News & Awards

Haptic Intelligence News 16-04-2025 Max Planck Partner Group established to strengthen ties between MPI-IS and the University of Tennessee Knoxville Assistant Professor at UTK receives five-year funding from the Max Planck Society Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Rachael Burns

Haptic Intelligence News 18-03-2025 RIG hosts first German Robotics Conference MPI-IS scientists showcase their research on soft robotics and haptic intelligence Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), founded with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), successfully hosted the first German Robotics Conference (GRC) at the Nuremberg Convention Center on March 13-15. This significant event brought together about 500 participants, including leading scientific minds based in Germany, prominent industry pioneers, and 15 current employees from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Jonathan Fiene Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Birgül Akolpoglu Yijie Gong Felix Grüninger Moaaz Hudhud Mughrabi Florian Hartmann

Haptic Intelligence News 17-05-2024 Katherine Kuchenbecker debates about the peer-review process at ICRA 2024 At this year’s five-day event in Yokohama, Kuchenbecker and other leading scientists from the robotics community argued the pros and cons of three controversial topics: single-blind peer review, generative AI, and the relevance of universities for modern robotics. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 09-10-2023 David Gueorguiev receives ERC Starting Grant The researcher from the Haptic Intelligence Department and from CNRS receives 1.5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). He and his team will develop an experimental and computational framework that will open new possibilities for engineers and designers to develop applications that rely on the sense of touch. David Gueorguiev Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 22-08-2023 Blog: Creating the Tools to Conserve our Wildlife Conservation tools vary, but are united in their potential to aid conservation of wildlife We have published a perspectives piece on the different tools used throughout the world that are aiding in conservation of wildlife, and helping preserve the biodiversity of our planet. The perspectives highlight advances in technology, including both hardware and software, as well as frugal resources that are changing the way animals are conserved. For researchers and persons interested in learning about the ways conservation technology and tools are created and the foundational building blocks this piece serves as a starter guide to the field. Andrew Schulz

Haptic Intelligence News 13-07-2023 Haptic Intelligence Keeping in Touch with Research at World Haptics 2023 Director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker and 24 other current members of the MPI-Haptic Intelligence (HI) Department presented an abundance of their current research projects at the 2023 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC) at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in Delft, Netherlands. Dr. Yasemin Vardar, a former HI Department postdoctoral researcher and current Assistant Professor at TU Delft, helped organize the conference as Local Arrangements Chair. WHC combines EuroHaptics, AsiaHaptics, and the IEEE Haptics Symposium (North America) every other year. The HI team presented posters for six work-in-progress (WIP) papers, posters for two IEEE Transactions on Haptics (ToH) articles, a talk for one World Haptics technical paper and three hands-on demonstrations. Dr. Kuchenbecker also served on the four-person Editorial Board that managed the review of all ToH short papers and technical papers submitted to the conference. Additionally, HI’s brand-new CaCTüS intern, Moaaz Mughrabi, supported the conference as a student volunteer by helping participants check in, get accustomed to the presentation rooms, and set up their posters and demos. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Iris Andrussow Giulia Ballardini Farimah Fazlollahi Ifat Gertler Yijie Gong David Gueorguiev Ravali Gourishetti Moaaz Hudhud Mughrabi Autumn Hughes Haliza MatHusin Bernard Javot Behnam Khojasteh Rachael Lorsa Zhaoyang Li Ben Richardson Baptiste Rohou--Claquin Nataliya Rokhmanova Natalia Sanchez-Tamayo Andrew Schulz Gokhan Serhat Demet Tangolar Arekh Tiwari Lijuan Wang Cara Nunez Hasti Seifi Adam Spiers Yasemin Vardar Jonathan Fiene Hojin Lee Yitian Shao

Haptic Intelligence News 15-11-2022 Gokhan Serhat and Yitian Shao become faculty members at prestigious European universities KU Leuven and TU Dresden have hired outstanding postdoctoral researchers from the MPI-IS Haptic Intelligence Department Gokhan Serhat Yitian Shao

Haptic Intelligence News 22-05-2022 HI at EuroHaptics 2022 Director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker and sixteen other members of the MPI-IS Haptic Intelligence (HI) Department presented seven of their current research projects at the 2022 EuroHaptics conference, which was held on-site and in-person from May 22 to 25, 2022, in Hamburg, Germany. EuroHaptics is a major international conference on haptics and touch-enabled computer applications and is the primary European meeting for researchers in this field. Together, the HI team presented two workshop talks, one workshop poster, two oral session talks, and three hands-on demonstrations, winning one award. Two HI members also chaired sessions of the conference. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Gokhan Serhat Hasti Seifi Yasemin Vardar David Gueorguiev Gunhyuk Park Bernard Javot Saekwang Nam Farimah Fazlollahi Alexis Block

Haptic Intelligence News 31-03-2022 Otto Hahn Medal awarded to Alexis E. Block The Max Planck Society honors Block with this prestigious award for her fundamental and innovative research in the field of human-robot interaction through the creation and evaluation of intelligent hugging robots. Alexis Block Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Autonomous Learning Haptic Intelligence News 24-02-2022 Fingertip sensitivity for robots Striving to improve touch sensing in robotics, scientists developed a thumb-shaped sensor with a camera hidden inside and trained a deep neural network to infer its haptic contact information. When something touches the finger, the system constructs a three-dimensional force map from the visible deformations of its flexible outer shell. This research invention significantly improves a robot finger’s haptic perception, coming ever closer to the sense of touch of human skin. Huanbo Sun Georg Martius Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 17-01-2022 HI-Department featured in MaxPlanckForschung In its upcoming edition, the science magazine of the Max Planck Society features several of the research projects of the Haptic Intelligence Department. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Rachael Burns Alexis Block

Haptic Intelligence News 09-11-2021 Hyosang Lee appointed new Cyber Valley Research Group Leader The former PostDoc in the Haptic Intelligence Department started his new position at the Institute for Smart Sensors at the University of Stuttgart on October 1, 2021. Hyosang Lee Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 06-04-2021 Challenging the design of electrovibrations to generate a more realistic feel A user should feel realistic haptic feedback on a touchscreen embedded with electrovibration technology – independent of the number of fingers used, the movements made, or the pressure applied to the screen. Unfortunately, not even the most advanced touchscreen devices provide a realistic user experience – all images feel like glass. In the near future, a completely rethought design of the electrical signals causing the haptic sensation could close the gap between reality and fiction. In an experiment, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Delft University of Technology laid the foundation for rethinking the design approach, generating more compelling tactile sensations on touchscreens, and improving the usability of mobile devices. Yasemin Vardar Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 08-10-2020 Haptic Intelligence Department rocks EuroHaptics 2020! Experiences with a hybrid conference during the COVID-19 pandemic Director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker and fourteen other members of the MPI-IS Haptic Intelligence (HI) Department presented twelve of their current research projects at the first-ever hybrid EuroHaptics conference. This meeting took place both physically and virtually from September 6 to 9, 2020, in Leiden, Netherlands. EuroHaptics is the primary European meeting for researchers working on haptic perception and technology. Together, the HI team presented nine work-in-progress (WIP) posters and three hands-on demonstrations, winning one award and being a finalist for another. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Hasti Seifi Yasemin Vardar Rachael Burns Saekwang Nam Hyosang Lee Neha Thomas Ravali Gourishetti Farimah Fazlollahi Maria Paola Forte David Gueorguiev Behnam Khojasteh Cara Nunez Gokhan Serhat Hojin Lee Eric Young

Haptic Intelligence News 27-08-2020 Three scientists from MPI-IS Stuttgart accept appointments at top universities across Europe The researchers from Katherine Kuchenbecker's Haptic Intelligence Department see their time at the MPI-IS as a valuable springboard for the next step in their academic careers. Hasti Seifi, Ad Spiers, and Yasemin Vardar are set to take up their new positions in the coming month. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Hasti Seifi Adam Spiers Yasemin Vardar Valerie Callaghan

Haptic Intelligence News 06-06-2020 Debates on the future of robotics at ICRA: Katherine J. Kuchenbecker makes a case for virtual conferences The virtual debate was held at the 2020 International Conference on Robotics and Automation. During a 90-minute debate, leading scientists in the field of robotics discussed the pros and cons of large international conferences. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Valerie Callaghan

Haptic Intelligence News 29-10-2019 Vibrant research environment creates pulling force Many students from around the world choose the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems for research stays abroad. The Haptic Intelligence Department is currently hosting several promising young researchers. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 12-07-2019 Yasemin Vardar wins the 2018 EuroHaptics Society Best Ph.D. Thesis Award She received the prize at the IEEE World Haptics Conference in Tokyo, Japan, on July 12, 2019 Yasemin Vardar Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 04-06-2019 Alexis Block is teaching robots to give good hugs Scientist working in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems receives great media feedback on her research Alexis Block Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 15-06-2018 Hasti Seifi wins EuroHaptics Society prize for best Ph.D. thesis Dr. Hasti Seifi is the winner of the 2017 EuroHaptics Society award for the best Ph.D. thesis in the field of haptics. While Ms. Seifi is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, the award honors research she conducted at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, where she completed her doctorate in Computer Science under the supervision of Professor Karon E. MacLean. Hasti Seifi Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 23-05-2018 Brent Gillespie receives Humboldt Research Award The award will allow the visiting professor in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart to extend his stay in Germany. Brent Gillespie Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 16-04-2018 Hyosang Lee receives fellowship from South Korean Government Another prestigious fellowship for one of the Postdocs of the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Hyosang Lee Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 27-03-2018 Katherine J. Kuchenbecker at the IEEE Haptics Symposium 2018 The Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems leads the team that is organizing this vibrant forum for haptics researchers. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 09-02-2018 NSERC Postdoc Fellowship for Hasti Seifi Dr. Hasti Seifi receives a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the country´s federal funding agency for university-based research and student training in natural sciences and engineering. Hasti Seifi Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 11-12-2017 Feeling the Virtual World Dr. Katherine Kuchenbecker on the Future of Haptics Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 15-09-2017 A Balanced Equation - Women in STEM Roadtrip Breakthroughs come from breaking down barriers. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 28-07-2017 Can You Feel Me Now? The Science Of Digitizing Touch Scientists are developing tools that allow you to digitally feel textures like wood and cotton. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 28-06-2017 Is Clinical Virtual Reality the Future of Therapy? Out with the couch, on with the headset. As the meteors came down from the sky, my heart thudded in my chest. There was only one way I could save the town below: Reach out into the air, make a fist, and in doing so, set off an explosion. And then another. And another. How else can one be expected to defend a village? Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Betty Mohler

Haptic Intelligence News 20-05-2017 In Zukunft mit Gefühl Roboter können erstaunliche Dinge. Doch unser Tastsinn ist ihnen noch überlegen. Warum sich das bald ändern könnte – und was das heißt Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 20-04-2017 Katherine J. Kuchenbecker joins the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems as a new director The Max Planck Society has appointed Katherine J. Kuchenbecker as a director at the Stuttgart location of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. She will lead the newly established "Haptic Intelligence" department, which focuses on incorporating the sense of touch into robotic systems. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Haptic Intelligence News 02-01-2017 Hasti Seifi wins EuroHaptics Society prize for best Ph.D. thesis Dr. Hasti Seifi is the winner of the 2017 EuroHaptics Society award for the best Ph.D. thesis in the field of haptics. While Ms. Seifi is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, the award honors research she conducted at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, where she completed her doctorate in Computer Science under the supervision of Professor Karon E. MacLean. Hasti Seifi Katherine J. Kuchenbecker