RIG hosts first German Robotics Conference

RIG, with its unique network of 14 top research institutions and over 20 strategic partners, aims to lead the advancements in AI-powered robotics in Germany. The initiative focuses on five key areas: research, education, infrastructure, benchmarking, and transfer & industry. These pillars embody RIG's mission to increase international visibility, attract top talent, and accelerate progress in AI-powered robotics.

The conference in Nuremberg offered an impressive set of panel discussions, keynote talks, and interactive demos. The inaugural GRC was carried out under the guidance of Angela Schoellig from TUM (RIG Coordinator) and Tamim Asfour from KIT (RIG Spokesperson), who played crucial roles in moderating several sessions and leading many discussions.

MPI-IS director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker gives keynote on haptic intelligence

A noteworthy event was MPI-IS director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker's participation in a panel discussion about Germany’s AI-powered robotics future. She praised the robust funding support available in Germany for fundamental robotics research and the synergies from the thematic clusters within RIG. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker also delivered a fascinating keynote on haptic intelligence, shedding light on this often-overlooked aspect of human interaction that holds immense potential for enhancing the physical touch capabilities of digital and robotic systems.

MPI-IS research group leader Florian Hartmann gives a talk about soft robots

Significantly, one of our research group leaders, Florian Hartmann, presented an engaging short talk titled “Soft Robots for the Environment” based on his recent first-author paper in Science Robotics. He addressed the potential applications of fast, autonomous, swimming robots with high maneuverability for environmental monitoring and aquatic research. His talk emphasized the diversity of challenges facing robotics and the exciting frontiers and new materials yet to be explored.

Mooaz Hudhud Mughrabi (left) and Yijie Gong (right) teleoperate a Nao robot combined with the haptic feedback system AiroTouch

Moreover, the conference featured researchers from the Haptic Intelligence Department and the Robotics Central Scientific Facility. They showcased hands-on demonstrations including the vision-based tactile sensor Minsight, live teleoperation of a Nao robot combined with the haptic feedback system AiroTouch, and live teleoperation of ISyHand, a low-cost four-finger robotic hand invented in the institute. Several MPI-IS teams also presented posters, and doctoral researcher Farimah Fazlollahi also gave a short talk.

Former MPI-IS group leader Jan Peters (far left) and MPI-IS director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker take part in a panel discussion during the conference.

Another notable focus during the conference was the emphasis on dialogues between academia and industry in the “Transfer & Industry” panel, which included representatives from companies including Siemens, ABB, Neura Robotics and KUKA. A key theme that surfaced was the critical need for scientific efforts to tackle tangible, real-world problems. This perspective is central to fostering a practical and productive collaboration between academia and industry.

As the conference concluded, participants discussed the future of RIG as a permanent entity in Germany. The idea of maintaining RIG's lifespan through persistent challenges, from internal synergies and collaborations to the prospect of large grant applications, was a compelling point of the discussion.

Alongside the conference, the RoboCup German Open 2025 — an influential competition for intelligent robots — was simultaneously running with guided tours. Witnessing young students coding and creating robots over the weekend was particularly inspiring for the attendees, and it reinforced the importance of nurturing young talent for future developments in AI-based robotics.

In summary, the first German Robotics Conference left its mark as a pivotal event on the German robotics landscape, embodying the very spirit of RIG: to foster connections, to drive advancements in AI-powered robotics, and to ensure the practical transfer of our scientific discoveries. We at MPI-IS eagerly anticipate the future milestones we will achieve through our continued partnership with RIG.