Daniel Rixen is a man of teaching. The professor with a chair in Applied Mechanics at TUM is used to large lectures. In Technical Mechanics (TM), there are regularly over 500 students attending. Up to five subjects with up to ten lecture hours per week are on his programme semester after semester: "In addition to research, my particular priority is teaching," says Rixen, who joined TUM in 2012. "If possible, I try to give all the lectures myself, and in such a way that the students—and of course I—are satisfied." So it's no wonder that Rixen sits on the board of TUM's Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI), founded in 2018, with "his" topic of teaching.
TUM: Around 3,200 robotics graduates from TUM so far
Together with Prof. David Franklin, his aim at MIRMI is to continuously improve robotics education at TUM. Prof. Alois Knoll from the School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT) created the first robotics degree programme more than 15 years ago: the Master's degree in Robotics, Cognition and Intelligence. Two further degree programmes, one in Mechatronics, Robotics and Biomedical Engineering (from the School for Engineering and Design, ED) and a specialisation in Automation and Robotics within the Master's programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering (from the CIT), are now available for those interested in robotics. Around 3,200 students have graduated from TUM with a degree in robotics; around 1,800 young roboticists are currently studying, and more than 500 start every year. "That's a great success," says Rixen. Each Master's programme has its own focus. One leans more toward computer science, another on automation and control engineering, and the third on mechatronics—i.e., the development of robots as machines and their application in production, for example.
International Master's programme in Robotics and Machine Intelligence planned
International and national students who are particularly motivated and qualified are to be trained in a new TUM Master's degree programme—the international Master's in Robotics and Machine Intelligence (RoMI), promoted together with MIRMI Professor Achim Lilienthal. The aim is to admit around 40 students per year, not only to teach the breadth of robotics technologies, but also to focus more on practical application than before. "Highly motivated students will be encouraged to learn about the diversity of robotics and implement it in projects," says Prof. Rixen. Promising ideas may be taken up and, if appropriate, developed into start-ups or research projects. "An excellent education plus practical suitability will make up this degree programme," says Rixen. The programme is scheduled to start in the 2026 winter semester.
View current Master's programmes
The first Bachelor's degree programme in Mechatronics is coming
A corresponding Bachelor's programme in "Mechatronics" is also being prepared for entry-level students. It will focus more on robotics and less on machine intelligence. Ultimately, it is more about actuators (i.e., motors) and their control, as well as robot systems based on models and mechanical engineering expertise, rather than software needed for autonomous movement. The new programme is being developed in the School of Engineering & Design to cover the breadth of mechatronics. "The programme will be very suitable preparation for a subsequent Master's in robotics," explains Rixen.
The MIRMI graduate programme is aimed at people interested in robotics from all disciplines
The dilemma of robotics also lies in the fact that robotics is inherently interdisciplinary. And this goes beyond the subjects in the Master's programmes. This is evident from the fact that professors with very different areas of expertise are involved in MIRMI. Whether surgery, electrical engineering, mechanics, artificial intelligence, computer science, chip development, ergonomics, or ethics: all disciplines contribute to "robotics" to some extent. Operating theatre robots, exoskeletons, prosthetic hands, and many other developments require collaboration between medical professionals, neuroscientists, and traditional roboticists. Many solutions cannot be found with core technical competencies alone. This is one of the reasons MIRMI created the graduate programme, which is explicitly aimed at all doctoral students, including those from non-technical fields such as medicine, ethics, or the social sciences. Launched in October 2023, around 50 doctoral students are already enrolled. Those who complete the programme receive an additional certificate in robotics and machine intelligence. It includes seminars on the economic and social significance of robotics, subject-specific training, and cross-institute courses. "However, we also want to prepare doctoral students to found start-ups and launch products," says Rixen. How do you certify robots, patent new ideas, and what causes start-ups to fail? These are some of the topics covered. The programme will also be open to future doctoral students from other universities. "We are currently working within the framework of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) to improve inter-university exchange and develop a joint concept, so seminars held at TUM can also be attended elsewhere and vice versa," says Rixen, who expects the graduate programme to become more flexible as a result.
Further information abouth the MIRMI graduate program
“Students simply tick differently after Covid.”
Whether it's a Bachelor's, Master's, or graduate programme: in the end, it’s important that students take something away from the lectures. Prof. Rixen is constantly reinventing himself. "If more than 50 percent of students fail an exam, something has gone wrong in the teaching," says Rixen. That’s why he not only publishes all past exam solutions but also offers on-site lectures, streams them, and makes all materials available online. His lecture on robot dynamics is already fully online, with on-site support and a mix of video lectures and online exercises. "Students simply tick differently after Covid," says Rixen. "So lecturers also have to adapt here and there."
Text: Andreas Schmitz