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Perzeptive Systeme Haptische Intelligenz News 02-07-2026 Maria-Paola Forte receives PI Innovation Award 2026 New Sensor Makes Sign Language Much Easier for Computers to Recognize The researcher receives the 2026 PI Innovation Award for a development that has the potential to significantly improve the automatic processing of sign language. Maria-Paola Forte
Perceiving Systems News 23-06-2026 Innovative Algorithms for species conservation Patterns reveal the individual: The AI algorithm RAPID identifies wild animals by their unique patterns in real time. It works quickly and precisely, enabling significant progress in the monitoring and protection of zebras, jaguars and giraffes. Aamir Ahmad
Learning and Dynamical Systems Press Release 21-06-2026 Flying robot rides the wind like a bird Embodied intelligence makes robot energy-efficient and easy to steer Scientists built a flying robot that is both easy to control and energy-efficient, especially in changing wind conditions. The robot can change its shape and uses wind to stay in the air, instead of relying on thrust-generating motors. The idea is inspired by how birds fly which remain naturally stable when airborne. The work was published in npj Robotics on June 21, 2026. Ghadeer Elmkaiel Michael Muehlebach Syn Schmitt
Empirical Inference Blog Post 3 minute read 18-06-2026 Decoding gravitational waves with machine learning A research blog post by Annalena Kofler Annalena Kofler
Empirical Inference Robotic Materials News 18-06-2026 Otto Hahn Medal awarded to Ellen Rumley and Max Dax The Max Planck Society honors Rumley and Dax with this prestigious award for their fundamental and innovative research in the field of electrohydraulic actuators and machine learning. The aim of the award is to motivate particularly talented individuals to pursue a university or research career. Bernhard Schölkopf Christoph Keplinger Ellen Rumley Maximilian Dax
Robotic Composites and Compositions News 16-06-2026 Buse Aktaş named to ASME’s 2026 Mechanical Engineering Watch List The list recognizes 25 early-career engineers who have already left their mark on industry, academia, and society Buse Aktaş
Robotic Materials Biomimetic Materials and Machines News 09-06-2026 Society Challenge first place and Best Poster Award at EuroEAP won by MPI-IS researchers Steven Zhang Giulio Grasso Philipp Rothemund
AI Safety and Alignment Cooperative Machine Intelligence for People-Aligned Safe Systems Empirical Inference News 03-06-2026 Three MPI-IS scientists to serve on the EU AI Act Scientific Panel Sahar Abdelnabi, Maksym Andriushchenko, and Zhijing Jin were selected join the expert panel Sahar Abdelnabi, Maksym Andriushchenko, and Zhijing Jin were selected to serve on the EU AI Act Scientific Panel. The 60 experts of the Scientific Panel will advise the EU AI Office and national authorities on the implementation of the AI Act and the assessment of the impacts and risks of General-Purpose AI models. Zhijing Jin Sahar Abdelnabi Maksym Andriushchenko
Social Foundations of Computation Autonomous Motion News 12-05-2026 Moritz Hardt has contributed to the Legal Agent Benchmark launched by Harvey Moritz Hardt, who is a Director at our Tübingen site, has contributed to the Legal Agent Benchmark, an open benchmark for measuring AI agents on long-horizon legal work, launched by <a href="https://www.harvey.ai/">Harvey</a>. Moritz Hardt
Mechanics for Intelligent Structures News 12-05-2026 Renate Sachse awarded Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg fellowship Max Planck Society mentoring network for women in the natural sciences Renate Sachse
Robotic Composites and Compositions News 07-05-2026 RoCoCo at RoboSoft 2026: Talks, Art, and Interactive Demonstrations Buse Aktaş
Robotic Composites and Compositions News 04-05-2026 RoCoCo Welcomes German–Austrian Physics Tournament Participants with Research Lab Demonstrations Ahmed Amr Hafez
Physical Intelligence Blog Post Nihal Olcay Dogan 4 minute read 30-04-2026 Human cell-based microrobots selectively kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissues A research blog post by Nihal Olcay Dogan Nihal Olcay Dogan Cem Balda Dayan Gunther Richter Metin Sitti Eylul Suadiye
Robotic Materials Blog Post Steven Zhang Sophie Kirkman 3 minute read 22-04-2026 The future of actuation is soft and EFFICIENT A research blog post by Sophie Kirkman and Steven Zhang Steven Zhang Sophie Kirkman Toshihiko Fukushima Christoph Keplinger
Empirical Inference News 20-04-2026 Siyuan Guo one of Forbes` 30 Under 30 in Science Siyuan Guo
Autonomous Motion News 07-04-2026 A network for all neurodivergent employees of the Max Planck Society This article is based on an interview with Andrew K. Schulz, an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow and postdoctoral researcher in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, and an Associated Postdoc in the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS). Andrew was formally diagnosed with Autism during graduate school and has written about challenges of being Autistic in Germany in eLife. Rut Martinez Miras Andrew K. Schulz
Robotic Materials Blog Post Hyeong-Joon Joo 3 minute read 30-03-2026 Ultralight artificial muscles for agile soft robots A research blog post by Hyeong-Joon Joo Hyeong-Joon Joo
News 25-03-2026 Paul Wrede selected as 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow Paul Wrede, CLS doctoral student at the professorship for biomedical imaging led by Prof. Daniel Razansky, ETHZ, has been awarded the 2026 Schmidt Science Fellowship. His goal is to explore how artificial cells can be developed to better communicate with the body and to understand fundamental biological processes.
News 24-03-2026 A record-setting 10th recruitment round for our IMPRS-IS doctoral program! 85+ new scholars to join! IMPRS-IS, our institute's main doctoral program, is celebrating a yet another record year! We have recruited more than 85 doctoral researchers for our 10th recruitment round! We also achieved an exceptional offer acceptance rate of over 90%, highlighting the program's strong global appeal among top candidates. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Leila Masri Sara Sorce Pannapa Huayhongtong
Empirical Inference Robotic Materials News 24-03-2026 Annalena Kofler and Daniela Macari selected to join the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting The two researchers from the Empirical Inference and Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems are among over 600 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. Annalena Kofler Daniela Macari
Perceiving Systems Award 21-03-2026 Best Paper Runner Up Vanessa Sklyarova Berna Kabadayi Anastasios Yiannakidis Giorgio Becherini Michael Black Justus Thies
News 17-03-2026 MPI-IS Researchers Participate in the 2nd German Robotics Conference (GRC 2026) The Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) hosted the second German Robotics Conference (GRC) in Cologne from March 11 to 13, 2026. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural meeting in Nuremberg, the conference brought together over 800 participants, including leading researchers, industry representatives, and policymakers working at the forefront of AI-powered robotics in Germany.
Physical Intelligence Blog Post Selcan Karaz Gaurav Gardi 4 minute read 12-03-2026 From Passive Vesicles to Cell-Like Microrobots A research blog post by Selcan Karaz Han and Gaurav Gardi Selcan Karaz Gaurav Gardi Mertcan Han Birgül Akolpoglu Metin Sitti
Biomimetic Materials and Machines News 09-03-2026 Florian Hartmann receives scholarship from Daimler and Benz Foundation Florian Hartmann
News 05-03-2026 Katia Bertoldi from Harvard University holds Max Planck Lecture 2026 Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Christoph Keplinger
Physical Intelligence Press Release 25-02-2026 Magnetic Microrobot Swarms Enable Contactless Manipulation of Objects Through Fluidic Torque The microrobots act as motors to move millimeter-sized passive objects without physical contact In a study, a team of researchers show that groups of magnetic microrobots can generate fluidic forces strong enough to rotate objects in different directions without touching them. These microrobot swarms can turn gear systems, rotate objects much larger than the robots themselves, assemble structures on their own, and even pull in or push away many small objects. The work was now published in Science Advances. Gaurav Gardi Metin Sitti Kirstin Petersen
Award 19-02-2026 Communitas Prize of the MPG for Thomas Frohmader This prize honors extraordinary engagement for the Max Planck Society and is awarded by the President of the MPG.
Press Release 18-02-2026 Max Planck spin-off draws Epic Games to Tübingen The US-based game developer is acquiring Meshcapade and will establish a presence in the Cyber Valley tech hub Meshcapade, the Max Planck startup based in Tübingen’s Cyber Valley, is being acquired by Epic Games – a U.S. game developer and creator of Unreal Engine, a game development technology. Alongside the acquisition, Epic Games is establishing a presence in Cyber Valley. The Meshcapade team will join Epic’s AI Research team, contributing to technologies for Unreal Engine and MetaHuman. Michael Black
Empirical Inference News 17-02-2026 Bernhard Schölkopf elected for UN AI Scientific Panel MPI-IS Director one of 40 members of the newly established Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. Bernhard Schölkopf
Haptic Intelligence Press Release 12-02-2026 Elephant trunk whiskers exhibit material intelligence Scientists discover the secret behind the elephant’s sense of touch In a paper published in Science, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the Humboldt University of Berlin, and the University of Stuttgart have discovered that the secret to the elephant’s amazing sense of touch is in its unusual whiskers. The interdisciplinary team analyzed elephant trunk whiskers using advanced microscopy methods that revealed a form of material intelligence more sophisticated than the well-studied whiskers of rats and mice. This research has the potential to inspire new physically intelligent robotic sensing approaches that resemble the unusual whiskers that cover the elephant trunk. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker Andrew K. Schulz Lawrence Smith Deepti Philip Hilda David Jelena Zinnanti Gunther Richter
Perceiving Systems Press Release 11-02-2026 Michael J. Black elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Michael J. Black
Perceiving Systems Award 10-02-2026 Michael J. Black elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Michael J. Black
Physical Intelligence News 05-02-2026 OptoMaG: An Optoacoustically Augmented Magnetic Guidewire for Radiation-Free Image-Guided Therapies Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich, Southeast University, and Koç University have developed an optoacoustically augmented magnetic guidewire (OptoMaG), that integrates optoacoustic imaging, magnetic navigation, and therapeutic functionality into a single flexible guidewire, enabling radiation-free, real-time navigation in complex vascular environments. Unlike conventional X-ray–guided interventions, OptoMaG provides high-contrast three-dimensional visualization in deep tissue and contact-free magnetic steering. Fan Wang Xianqiang Bao Erdost Yildiz Yan Yu Ren Hao Soon Jelena Zinnanti Metin Sitti Wenbin Kang Devin Sheehan
Physical Intelligence Press Release 28-01-2026 Beyond Polymers: New state-of-the-art 3D micro and nanofabrication technique overcomes material limitations Method relies on light-driven or optofluidic assembly In a Nature publication, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the National University of Singapore introduce an innovative optofluidic 3D micro- and nanofabrication technique that overcomes the material limitations of traditional two-photon polymerization. Inside a liquid, the team utilizes a femtosecond laser to generate localized thermal gradients and fluid flows that drive a wide range of micro- and nanoparticles into pre-printed microtemplates. This light-driven assembly enables the printing of structures made from a wide range of materials, sometimes even combined, overcoming the previous limitation to polymers. This technology can now be used to construct tiny micro-robots that can be controlled magnetically or by using light. Xianglong Lyu Gaurav Gardi Muhammad Turab Ali Khan Mingchao Zhang Metin Sitti
Physical Intelligence Press Release 14-01-2026 Hydrogel cilia set new standard in microrobotics Scientists create biologically realistic artificial cilia Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Koç University in Istanbul have created hydrogel-based artificial cilia that move almost exactly like real biological cilia – the closest imitation achieved so far. The researchers can program each micrometer-sized cilium to move freely in space – just like cilia in the human body. With their research, the scientists aim to investigate how natural cilia function, how they coordinate their movement, and what role they play in brain development, signal perception, and fluid movement, for example. Because the artificial cilia are soft and easy to control, they could one day be used in medical devices to help people whose natural cilia are damaged or not working properly. The fast, low-voltage motion demonstrated in their study could also inspire a new generation of tiny robots that were previously impossible at such small scales. This milestone work was published in Nature on January 14, 2026. Zemin Liu Ziyu Ren Chunxiang Wang Wenkang Wang Jongkuk Ko Shanyuan Song Chong Hong Wenqi Hu Metin Sitti
Mechanics for Intelligent Structures News 07-01-2026 Renate Sachse joins MPI-IS as new group leader She will lead the independent Cyber Valley Research Group "Mechanics for Intelligent Structures" at the Stuttgart site of our institute. Renate Sachse
Biomimetic Materials and Machines Blog Post 1 minute read 01-01-2026 Die Zukunft der Roboter ist weich Artikel des Tenor Magazins Die weichen Roboter kommen: Seit etwa 15 Jahren nimmt der Bereich Soft Robotics an Fahrt auf. Im Jahr 2024 schätzte das Marktforschungsunternehmen Zion Market Research den weltweiten Umsatz für Soft Robotics auf mehr als eine Milliarde US-Dollar. Eine Nische zwar, verglichen mit fast 25 Milliarden Euro Umsatz, die Unternehmen mit konventionellen Robotern erzielen. Doch Experten prognostizieren, dass diese Nische schneller wachsen wird als die Branche insgesamt: um rund 35 Prozent jährlich. Kein Wunder also, dass sich weltweit Forscher diesem Thema widmen.
News 17-12-2025 ELLIS Institute Tübingen joins CLS as Associated Partner It’s official: The ELLIS Institute Tübingen is now an Associated Partner of the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS)!
Haptic Intelligence Award 11-12-2025 2025 MPI-IS Gender Equality Prize for Vani Sundaram Vani Sundaram
Perceiving Systems Award 10-12-2025 ACM SIGGRAPH Asia Test-of-Time Award 2025 For the paper "SMPL: A Skinned Multi-Person Linear Model", published at SIGGRAPH Asia 2015. Co-authors: Matthew Loper, Naureen Mahmood, Javier Romero, Gerard Pons-Moll, Michael J. Black. Matthew Loper Naureen Mahmood Javier Romero Gerard Pons-Moll Michael J. Black
Empirical Inference Award 02-12-2025 Zhijing Jin won the ELLIS PhD Award 2025, for her dissertation on “Causality for Natural Language Processing”. Zhijing Jin
News 26-11-2025 RIGI Continues to Grow Our Stuttgart-based internship program RIGI attracted more than 900 applications for internship positions at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems during its 2026 recruitment round. Buse Aktaş Leila Masri Birgül Akolpoglu
CELLnROLL News 25-11-2025 CELLnROLL receives funding from EXIST Research Transfer Start-up develops automated cellular diagnostic devices for detecting diseases such as cancer Alp Can Karacakol Erdost Yildiz Ugur Bozüyük Sarah Scatigna
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Press Release 25-11-2025 The avatar in a wheelchair A call for more diversity in the Metaverse A study by the University of Stuttgart, the California State University at Fullerton, and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has found that there are benefits to representing one’s real-life disability through an avatar in virtual reality. The Metaverse is not just a technical platform, but also one for social interaction. Therefore, all users should be included in its development, including people with disabilities. The researchers appeal to companies to be more courageous in embracing diversity in virtual spaces as authentic self-representation allows people with disabilities to identify more strongly with their work. Ksenia Keplinger Phoenix Van Wagoner Andria Smith
Perceiving Systems Award 24-11-2025 Peter Kulits receives&nbsp;Outstanding Reviewer Award, BMVC 2025.&nbsp; Peter Kulits
Haptic Intelligence Award 19-11-2025 Postdoc Mayumi Mohan and her team is selected for MAX!mize, the start-up incubation program for Max Planck Researchers Mayumi Mohan
News 17-11-2025 Ausgezeichnete Schülerinnen und Schüler beim Bundeswettbewerb Künstliche Intelligenz Schlaganfälle schneller diagnostizieren, die Blackbox von Sprachmodellen öffnen oder Blutzuckerwerte schmerzfrei bestimmen – Gewinnerteams setzen mit KI-Projekten zukunftsweisende Impulse
News 15-11-2025 More room for world class research New building Cyber Valley I handed over to the University of Tübingen Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science Petra Olschowski and Minister of Finance Dr. Danyal Bayaz handed over the new Cyber Valley I building to the University of Tübingen on Friday, 14 November. Max Planck research groups will also be based there.
News 13-11-2025 Agile, lightweight, efficient, intelligent: Researchers are developing next-generation robots New Institute for Adaptive Mechanical Systems (IAMS) is located at MPI-IS and focuses on new walking robots and soft robotics. C. David Remy Philipp Rothemund
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