Fraunhofer IPA founds Robotics Institute Germany
The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA is a co-founder of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG). The RIG aims to bring together Germany's top research into AI-based robotics.
In the future, the RIG is to become the central contact point for AI-based robotics in Germany. 21 renowned robotics locations in Germany will jointly build the institute. These include eight universities, the Fraunhofer IPA, the two Fraunhofer Institutes IOSB and IML, as well as non-university research institutions and associations. There are currently 19 associated partners.
The aim is for the RIG to use robotics to build on innovations in the chemistry, pharmaceuticals and automotive industries that have established Germany as an industrial nation in the past and secured prosperity and growth for decades. The starting conditions are good: experts from Germany are among the international leaders in AI-based robotics and have made significant contributions to the global robotics landscape. Now it is time to pool these valuable resources, strengthen them strategically and develop them into a locational advantage for the German economy.
Fraunhofer IPA's contributions to the RIG
The Fraunhofer IPA contributes specialist knowledge in application-oriented research, technology transfer and open source software. The focus is on the following areas:
- With the free middleware "Robot Operating System" (ROS), the ROS-Industrial initiative and the publication of open source software, the institute promotes technology transfer to industry. Fraunhofer IPA has been leading the European branch of the initiative for ten years and thus has extensive knowledge and a strong international network.
- For many years, Werner Kraus, head of the Automation and Robotics research department at Fraunhofer IPA, has been responsible for awarding the "Tech Transfer Awards" of the European non-profit association "euRobotics". This enables Fraunhofer IPA to play a key role in establishing awards in RIG and to contribute its experience.
- With its Fraunhofer-typical focus on applied research, Fraunhofer IPA is contributing to the roadmap for AI-controlled robots. Because the institute's employees are active in various committees, organizations and associations both nationally and internationally, they have first-hand strategic knowledge that will also benefit RIG.
- Finally, the Fraunhofer IPA brings numerous training opportunities for specialists in the development and use of AI-controlled robots to the RIG.
Angela Schoellig from the consortium leader, the Technical University of Munich, and RIG spokesperson Tamim Asfour from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology presented the RIG concept in June at the "AI-based Robotics" conference in Berlin. So far, the decentralized network is scheduled to run for four years. It started on July 1, 2024, and the kickoff meeting took place on July 29 and 30 in Garching near Munich. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the development of the RIG in the first phase with 20 million euros.
