General Info

The Robotics group started under Prof. Dr. Andreas Birk at the very beginning of academic activities at Jacobs University in fall 2001. Much like Jacobs itself as a novel, highly selective institution in the German university landscape, the robotics group is committed to excellence in research. The group is truly international with English as working language. Jacobs University was called International University Bremen (IUB) before 2007; you may hence find the name IUB for example in older publications on this website.

Jacobs Robotics is embedded in the research focus area Mobility with teaching activites in the department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering. Jacobs University offers the flagship BSc program Robotics and Intelligent Systems (RIS).

The research of the group focuses on Autonomous Systems. The expertise in this field ranges from the development of embedded hardware over mechatronics and sensors to high-level software. On the basic research side of autonomous systems, 3D perception and world-modeling as well as cooperation are core themes of robotics research at Jacobs University. The systems developed here are used in various unstructured domains, including safety, security and rescue robots (SSRR), planetary exploration, logistics, and especially marine robotics which is the main application focus since several years now.

News

Presentation on "Underwater Human Robot Interaction (U-HRI)" at BTS

29 Sep 2021

Slides from the BTS 2021 presentation on "Underwater Human Robot Interaction (U-HRI)" are available for download.

Results of an International Survey on Robotics Labs during CoViD19

27 Sep 2021

The results of an international survey on the impact of CoViD19 on robotics labs and other forms of hands-on education are now published in an article in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (RAM), which is Open Access. Among others, there is evidence that there is a potentially long-lasting impact, i.e., that instructors report an expectation of changes to be permanent.

Digitization of Cultural Heritage: 3D Maps of the Submarine Bunker Valentin

27 May 2020

It was the largest armament project of the German war navy: Built mainly by forced laborers, the submarine bunker Valentin in Bremen-Farge is a noticeable reminder of the crimes of the Nazi dictatorship. An interdisciplinary research project at Jacobs University is digitally surveying the ruins, which house a memorial, using air, ground and underwater robots. First results of the project are now available.

Growing Student Numbers and Excellent Results in International University Ranking

21 Nov 2019

Record growth at Jacobs University: At the beginning of the semester 2019/2020, the English-medium university welcomes over 610 new students to its campus in Bremen, the largest group of freshmen in its history to date. The high demand for the coveted study places is brought forward by the excellent international reputation of Jacobs University: According to the recently published Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking 2020, Jacobs University ranks among the 25 percent of the best universities worldwide.

Anca Dragan: The Robot Teacher

16 Apr 2018

Her university has produced 91 Nobel Prize winners, and just around the corner from her workplace, the heart of the digital transformation movement in Silicon Valley thrives. Here, close to San Francisco, is where the future takes shape – and Anca Dragan is playing a significant role in molding it. In Berkeley, at the University of California, the 30-year-old professor leads a research laboratory studying interaction between humans and robots. The Jacobs University graduate is teaching robots to anticipate human actions – and to behave with corresponding prudence.