News & Awards

Neuromechanics of Movement News 05-11-2025 Janneke Schwaner and Philipp Rothemund awarded prestigious grant through the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities The scientists receive funding for 'Tails in Motion' project The project is a step forward in the fundamental understanding of how muscles and tendons work together to control movement. The cutting-edge simulations and robotic systems developed may revolutionize the design of agile and maneuverable robots, inspiring a new generation of high-performing bioinspired robots. Philipp Rothemund Janneke Schwaner

News 29-10-2025 IMPRS-IS Now Accepting Applications for 2026! We invite outstanding applicants to join its 10th generation of doctoral researchers in 2026. Apply by November 16, 2025, to pursue cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence, robotics, and related fields.

Social Foundations of Computation News 23-10-2025 Vivian Nastl and Ricardo Dominguez-Olmedo receive 2025 Google Ph.D. Fellowship Program supports exceptional graduate students working on innovative research in computer science and related fields Vivian Nastl Ricardo Dominguez-Olmedo Moritz Hardt Bernhard Schölkopf

News 21-10-2025 Principal Investigator Positions (m/f/d) as Hector Endowed Fellows of the ELLIS Institute Tübingen The ELLIS Institute in Tübingen, Germany, invites applications for Principal Investigator (m/f/d) positions as Hector Endowed Fellows of the ELLIS Institute Tübingen.

News 15-10-2025 Antonia Georgopoulou starts as Cyber Valley Max Planck Independent Research Group Leader Group named "Cyborg Robotics and Intelligent Sensing" or CyRIS Antonia Georgopoulou

Empirical Inference News 09-10-2025 Siyuan Guo receives the MIT EECS Rising Star award Her research focuses on understanding learning and intelligence from first principles. Siyuan Guo

News 08-10-2025 Jonas Geiping awarded the German Pattern Recognition Award 2025 Geiping was awarded the German Pattern Recognition Award 2025 for his outstanding scientific contributions in the area of Understanding of Safety, Security, and Efficiency in Modern Pattern Recognition.

News 01-10-2025 Sahar Abdelnabi starts her position as new Group Leader She joins the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as PI and Hector Endowed Fellow and has a co-affiliation with the MPI-IS and the Tübingen AI Center as Independent Research Group Leader. Sahar Abdelnabi

Haptic Intelligence Organizational Leadership and Diversity News 30-09-2025 Carl Schneider Foundation supports innovative technology at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart Funding enables purchase of a functional near-infrared spectroscopy system Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Matthias Tröndle Ksenia Keplinger

News 24-09-2025 New Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Starts Call for Applications for its Ph.D. Program Join our new Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Ph.D. program The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is a Ph.D. Program that provides doctoral researchers with fully funded Ph.D. fellowships and a pool of outstanding faculty comprising directors and independent research group leaders from across the Max Planck Society. Bernhard Schölkopf Matthias Tröndle Emna Eitel

Robotic Composites and Compositions News 23-09-2025 How We Touch Study captures how humans touch unfamiliar objects, offers potential lessons for human-robot interaction Buse Aktaş

News 15-09-2025 Apply until November 5, 2025 for a PhD in CLS Apply to do your Ph.D. in our research center between ETH Zurich, Switzerland and the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany.

Empirical Inference News 19-08-2025 Six new members elected to the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz Bernhard Schölkopf was elected as a corresponding member.

Physical Intelligence News 29-07-2025 EndoSurge wins 3rd place in Science2Start competition Max Planck Start-up develops MRI-compatible catheter system to treat cardiovascular disease Martin Phelan Siddhant Prakash

News 29-07-2025 Max Planck Scientists at Christopher Street Day in Stuttgart A Grassroots Celebration of Pride and Inclusion Vani Sundaram Rut Martinez Miras Antonio Orvieto Buse Aktaş

News 24-07-2025 MPG Diversity Excellence Fund Award supports RIGI Internship The MPI-IS has secured funding from the Max Planck Society's Diversity Excellence Fund for their Robotics Institute Germany Internship program. Buse Aktaş Birgül Akolpoglu Leila Masri Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Robotic Materials News 21-07-2025 Humboldt Fellow from the US conducts research in robotics to one day harvest energy from ocean waves The Humboldt Research Fellowship Program for Postdocs fosters partnerships between international researchers and leading German research institutions. Linda Behringer Lawrence Smith Christoph Keplinger

Empirical Inference News 15-07-2025 Zhijing Jin receives honorable mention for the Wilhelm Schickard Dissertation Award The Wilhelm Schickard Dissertation Award recognizes the most outstanding dissertation in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tübingen, celebrating innovative and impactful research embodying Schickard’s spirit of intellectual curiosity and technological advancement. Zhijing Jin Bernhard Schölkopf

Social Foundations of Computation News 14-07-2025 Paper co-authored by Moritz Hardt receives 10-Year Test of Time Award at ACM STOC 2025 "Preserving Statistical Validity in Adaptive Data Analysis" published in 2015 is co-authored by Cynthia Dwork, Vitaly Feldman, Moritz Hardt, Toniann Pitassi, Omer Reingold, Aaron Roth. Moritz Hardt

News 14-07-2025 Shiwei Liu starts his position as new Group Leader He joins the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as PI and Hector Endowed Fellow and has a co-affiliation with the MPI-IS and the Tübingen AI Center as Independent Research Group Leader. Shiwei Liu

News 10-07-2025 MPI-IS researchers with 11 papers at upcoming ICML The International Conference on Machine Learning is one of the world's leading conferences in the field of machine learning. Linda Behringer

News 07-07-2025 Vivian Nastl wins 2025 MPI-IS Outstanding Female Doctoral Student Prize Melis Ilayda Bal, Maria-Paola Forte, and Natalia Sanchez-Tamayo receive honorable mentions Melis Ilayda Bal Maria-Paola Forte Natalia Sanchez-Tamayo Vivian Nastl Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Moritz Hardt

News 28-05-2025 T. Konstantin Rusch starts his position as new Group Leader He will join the ELLIS Institute Tübingen as PI and Hector Endowed Fellow and have a co-affiliation with the MPI-IS and the Tübingen AI Center as Independent Research Group Leader.

News 22-05-2025 Double excellence Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems involved in two further funded Clusters of Excellence at the University of Stuttgart and the University of Tübingen MPI-IS was involved in three applications, of which two were selected for further funding as Clusters of Excellence. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Michael J. Black Moritz Hardt Bernhard Schölkopf

Robotic Composites and Compositions News 08-05-2025 First team members join the new Robotic Composites and Compositions Group Group leader Buse Aktaş joins the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg as a fellow Buse Aktaş

Computational Applied Mathematics & AI Lab News 02-05-2025 Novel AI model inspired by neural dynamics from the brain Research co-authored by our new group leader Konstantin Rusch Text by

Neuromechanics of Movement News 28-04-2025 Janneke Schwaner starts Neuromechanics of Movement research group From May 1, 2025, Janneke Schwaner will lead the Neuromechanics of Movement research group at the Stuttgart site of the Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems. Janneke presented her research at the 2024 Scientific Symposium and thereafter received the call to join the Institute. Janneke Schwaner

Social Foundations of Computation News 24-04-2025 Florian Dorner, Vivian Nastl, Moritz Hardt: ICLR 2025 Oral with the paper "Limits to Scalable Evaluation at the Frontier: LLM as Judge Won’t Beat Twice the Data"

Social Foundations of Computation News 24-04-2025 Ricardo Dominguez-Olmedo, Florian Dorner, Moritz Hardt: ICLR 2025 Oral with the paper "Training on the Test Task Confounds Evaluation and Emergence"

Empirical Inference News 23-04-2025 Zhijing Jin Selected Young Researcher for the Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2025 Tübingen – Zhijing Jin, who is an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto starting in Fall 2025, and currently a postdoc in the Empirical Inference Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, has been selected to attend the prestigious Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2025. The invitation comes a year after Zhijing attended the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in June 2024. Zhijing Jin

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

Physical Intelligence News 13-04-2025 Ren Hao Soon named 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow Pioneering researcher in magnetic millirobotics to pivot into biomedical sciences with prestigious fellowship

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

Physical Intelligence News 17-03-2025 Magnetic microalgae on a mission to become robots Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed a single-cell green microalgae coated with magnetic material. This miniature robot was put to the test: would the microalgae with its magnetic coating be able to swim through narrow spaces and, additionally, in a viscous fluid that mimics those found in the human body? Would the tiny robot be able to fight its way through these difficult conditions? The team's research has now been published in the journal Matter. Metin Sitti Birgül Akolpoglu Saadet Baltaci

News 10-03-2025 RIG internships high in demand at MPI-IS in Stuttgart As soon as it was announced, the internship program of the newly founded Robotics Institute Germany attracted more than 450 applications for internship positions at the Stuttgart site of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Buse Aktaş Birgül Akolpoglu

Robotic Materials News 06-03-2025 Artificial Muscles for Tremor Suppression Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Tübingen and the University of Stuttgart under the Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) collaboration developed a biorobotic arm that can mirror human tremors, such as those experienced by individuals that live with Parkinson's disease. Artificial muscles on either side of the forearm contract and relax to suppress the involuntary shaking of the wrist and hand. The researchers see their biorobotic arm not only as a platform for other scientists in the field to test new ideas in exoskeleton technology. The arm also serves as a test bed to see how well artificial muscles known as HASELs can one day become the building blocks of wearable devices. The vision is to one day develop a sleeve that tremor patients can comfortably wear to be able to better cope with everyday tasks such as holding a cup. Alona Shagan Christoph Keplinger

Empirical Inference News 06-03-2025 Neural network deciphers gravitational waves from merging neutron stars in a second Machine learning method could revolutionize multi-messenger astronomy Binary neutron star mergers emit gravitational waves followed by light. To fully exploit these observations and avoid missing key signals, speed is crucial. In a study to be published in Nature on March 5, 2025, an interdisciplinary team of researchers presents a novel machine learning method that can analyze gravitational waves emitted by neutron star collisions almost instantaneously – even before the merger is fully observed. A neural network processes the data and enables a fast search for visible light and other electromagnetic signals emitted during the collisions. This new method could be instrumental in preparing the field for the next generation of observatories. Maximilian Dax Bernhard Schölkopf Jakob Macke

Robust Machine Learning News 25-02-2025 From research to startup: Polybot receives order for AI-based harvesting robotics The harvesting robot project Polybot is supported by the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (Deutsche Agentur für Sprunginnovation: SPRIND) with a seven-month validation grant of approximately 220,000 euros. This funding will help the team to prepare the transition from scientific research to founding a start-up company. The project, which has so far been supported by the Tübingen AI Center at the University of Tübingen, the ELLIS Institute Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, combines top-level research with practical application and strengthens Tübingen as an innovation location within the Cyber Valley. Martin Kiefel Bernhard Schölkopf Wieland Brendel

Biomimetic Materials and Machines News 20-02-2025 A miniature swimming robot inspired by marine flatworms EPFL and MPI-IS engineers have developed a versatile swimming robot that nimbly navigates cluttered water surfaces. Inspired by marine flatworms, the innovative device offers new possibilities for environmental monitoring and ecological research. Florian Hartmann

Robotic Materials Organizational Leadership and Diversity News 12-12-2024 Diversity and inclusion accelerate the pace of innovation in robotics Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems point out in a study. The team now published an article in which they outline how a scientific community can benefit if its leadership fosters an environment of diversity and inclusion, and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to help reap these benefits. Daniela Macari Ksenia Keplinger Christoph Keplinger

Social Foundations of Computation News 11-12-2024 Ricardo Dominguez-Olmedo, Moritz Hardt, Celestine Mendler- Dünner: NeurIPS 2024 Oral with the paper "Questioning the Survey Responses of Large Language Models"

Social Foundations of Computation News 11-12-2024 Vivian Nastl, Moritz Hardt: Spotlight Poster at NeurIPS 2024 for the paper "Do Causal Predictors Generalize Better to New Domains"

News 10-12-2024 Delivering medicines with microscopic flowers Joint research from the groups of Daniel Razansky and Metin Sitti These small particles are reminiscent of paper flowers or desert roses. Physicians can use them to guide medicines to a precise destination within the body. Better yet, the particles can easily be tracked using ultrasound as they scatter sound waves. These findings have just been reported by the groups led by Daniel Razansky and Metin Sitti in a study published in the journal external page Advanced Materials. Razansky is Professor of Biomedical Imaging with double appointment at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. Sitti is an expert in microrobotics and, until recently, was a professor at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart prior to moving to Koç University in Istanbul. “Previously, researchers primarily investigated tiny gas bubbles as a method of transport through the bloodstream using ultrasound or other acoustic methods,” said Paul Wrede, co-author of the study and a CLS doctoral student. “We have now demonstrated that solid microparticles can also be acoustically guided.” The advantage of the flower particles over the bubbles is that they can be loaded with larger quantities of active ingredient molecules. (Image: Dong Wook Kim / Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, colorization: ETH Zurich)

News 15-11-2024 Students honored at the National Artificial Intelligence School Contest BWKI Algorithms for intelligent traffic light control, sharp microscope images and against bee mortality – Federal President Steinmeier exchanges ideas with finalists in Tübingen Bernhard Schölkopf Wieland Brendel

Physical Intelligence News 07-11-2024 3D robot navigation could enable multi-site medical procedures Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, developed a novel method for deploying several magnetic miniature robots which can easily navigate through a 3D matrix resembling a network of blood vessels. This new method could one day enable the simultaneous treatment of multiple locations in hard-to-reach areas of the human body, which is currently unattainable with conventional tools. This innovative approach could significantly reduce procedure time and increase the effectiveness of minimally invasive therapies. Chunxiang Wang Tianlu Wang Li Mingtong Rongjing Zhang Metin Sitti

News 15-10-2024 Forty years of robotics research showcased at ICRA@40 The fortieth anniversary of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA@40) took place from September 23 to 26 and showcased everything from robot design and control to AI tools and materials. The robotics community decided to celebrate this anniversary by holding a special conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The aim of the gathering was to look back at the robotic innovations that have shaped our past and to look forward to the technologies that will define the future of this research field. 82 distinguished faculty speakers from around the world took the stage to deliver short talks about their vision of robotics research. Among them was Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, Director of the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS).

News 10-10-2024 Funded Ph.D. Positions at the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen collaborate to offer an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS). IMPRS-IS will accept its ninth generation of doctoral researchers in spring of 2025. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Sara Sorce Pannapa Huayhangtong

Robotic Materials News 18-09-2024 Hexagonal electrohydraulic modules shape-shift into versatile robots Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart combined soft artificial muscles with a rigid, magnetic exoskeleton to create building blocks for fast-moving reconfigurable robots. Ellen Rumley Zachary Yoder Ingemar Schmidt Philipp Rothemund Christoph Keplinger

Robotic Materials News 09-09-2024 Artificial muscles propel a robotic leg to walk and jump Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a robotic leg with artificial muscles. Inspired by living creatures, it jumps across different terrains in an agile and energy-efficient manner. The CLS team was led by Robert Katzschmann, Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich and Christoph Keplinger at MPI-IS. Their doctoral students Thomas Buchner and Toshihiko Fukushima are the co-first authors of the team’s publication team has now reported on an their animal-inspired musculoskeletal robotic leg in Nature Communications. (Image: Thomas Buchner / ETH Zurich und Toshihiko Fukushima / Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme).

News 17-07-2024 Learning from the Nobel Laureates in Lindau Early this July, two members of the MPI-IS community were invited to the 73rd Annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting held in Lindau. Andrew Schulz, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and postdoctoral researcher in the Haptic Intelligence Department, and Zhijing Jin, a Ph.D. student in the Empirical Inference Department, had the time of their life meeting many inspiring nobel laureates. Zhijing Jin Andrew Schulz

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