Master’s Completion and The Road Ahead in Applied Robotics

I am excited to share the news of successfully completing my Master’s degree in Intelligent Systems. This milestone is not just a conclusion, but a launchpad for the next phase of my professional journey: engaging in cutting-edge research in applied AI and robotics at the Honda Research Institute.

From Bielefeld to Cutting-Edge Research

My studies at the University of Bielefeld, focused on Cognitive Informatics and later Intelligent Systems, provided a robust foundation, combining computer science with cognitive sciences. This interdisciplinary approach has been particularly valuable, as I believe the most state-of-the-art AI approaches are those that can be embodied and tested in robotic systems.

During my Master’s, I focused heavily on machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. Highlights included:

• RoboCup@Home Competition: Competing with Team of Bielefeld (ToBI), which instilled a passion for hard work, intense collaboration, and rapid prototyping under pressure.
• Cooperative Human-Robot Interaction: My Master’s project involved implementing a cooperative ball maze game with a Nao robot, which explored how a robot can effectively guide and collaborate with a human partner.
• Master Thesis at CLAAS: I developed a vision system for anomaly recognition on agricultural machinery, bridging the gap between theoretical computer vision and real-world industrial deployment.

A Super Opportunity: Joining Honda Research Institute

I am now thrilled to be starting my journey as a researcher at the Honda Research Institute (HRI), collaborating with the Cognitive Interaction Technology Center of Excellence (CITEC). This is a significant opportunity to work on research that directly impacts the future of intelligent systems.

My work will focus on cooperative robotics and competence modeling, extending the themes from my Master’s project. Specifically, I will be delving into how an effective collaboration between a robot and a human requires the robot to possess a sophisticated understanding, or a “competency model,” of both its own and the human’s capabilities. This involves building extensions for active learning models to achieve this crucial self- and partner-awareness.

This placement represents a chance to tackle challenging, relevant problems in applied AI. HRI’s dedication to foundational research with a view toward future real-world applications is the perfect environment for me to transition from academic study to professional research.

The Future of Applied AI and Robotics

The core of applied robotics lies in moving beyond simple automation to genuine, effective Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).

For HRI to succeed, the robot must be more than just a tool; it must be a cognizant partner. Developing competence models is the key to this partnership. When the robot understands its limits (e.g., in classification accuracy) and can assess the value of a human’s input, the overall system becomes safer, more efficient, and more trustworthy. This is the cutting-edge research I am excited to pursue.

I believe this work is crucial not only for the next generation of service and industrial robots but also for advancing the general field of Machine Learning to handle real-world scenarios where data is non-i.i.d. and active, human-in-the-loop learning is essential.

Looking Ahead

My focus will now be on delivering impactful research in cooperative robotics, ensuring that the theoretical models we develop are robust enough for real-world application. I am eager to contribute to the global research community and bring my versatile skill-set—combining research rigor with a passion for practical implementation—to this exciting new challenge.

If you are working on challenges in applied AI, competence modeling, or human-robot collaboration, I look forward to connecting and exploring potential opportunities in the future.