
Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research Group
The Research Group "Robotics and Autonomous Systems" at the Institute of Applied Research (IAF) researches and develops smart and innovative components and robot applications to address the missions "Shaping technology for the people" as well as "Putting Artificial Intelligence into practical application" as stated in the High Tech Strategy 2025 of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Synergy effects are optimally exploited through cross-faculty cooperation between the participating members by linking different expertise and research content.
The plan is to provide mutual support in the submission of research proposals, to intensify cooperation with other institutes of our university as well as with partners from other universities or colleges, to establish and maintain a competence network for the successful application of research projects, and finally to increase the number of supervised doctorates and the association of professors with universities.
Current reasearch projects
Completed research projects

iRAS Team
Professors
Research Staff
Publications
The members of the research group are actively publishing the research results from the ongoing projects. A complete list of publications can be found in Google Scholar by indicating the respective author's name. The latest publications from 2018 - 2020 can be found in the following list. (as of 01/13/2021)
Hein, Björn
- Hua Y, Hein B: AQT-A Query Template for AutomationML. In: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, ISSN 1551-3203, 17 (2021), No. 2, pp 1018-1028 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/TII.2020.2989125)
- Navarro SE, Nagels S, Alagi H, Faller L, Goury O, Morales-Bieze T, Zangl H, Hein B, Ramakers R, Deferme W, Zheng G, Duriez C: A model-based sensor fusion approach for force and shape estimation in soft robotics. In: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, ISSN 2377-3766, 5 (2020), No. 4, pp 5621-5628 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2020.3008120)
- Alagi H, Navarro SE, Hergenhan J, Musić S, Hein B: Teleoperation with Tactile Feedback based on a Capacitive Proximity Sensor Array. In: 2020 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC). 2020 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) (Dubrovnik, Croatia, 25.-28.05.2020), Piscataway: IEEE 2020, pp 1-6.- ISBN 978-1-7281-4460-3 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/I2MTC43012.2020.9128701)
- Mamaev I, Alagi H, Sóti G, Hein B: A Concept for a HRC Workspace Using Proximity Sensors. In: Ronzhin A, Rigoll G, Meshcheryakov R (Hrsg.): Interactive Collaborative Robotics : 5th International Conference ; ICR 2020 ; Proceedings. 5th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Robotics (St. Petersburg, Russia, 07.-09.10.2020), Cham: Springer 2020 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science 12336), pp 1-12.- ISBN 978-3-030-60336-6 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60337-3_1)
- Sóti G, Mamaev I, Hein B: A Modular Deep Learning Architecture for Anomaly Detection in HRI. In: Ronzhin A, Rigoll G, Meshcheryakov R (Eds.): Interactive Collaborative Robotics : 5th International Conference ; ICR 2020 ; Proceedings. 5th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Robotics (St. Petersburg, Russia, 07.-09.10.2020), Cham: Springer 2020 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science 12336), pp 295-307.- ISBN 978-3-030-60336-6 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60337-3_29)
- Hopfgarten P, Auberle J, Hein B: Grasp Area Detection of Unknown Objects based on Deep Semantic Segmentation. In: 2020 IEEE 16th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE). IEEE 16th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE) (Hong Kong, China, 20.-21.08.2020), Piscataway: IEEE 2020, pp 804-809.- ISBN 978-1-7281-6904-0 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/CASE48305.2020.9217014)
- Kunz C, Mathis-Ullrich F, Hein B: Augmented Reality in the Operating Room for Neurosurgical Interventions. In: Christ A, Quint F (Hrsg.): Artificial Intelligence: Research Impact on Key Industries; the Upper-Rhine Artificial Intelligence Symposium (UR-AI 2020). The Upper-Rhine Artificial Intelligence Symposium (UR-AI 2020) (Karlsruhe, 13.05.2020), Offenburg: Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Medien Offenburg 2020, pp 67-77.- ISBN 978-3-943301-28-1 (Electronic publication: arxiv.org/abs/2010.16241)
- You F, Mend M, Stogl D, Hein B, Kröger T: Model-Free Grasp Planning for Configurable Vacuum Grippers. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (Madrid, Spain, 01.-05.10.2018), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 4554-4561.- ISBN 978-1-5386-8094-0 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/IROS.2018.8594227)
- Kohn S, Blank A, Puljiz D, Zenkel L, Bieber O, Hein B, Franke J: Towards a Real-Time Environment Reconstruction for VR-Based Teleoperation Through Model Segmentation. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (Madrid, Spain, 01.-05.10.2018), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, 9 p.- ISBN 978-1-5386-8094-0 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/IROS.2018.8594053)
- Alagi H, Heilig A, Escaida S, Kröger T, Hein B: Material Recognition Using a Capacitive Proximity Sensor with Flexible Spatial Resolution. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (Madrid, Spain, 01.-05.10.2018), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 6284-6290.- ISBN 978-1-5386-8094-0 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/IROS.2018.8593789)
- Petković T, Puljiz D, Marković I, Hein B: Human intention estimation based on hidden Markov model motion validation for safe flexible robotized warehouses. In: Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, ISSN 0736-5845, 57 (2019), pp 182-196 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2018.11.004)
- Hua Y, Hein B: Interpreting OWL Complex Classes in AutomationML based on Bidirectional Translation. In: Proceedings IEEE 24th International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2019). IEEE 24th International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2019) (Zaragoza, Spain, 10.-13.09.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, 8 p.- ISBN 978-1-7281-0303-7 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/ETFA.2019.8869456)
- Puljiz D, Stöhr E, Riesterer KS, Hein B, Kröger T: General Hand Guidance Framework using Microsoft HoloLens. In: 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (Macau, China, 04.-08.11.2019), 2019, pp 5185-5190.- ISBN 978-1-7281-4004-9 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8967649)
- Stogl D, Hein B, Mende M: Overview of a Robot for a Neuromuscular Training-RoboTrainer. In: Přeučil L, Behnke S, Kulich M (Eds.): European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR) : Conference Proceedings. 2019 European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR (Prague, Czech Republic, 04.-06.09.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, 6 p.- ISBN 978-1-7281-3605-9 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/ECMR.2019.8870955)
- Hua Y, Hein B: Interactive Learning Engineering Concepts in AutomationML. In: Proceedings 2019 24th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA). 24th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA) (Zaragoza, Spain, 10.-13.09.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 1248-1251.- ISBN 978-1-7281-0303-7 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/ETFA.2019.8869182)
- Puljiz D, Stöhr E, Riesterer KS, Hein B, Kröger T: Sensorless Hand Guidance using Microsoft Hololens. In: 2019 14th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). 14th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) (Daegu, South Korea, 11.-14.03.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 632-633.- ISBN 978-1-5386-8555-6 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/HRI.2019.8673145)
- Stogl D, Armbruster O, Mende M, Hein B, Wang X, Meyer P: Robot-Based Training for People With Mild Cognitive Impairment. In: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, ISSN 2377-3766, 4 (2019), No. 2, pp 1916-1923 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2019.2898470)
- Hein B, Alagi H: Two Examples of Using Machine Learning for Processing Sensor Data of Capacitive Proximity Sensors. In: Christ A, Quint F (Eds.): Artificial Intelligence : from Research to Application ; the Upper-Rhine Artificial Intelligence Symposium (UR-AI 2019). L'Intelligence Artificielle : de la Recherche á l'Applicacion = Künstliche Intelligenz : von der Forschung in die Anwendung (Offenburg, 13.03.2019), Karlsruhe: Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences 2019, pp 59-70.- ISBN 978-3-9820756-0-0 (Electronic publication: arxiv.org/abs/1903.08495)
- Puljiz D, Riesterer KS, Hein B, Kröger T: Referencing between a Head-Mounted Device and Robotic Manipulators. In: de.arxiv.org (2019), 8 p. (Electronic publication: arxiv.org/abs/1904.02480)
- Kunz C, Genten V, Meißner P, Hein B: Metric-based evaluation of fiducial markers for medical procedures. In: Fei B, Linte CA (Eds): Medical Imaging 2019: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling. Medical Imaging 2019: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling (San Diego, CA, USA, 16.-21.02.2019), Bellingham: SPIE 2019 (Proceedings of SPIE 10951), 14 p.- ISBN 978-1-5106-2550-1 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2511720)
- Petereit J, Beyerer J, Asfour T, Gentes S, Hein B, Hanebeck UD, Kirchner F, Dillmann R, Götting HH, Weiser M, Gustamann M, Egloffstein T: ROBDEKON: Robotic Systems for Decontamination in Hazardous Environments. In: 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR). 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR) (Würzburg, 02.-04.09.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 249-255.- ISBN 978-1-7281-0778-3 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/SSRR.2019.8848969)
- Stogl D, Wern P, Hein B, Hartmann D: Spatial Control Actions for a Physical Training with a Smart Walker. In: Muštra M, Vukovic J, Zovko-Cihla B (Eds.): Proceedings of ELMAR-2019 : 61st International Symposium ELMAR-2019. 61st International Symposium Electronics in Marine (ELMAR-2019) (Zadar, Croatia, 23.-25.09.2019), Piscataway: IEEE 2019, pp 131-134.- ISBN 978-1-7281-2181-9 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/ELMAR.2019.8918658)
- Hua Y, Hein B: Concept learning in engineering based on refinement operator. In: Riguzzi F, Zese R, Bellodi E (Eds.): UCS-ILP 2018 - Up-and-Coming and Short Papers of the 28th International Conference on Inductive Logic Programming. 28th International Conference on Inductive Logic Programming (UCS-ILP 2018) (Ferrara, Italy, 02.-04.09.2018), CEUR-WS 2018 (CEUR Workshop Proceedings 2206), pp 76-83 (Electronic publication: ceur-ws.org/Vol-2206/paper6.pdf)
- Heilig A, Mamaev I, Hein B, Malov D: Adaptive particle filter for localization problem in service robotics. In: Ronzhin A, Shishlakov V (Eds.): 13th International Scientific-Technical Conference on Electromechanics and Robotics "Zavalishin's Readings" - 2018. 13th International Conference on Electromechanics and Robotics "Zavalishin's Readings" (ER(ZR) 2018) (St. Petersburg, Russia, 18.-21.04.2018), EDP Sciences 2018 (MATEC Web of Conferences 161), 6 p. (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201816101004)
- Stogl D, Zumkeller D, Navarro S, Heilig A, Hein B: Tracking, reconstruction and grasping of unknown rotationally symmetrical objects from a conveyor belt. In: 2017 22nd IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation. 22nd IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2017) (Limassol, Cyprus, 12.-15.09.2017), Piscataway: IEEE 2018, 8 p.- ISBN 978-1-5090-6505-9 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1109/ETFA.2017.8247651)
- Kunz C, Hlavac M, Schneider M, Hein B, Puljiz D, Peikert S: A System for Augmented Reality Guided Ventricular Puncture Using a HoloLens: Design, Implementation and Initial Evaluation. In: Neumuth T, Melzer A, Chalopin C (Eds.): CURAC 2018 - Conference Proceedings : 17. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Computer- und Roboterassistierte Chirurgie e.V. 17. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Computer- und Roboterassistierte Chirurgie (CURAC) (Leipzig, 13.-15.09.2018), Leipzig: Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery 2018, pp 132-137.- ISBN 978-3-00-060786-8
Wurll, Christian
- Wurll C: Das bewegliche Lager auf Basis eines cyber-physischen Systems. In: ten Hompel M, Bauernhansl T, Vogel-Heuser B (Eds.): Handbuch Industrie 4.0 : Vol. 3 Logistik. 3. Ed., Berlin: Springer Vieweg 2020, pp 41-79 - ISBN 978-3-662-58529-0 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58530-6_12)
- Hornung L, Weisenböhler M, Wurll C: A New Approach to Gesture Based Real-Time Robot Programming Using Mixed Reality. In: Christ A, Quint F (Eds..): Artificial Intelligence: Research Impact on Key Industries; the Upper-Rhine Artificial Intelligence Symposium (UR-AI 2020). UR - AI 2020 (Karlsruhe, 13.05.2020), Offenburg: Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Medien Offenburg 2020, pp 93-101.- ISBN 978-3-943301-28-1 (Electronic publication: arxiv.org/abs/2010.16241)
- Weisenböhler M, Wurll C: Automated Item Picking for fashion articles using Deep Learning. In: ISR 2020; 52th International Symposium on Robotics. 52th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR 2020) (online, 09.-10.12.2020), Piscataway: IEEE 2020, pp 243-250.- ISBN 978-3-8007-5428-1 (Electronic publication: ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9307478)
- Weisenböhler M, Walz M, Wurll C: Automated Item Picking : Machine Approach to Recognize Sports and Fashion Articles. In: Christ A, Quint F (Eds.): Artificial Intelligence : from Research to Application. L'Intelligence Artificielle : de la Recherche á l'Applicacion = Künstliche Intelligenz : von der Forschung in die Anwendung (Offenburg, 13.03.2019), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences 2019, pp 71-75.- ISBN 978-3-9820756-0-0 (Electronic publication: arxiv.org/abs/1903.08495)
- Wurll C: Selbständigkeit und Simultanität : Industrie-Roboter in "Smart Factories". In: Unternehmermagazin, ISSN 0022-6416, 67 (2019), No. 3/4, pp 34-37 (Electronic publication: www.unternehmermagazin.de/2019-FlippingBooks/UMAG-03-04-2019/mobile/index.html)
- Wurll C: Das bewegliche Lager auf Basis eines Cyber-physischen Systems. In: ten Hompel M, Vogel-Heuser B, Bauernhansl T (Eds.): Handbuch Industrie 4.0 : Produktion, Automatisierung und Logistik. Berlin: Springer Vieweg 2019 (Springer Reference Technik), 39 p.- ISBN 978-3-662-45537-1 (Electronic publication: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45537-1_12-2)
- Wurll C: Are robots ready for prime time?. 2019 (Electronic publication: www.dcvelocity.com/dcvtv/news/6101556410001/)
- Wurll C, Saliba S, Sütterlin J: CoffeeBot – Ein Demonstrator für die Mensch-Roboter-Kollaboration und Interaktion. In: Forschung aktuell, ISSN 1613-4958 (2019), pp 16-19 (Electronic publication: www.hs-karlsruhe.de/fileadmin/hska/GOEM/Baum_Hochschule/Uebrige/Forschung_aktuell_2019.pdf)
- Wurll C: Solutions Community Panel : Unlocking the Supply Chain with Robots. MHI Anual Conference (Palm Springs, CA, USA, 13.-16.10.2019)
- Weisenböhler M, Wurll C: Dynamic Route Planning for Area Processing Autonomous Robots. In: VDMA, VDE, ITG, IFR (Eds.): ISR 2018 : International Symposium on Robotics. 50th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) (München, 20.-21.06.2018), Berlin: VDE Verlag 2018, pp 285-291.- ISBN 978-3-8007-4699-6
- Wurll C, Fritz T, Hermann Y, Hollnaicher D: Production Logistics with Mobile Robots. In: VDMA, VDE, ITG, IFR (Eds.): ISR 2018 : International Symposium on Robotics. 50th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) (München, 20.-21.06.2018), Berlin: VDE Verlag 2018, pp 213-218.- ISBN 978-3-8007-4699-6
- Wurll C, Fritz T, Hermann Y, Hollnaicher D: Production Logistics with Mobile Robots. 50th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) (München, 20.-21.06.2018)
Current videos
Facilities
The members of the Research Group operate or are involved in the following laboratories:

Student research

Theses and project work for students
Every semester, the iRAS research group offers students a broad portfolio of final and project theses for Bachelor and Master students. These are always supervised by a professor of the research group as first examiner and another professor or a PhD student as second examiner.
Master's theses are carried out under the intensive supervision of scientific staff in the iRAS research group. Despite the scientific focus, there is often close cooperation with companies from research partnerships. Bachelor theses can be carried out either in a company or directly in the research area of the research group iRAS. The latter are usually concrete implementations of robot applications or the implementation-focused processing of subtasks of larger research topics.
In addition to specific topics, other topics are also offered in consultation between the professor or doctoral student and the student. These are designed according to scientific relevance, suitable integration into ongoing research work, and the specific interests and abilities of the student.

The current topics of the research group iRAS include
• Image processing and scene understanding with deep neural networks
• Simulation of real-world applications for reinforcement learning and synthetic image data
• Robot programming and application development
• Hazard analysis and finite element simulation for human-machine collaboration
• Cloud and edge computing in robotics
• Motion Planning and Control / Navigation
In addition to motivation and interest in innovative robotics, sensing, and machine learning, (basic) programming skills (or the motivation to acquire them in a short period of time) are a relevant skill that students should bring along.
If you are interested in an advertised or any other thesis or project in the topic area of the iRAS research group, please contact: IRAS @h-ka.de