Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume opens munich_i

Robotics and AI: practical insights into leading-edge research

Under the motto “Intelligence empowering tomorrow”, munich_i opened today. “At munich_i we present hands-on demos of up-to-the-minute, leading-edge research conducted at TUM and within its ecosystem. We bring together companies and the international research elite in robotics and AI, offer insights into our future and discuss what we can do to optimally shape that future,” said Prof. Sami Haddadin, Executive Director of the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at TUM and the director of munich_i: “munich_i is one of the world’s most exciting robotics events.”

munich_i: “A world-class robotics event”
munich_i, launched by MIRMI, Messe München and Automatica, includes the special exhibition AI.Society, the Robothon award for young researchers and the Hightech Summit robotics and AI congress:

• At the AI.Society exhibition, more than 30 demos will be presented by research teams from the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) and startups in the fields of healthcare, environmental technology, mobility and ergonomics (Hall 4, Stand 329). They include new functionalities of the GARMI nursing care robot, applications for AI-controlled smart gloves from the startup Mimetik and a solution that enables autonomous vehicles to operate without high-resolution maps. Also integrated into the event is the i_space stage, which will host round table discussions and presentations (Hall 4, Stand 329). Scheduled highlights include an ethics round table with TUM professor Alena Buyx, the chairperson of the German Ethics Council, on Wednesday, the presentation of the Robothon prize on Thursday with Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs Judith Gerlach and a discussion on employment opportunities in robotics and AI with Bavarian Minister for Culture and Education Prof. Michael Piazzolo. Event program: https://automatica-munich.com/de/munich-i/ai-society/

• At the Hightech Summit, scientific experts and business leaders will look at robotics and AI from four different perspectives: “Humans, AI and robots”, “Next-level industrial robots”, “Quality of life,” and “Strategy and business”. The goal of the summit is to promote exchanges of views among innovation drivers from the worlds of research, business and public policy. For example, Prof. Toshio Fukuda from Nagoya University will explain how intelligent robots can overcome the challenges of an ageing society, climate change and the world’s energy and food problems. The CTO of the Google robotics subsidiary will describe how industrial robots can benefit from new and intuitive tools. And Prof. Sunil Agrawal of Columbia University will provide insights into how rehabilitation robots can help people regain the ability to walk. An overview of the congress, which will take place in Hall B4 (beside booth 329) on June 28 2023, is available here.
   
• The Robothon award for young robotics researchers will be presented at munich_i for the third time. In the collaborative developer challenge, the goal is to create new software and hardware ideas to solve difficult automation problems such as recycling electronic waste. The general objective is to solve industrial problems using robotics applications. 20 international teams are registered this year to compete for the EUR 10,000 prize. The award ceremony will take place at 14:15 on June 29 2023.

“This is the stage for the people who are making things happen.”

At the official opening of munich_i, Bavarian Minister of Science Markus Blume said: “This is the stage for the people who are making things happen: munich_i at automatica showcases the most exciting developments in robotics and artificial intelligence. These are the key disciplines of the future. Technological progress will change our lives for the better.  Bavaria is making massive investments in innovation. Our Hightech Agenda Bayern, with a budget of 5.5 billion euros, is unrivalled. It is an open invitation to the world. We are attracting the best minds to Bavaria and training the best talents. The 112 new professorships in artificial intelligence alone will eclipse the combined total created by all of Germany’s other states. Bavaria is the place to be for research and startups.”