A new nationwide network of strong university partners and non-university research institutions for the development of intelligent robotics solutions was launched on July 1, 2024. The aim of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) is to promote cutting-edge research and talent in AI-based robotics and to make Germany a pioneer in embodied AI. As an associated partner, the TU Ilmenau will contribute its many years of expertise in cognitive robotics and neuroinformatics to the new network of cutting-edge research locations.
Intelligent robotics solutions will not only transform the economy, but also change our lives in the long term. With their expertise, scientists in Germany are already among the international leaders who are helping to shape research, education and the transfer of AI-based robotics to society worldwide.
In order to strategically bundle this expertise in the future and align it even more closely with the needs in Germany, the top locations for robotics in Germany will establish the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) over the next four years under the leadership of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Alongside ten universities, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, three Fraunhofer Institutes (IPA, IOSB and IML) and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), TU Ilmenau is one of 15 associated universities contributing their expertise to the network.
As a central point of contact for robotics in Germany, the new robotics institute will not only further strengthen Germany's global competitiveness, but also help to share infrastructure and resources in the interests of sustainability, simplify the transfer of research results for industry and promote talent at school and through new university robotics curricula, master's and doctoral programs. In addition, the institute will also set new standards for the evaluation of robotic systems in areas such as personal assistance, flexible production or logistics - robotics areas in which the TU Ilmenau has more than 20 years of experience. Prof. Horst-Michael Groß, Head of the Department of Cognitive Robotics and Neuroinformatics and the Thuringian Center for Learning Systems and Robotics (TZLR) at the TU Ilmenau:
We are looking forward to contributing our expertise in AI-based robotics to the new institute. We have already developed such AI processes for TOOMAS, the world's first mobile shopping assistance robot suitable for everyday use, in particular for person-centered autonomous robot navigation and multimodal human-robot interaction, which then led to exciting further research topics in social assistance and rehabilitation robotics as well as production assistance.
In addition to networking with the other partners, the TU Ilmenau will primarily be involved in the RIG's talent program, the practical use and benchmarking of robotic systems and the transfer to robotics companies.
Contact
Prof. Horst-Michael Groß
Head of the Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics Lab