Innovation

To better assess the danger posed by volcanoes, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new measurement system. Laser beams are sent through escaping gas clouds and reflected by drones. An algorithm uses the reflected signals to generate a map showing gas concentrations, including elevated carbon dioxide levels. The ratio of carbon dioxide to sulfur dioxide is an important indicator of impending eruptions. [read more]

Building with aerial robots, especially in places that are difficult or impossible for humans to access: this is the goal of the new EU-funded research project HARPA, which is receiving four million euros in funding. Technical University of Munich Professor of Digital Fabrication Kathrin Dörfler is researching digital construction methods and strategies suitable for this type of assembly. [read more]

For her scientific achievements in grasping and manipulation in robotic and prosthetic applications, TUM MIRMI professor Cristina Piazza has been awarded one of five IEEE RAS Early Academic Career Awards in Robotics and Automation, one of the most prestigious international distinctions for emerging faculty in robotics. [read more]

Using a film containing 128 electrodes, researchers at the Technical University of Munich are now able to read a user’s intended movements directly from the motor neuron. According to tests carried out on healthy individuals and one participant with limb loss, this can improve the precision of prosthetic movements. Questions for Johanna Happold, who conducts research under the ‘Healthcare and Rehabilitation Robotics’ professorship led by Prof. Cristina Piazza. [read more]

Although ports are often perceived as highly automated environments, many key processes in terminal operations are still carried out manually. Munich-based startup SEAL Robotics develops robotic solutions for safer and more efficient port logistics. In this interview, CTO Dr. Daniel Leidner, former robotics researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), discusses real-world challenges in port operations and the role of robotics in container logistics. [read more]

It is cyber-secure, cloud-independent, calculates like the human brain (neuromorphic), is based on 7 nm technology and is the first AI chip ever developed at a university in the EU. Two and a half years after Prof. Hussam Amrouch presented the concept in the journal Nature, the chip is now complete. ‘An important step towards technological self-determination in Europe,’ says TUM President Thomas Hofmann. [read more]

RobCo, a Munich-based robotics start-up founded by three former robotics students of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from the Chair of Prof. Alois C. Knoll, has raised USD 100 million to further expand its AI-driven automation solutions for industrial production. [read more]

An underwater robot that collects trash, an AI chip that is independent of the cloud, and a brain chip that enables paralyzed people to move again: these are the ten best contributions to robotics from the last year of research, sorted by their reach in the national and international media landscape. [read more]

A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with partners from the mobility and chip sectors, has developed a new software architecture that could reshape how autonomous vehicles operate. [read more]

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have introduced a new method demonstrating how precisely controlled mechanical impulses can guide stem cell development. [read more]