News & Awards

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 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 Leila Masri 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

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

Empirical Inference News 15-07-2024 Siyuan Guo wins 2024 MPI-IS Outstanding Female Doctoral Student Prize Rachael Bevill Burns, Marilyn Keller and Cansu Sancaktar receive honorable mentions Siyuan Guo Marilyn Keller Rachael Burns Cansu Sancaktar Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Bernhard Schölkopf Leila Masri Florian Hartmann Alona Shagan

News 27-06-2024 Prof. Achim Menges appointed Max Planck Fellow at MPI-IS The world-renowned architect will set up a new research group on Intelligent Construction and Building Systems starting July 1, 2024 Christoph Keplinger Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

News 21-06-2024 World's first ELLIS Institute opens The new ELLIS Institute stands for the convergence of European AI research and will attract bright minds from all over the world. Bernhard Schölkopf

News 19-06-2024 MPI-IS joins forces to create the Robotics Institute Germany The Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), jointly announced by Germany’s leading robotics centers on June 18 at the "AI-based Robotics 2024" conference in Berlin, is to become the central hub for robotics in Germany. Prof Angela Schoellig from the consortium leader, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and RIG spokesperson Prof Tamim Asfour from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) presented the RIG concept for AI-based robotics. The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and Tübingen is one of the main partners of the consortium, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the next four years, starting on July 1, 2024. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Christoph Keplinger Wieland Brendel Michael Muehlebach Dieter Büchler Florian Hartmann

Robotic Materials News 04-06-2024 EuroEAP 2024 comes to Stuttgart! Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems hosts international conference The International Conference on Soft Transducers and Electromechanically Active Polymers, EuroEAP 2024, organized by the EuroEAP Society, will take place at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart from June 11 to 13, 2024, and will be accompanied by a EuroEAP Society Challenge. Philipp Rothemund Christoph Keplinger

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

Social Foundations of Computation News 07-05-2024 André Cruz, Moritz Hardt: ICLR 2024 Oral with the paper "Unprocessing Seven Years of Algorithmic Fairness"

News 25-04-2024 Diamond dust shines bright in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Potential alternative to widely used contrast agent gadolinium An unexpected discovery surprised a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart: nanometer-sized diamond particles, which were intended for a completely different purpose, shone brightly in a magnetic resonance imaging experiment – much brighter than the actual contrast agent, the heavy metal gadolinium. Could diamond dust – in addition to its use in drug delivery to treat tumor cells – one day become a novel contrast agent used for MRI? The research team now published their discovery in Advanced Materials. Jelena Zinnanti Eberhard Goering Anna-Maria Wild Peter Schützendübe Anitha Shiva Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence News 11-04-2024 Cyber Valley grants 500K to CELL’n’ROLL via 2023 Innovation Fellowship Program Cyber Valley Community is advancing diagnostics for the future CELL’n’ROLL aims to develop next-generation diagnostic solutions for detecting complex diseases such as cancer. Alp Can Karacakol Erdost Yildiz Ugur Bozuyuk

News 21-03-2024 Zhijing Jin and Andrew Schulz selected to join the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting The two researchers from the Empirical Inference and Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems are among 650 young scientists from across the world who are given the opportunity to participate in a week of scientific exchange with some of the world’s greatest minds. Zhijing Jin Andrew Schulz Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Bernhard Schölkopf

News 06-02-2024 MAXMINDS impacts lives of students in Turkey and Syria Wir erinnern uns an die Erdbeben in der Türkei & in Syrien. On February 6, 2024, one year after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, we remember with deep sorrow the lives lost and extend our condolences to their families and loved ones. In the past 12 months after the disaster, members of the Max Planck Society set up a mentorship initiative to support affected university students in their careers: MAXMINDS. Erdost Yildiz

Empirical Inference News 01-01-2024 Zhijing Jin receives three Rising Star Awards Ph.D. student Zhijing Jin receives the EECS Rising Star, Rising Star in Data Science, and Rising Star in Machine Learning award. Her research focuses on socially responsible NLP by causal inference. Zhijing Jin Bernhard Schölkopf

Learning and Dynamical Systems News 14-12-2023 Branco Weiss Lecture Public lecture on "(un)"predictability - a journey through elements of chaos and control theory, quantum mechanics, machine learning, and how humans deal with (un)predictability.

News 25-11-2023 Branco Weiss Lecture Public lecture about (un)predictability.

Learning and Dynamical Systems News 24-11-2023 Presentation at NeurIPS Our work "Online Learning under Adversarial Nonlinear Constraints" was accepted to NeurIPS23.

News 22-11-2023 Deutschlands KI-Nachwuchs beim Bundeswettbewerb Künstliche Intelligenz ausgezeichnet Ob Fake-Fotos entlarven, Igel vor dem Mähroboter schützen oder Lebensmittel retten – die Gewinnerteams 2023 wollen mit KI gesellschaftliche und ökologische Probleme lösen. Bernhard Schölkopf Wieland Brendel

News 31-10-2023 Science & Innovation Days 2023 - unser MPI macht mit! Mehr als 50 Veranstaltungen an vier Tagen – Vorträge, Workshops, Podiumsdiskussionen und vieles mehr

News 30-10-2023 Mit KI für eine bessere Zukunft: Jugendliche im Finale des Bundeswettbewerbs Künstliche Intelligenz Schülerinnen und Schüler wollen mit Künstlicher Intelligenz Fake- Fotos entlarven, Igel vor dem Mähroboter schützen oder mit kosten- günstigen Analysen die Gesundheitsversorgung verbessern

News 19-10-2023 First Principal Investigators join the ELLIS Institute Tübingen gGmbH as Hector Endowed Fellows Finanzierung durch die Hector-Stiftung Tübingen, Germany - After the launch in July 2023, the ELLIS Institute Tübingen is growing, with the first Principal Investigators joining the Institute as Hector Endowed Fellows in the fall of 2023. Carmela Rianna Bernhard Schölkopf

News 15-10-2023 Funded Ph.D. Positions at the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems Apply to do a Ph.D. in the joint academic program between ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Society, primarily the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and Tübingen. We are currently accepting applications to join our program in 2024. Sarah Danes Helena Dalmau Felderhoff

News 11-10-2023 Zentrum für Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart gegründet Biointelligente Systeme für Diagnose und Therapie im Alltag von neurologischen und psychischen Erkrankungen Mensch und Technik auf fundamental neue Art zu kombinieren – das ist die Vision des neugegründeten Zentrums für Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS). Wissenschaftler*innen der Universität Stuttgart, Universität Tübingen sowie des Max-Planck-Instituts für Intelligente Systeme und des Max-Planck-Instituts für biologische Kybernetik forschen an intelligenten bionischen Systemen, die helfen sollen, bestimmte Erkrankungen des Nervensystems besser zu verstehen und zu behandeln. Die Diagnose wird genauer, die Therapie effizienter und der Krankheitsverlauf für Patient*innen erträglicher. Betroffene nutzen bereits heute technische Assistenzsysteme, etwa Orthesen oder Kommunikationshilfen. Diese Systeme können sich jedoch nicht vollständig an die Bedürfnisse der Patient*innen oder Erfordernisse der Umgebung adaptiv selbst anpassen, um Einschränkungen zu kompensieren oder ausgefallene Körperfunktionen wiederherzustellen. In interdisziplinären Projekten entwickeln die BITS-Mitglieder individuell zugeschnittene Hilfsmittel. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Christoph Keplinger

News 10-10-2023 Michael J. Black receives PAMI Distinguished Researcher Award His research has made a significant contribution to the advancement of computer vision Michael Black

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

Robotic Materials Physical Intelligence News 06-10-2023 Eine Qualle steht Modell Test Sie gelten nicht als Sympathieträger der Meere, doch in puncto Unter- wasserantrieb setzen sie Maßstäbe: Nicht zuletzt weil Quallen besonders effizient schwimmen, hat ein Team des Max-Planck-Instituts für Intelligente Systeme in Stuttgart einen Roboter nach dem Vorbild der Nesseltiere konstruiert. Jellyfish-Bots könnten in Zukunft helfen, besonders empfind- liche Ökosysteme wie Korallenriffe von Plastikmüll zu befreien. Tianlu Wang Hyeong-Joon Joo

Learning and Dynamical Systems Embodied Vision Empirical Inference News 06-10-2023 Roboter entdecken die Welt Forschende vermitteln Robotern eine Art Körpergefühl Roboter können den Menschen heute bereits bei manchen alltäglichen Aufgaben unterstützen. Doch unbekannte Umgebungen oder auch kleine Abweichungen in den Aufgaben, auf die sie trainiert sind, überfordern sie. Damit sie rascher lernen, sich auf Neues einzustellen, entwickeln die Forschungsgruppen von Michael Mühlebach und Jörg Stückler am Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme in Tübingen neue Trainingsmethoden für die Maschinen. Ihre Roboter müssen sich dabei auch im Pingpong oder Bodyflying bewähren. Michael Muehlebach Jörg Stückler Dieter Büchler Hao Ma

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

Physical Intelligence News 18-08-2023 Soft Robotic Tool provides new 'eyes' in endovascular surgery The magnetic device can help visualise and navigate complex and narrow spaces Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a soft robotic tool that promises to one day transform minimally invasive endovascular surgery. The two-part magnetic tool can help to visualise in real time the fine morphological details of partial vascular blockages such as stenoses, even in the narrowest and most curved vessels. It can also find its way through severe blockages such as chronic total occlusions. This tool could one day take the perception of endovascular medical devices a step further. Metin Sitti Tianlu Wang Yingbo Yan Rongjing Zhang Wenqi Hu

Robotic Materials News 31-07-2023 3D display could soon bring touch to the digital world A new, shape-shifting display can sense and respond to human touch. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a soft shape display, a robot that can rapidly and precisely change its surface geometry to interact with objects and liquids, react to human touch, and display letters and numbers - all at the same time. The display demonstrates high performance applications and could appear in the future on the factory floor, in medical laboratories, or in your own home. Brian Johnson Christoph Keplinger

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