitation with exponentially-swept sines allows for measurements of transfer functions of weakly nonlinear, approximately time-invariant systems. Implement a framework, e.g. in Octave (MATLAB) or NumPy, that streamlines generating the required sweeps, deconvolutions etc., and demonstrate its applicability in a practical study (e.g. room acoustics). web.uvic.ca/~timperry/ELEC499SurroundSoundImpulseResponse/Elec499-SurroundSoundIR-PreREVA.pdf |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
IP networks with dynamically changing uplinks - available |
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Routing and upstream/downstream traffic flows in IP networks have certain protocol and time constraints for working correctly. This project investigates challenges and opportunities opened up by making the network's uplink change dynamically, e.g. attach to a different address block while traffic flows are still active. What happens to current-day applications in situations like these? What protocol adaptations are required to lessen the impact of uplink dynamics? What timescales are reasonable for reconvergence? (Etc.) |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
A Calls-for-Papers Metadata System - available |
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Academic work includes presenting one's research results to the community at conferences and in printed publications. Unfortunately, the dissemination of conference dates, times, places etc. through calls-for-papers happens in an ad-hoc manner, e.g. by e-mail or on websites. Your task is to design a metadata system for conference organizers that encodes deadlines, keywords, tracks, formats, roles and so on in a structured, machine- and human-readable form and includes interfaces for both professional conference management systems and end-user calendar software. You design both the format for data exchange, and the distributed, federated system architecture that provides a simple implementation path for interested parties (servers and clients). Furter reading: https://github.com/rtholmes/conf-data (a system to encode data for use during conferences), http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification, https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5545 (iCal) |
Sensor Calibration With Household Items |
This project proposes to develop and investigate methods that allow for simple, repeatable calibration of smartphone sensors using elementary physics and household items. A method should thus require little or no special hardware, apart from what is typically available on/in one's desk, drawers, and kitchen provide intrinsic (or readily procurable) means for comparison measurements, be repeatable easily so that multiple measurements can be taken, facilitating variations of parameters or devices, and statistical analysis of the results. Needless to say, the device under test should not be damaged by an experiment. Potential experiment techniques include Swings, pendulums with controllable physical dimensions (and thus oscillation periods), Springs ,Free fall, throwing; sliding on inclined planes, Rolling (e.g. inside of a can), Comparison measurements with one device attached to another. More notes: https://github.com/SensibilityTestbed/sensibility-testbed/issues/33 |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
Fuzz The OLSR2 Routing Daemon |
The Optimized Link State Routing protocol version 2 (OLSR2 on GitHub, RFC 7188) is a routing protocol for wireless mesh networks. Your task is to automate tests against OLSR2 that try its functionality and check its correct functioning for a variety of valid and invalid inputs, both from the network and from local configuration. Vectors include the syntax and semantics of OLSR2's RFC 5444-encoded messages, but also any config files that the deamon uses, or the operating system's routing tables (see e.g. Routing Tables of Death). Since OLSR2 aims to run on low-power embedded hardware platforms such as WiFi routers, DoS scenarios (memory / CPU / storage exhaustion) are in scope as well. Additionally, glitches should be analysed for their effect on a practical mesh network of ~10 devices. Since OLSR2 is Free, Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), you should also disclose responsibly and fix any bugs you may find! |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
AConfigurable Études Generator |
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Études are musical pieces designed as practice materials for perfecting particular musical skills (Wikipedia). The skills to be perfected can differ (in difficulty and category) from étude to étude, and are different between instruments, players, and also dimensions of musical content (melody, harmony, rhythm). Develop a sufficiently generic, configurable generator for études that outputs études of choosable difficulty. For this, define a system that encodes the difficulty of a task to be studied, and transformations that assess the difficulty of combinations of study tasks appropriately. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
universal Smart Home API - vergeben |
The Smart Home communication protocol environment is heavily fragmented and many standards compete for integration. Thus, interoperability and unified control are not possible in most cases. Your task is to:
Your Project should be implemented in a lightweight language such as MicroPython. Experience programming for microcontrollers (Arduino, ESP, NodeMCU) would be a plus. |
Fake Data Generator (Test-data API) - assigned |
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Design brief in short: Write a RESTful API that outputs data previously stored in a CSV file! Data is recognized as an essential 'raw material' of the future, and it's no secret that many modern applications are extremely data-intensive. For development purposes and user studies, having access to synthetic data of any kind can be quite beneficial. The task for the Praktikum, Bachelor's, or Master's Thesis is to develop a web application that primarily fulfills the following requirements:
Motivation: If one wanted to develop another application (not part of the Praktikum/Bachelor's/Master's Thesis) that, for example, deals with stock prices, then the API of the Fake Data Generator should provide the data for this app, thereby enabling tests to determine how well the app functions, etc. Technology: We prefer Django, but we are flexible. |
Multimedia Coding Efficiency Under Scaling |
This topic concerns the efficiency of encoders for visual media (JPEG, H.26[45]) when scaling the source media. Your aim is to model how the storage requirements change as the resolution and framerate of the source media changes. The investigation uses source media with extremely high spatial and temporal resolution. Using resampling/pulldown, versions with lower resolutions are created and encoded in order to study the parameter space. Different visual contents provide a further dimension to investigate. Furthermore, you study upsampling methods (such as linear and cubic interpolation) and their impact on encoding efficiency. |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univie.ac.at) |
IP networks with dynamically changing uplinks |
Routing and upstream/downstream traffic flows in IP networks have certain protocol and time constraints for working correctly. This project investigates challenges and opportunities opened up by making the network's uplink change dynamically, e.g. attach to a different address block while traffic flows are still active. What happens to current-day applications in situations like these? What protocol adaptations are required to lessen the impact of uplink dynamics? What timescales are reasonable for reconvergence? (Etc.) |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univieFlorian Güldenpfennig (florian.gueldenpfennig@univie.ac.at) |
c. Further Topics
Reverse Engineering a Quantum Computing Educational Toolkit - available |
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In unserer Forschungsgruppe entsteht derzeit ein neues Teaching Lab zum Thema "Quantum Computing", das in einem ersten Schritt mit Equipment des Startups https://phasespacecomputing.com/ betrieben wird. In dieser Arbeit soll untersucht werden, inwieweit der dort gewählte Ansatz, Quantengatter mit Hilfe klassischer Schaltungen zu emulieren, im Sinne eines "Reverse Engineering" reproduziert und ausgebaut werden kann. Hierzu benötigen Sie ein grundsätzliches Verständnis der Eigenschaften von Quantenschaltungen sowie ausgeprägte praktische Fähigkeiten und Geschick im Bereich Hardwarebau, ausserdem viel Selbständigkeit und Fantasie. |
Network Packet Trace Anonymization - vergeben / already taken |
Recordings of network traffic play an important role in studying the network behavior of nodes, applications, and users. Unfortunately, these traces also contain quasi-personally identifiable information (PII) which makes sharing or publishing traces problematic. Develop a tool or extend existing ones (libpcap, Wireshark) to anonymize traces to various degrees. For this, identify types of PII found in traces, and evaluate methods to pseudonymize or otherwise scrub the records. Note: This project is a great start into the world of Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS)! |
If you're interested, please contact Albert Rafetseder (albert.rafetseder@univiePeter Reichl (peter.reichl@univie.ac.at) |