Our Mission Statement

Two men and one woman in front of laptops talking.

Our Vision

As a leading entrepreneurial university, we are a site of global knowledge exchange, shaping a sustainable future through talent, excellence and responsibility.

Our Mission

We inspire, promote and develop talents in all their diversity to become responsible, broad-minded individuals. We empower them to shape the progress of innovation for people, nature, and society with scientific excellence and technological expertise, with entrepreneurial courage and sensitivity to social and political issues, as well as a lifelong commitment to learning.

Our Core Values

Our core values form the foundation of our relationships with one another and with our cooperation partners:

  • Excellence: We cultivate an environment of curiosity, creativity and unconventional thinking across the disciplines and set the highest standards of performance in research, teaching, and innovation.
  • Entrepreneurial Mindset: We question the consequences of our actions, take on new challenges proactively, and continually enhance our working methods. We commit ourselves to socially reflected innovations and promote their commercial application by founding sustainable technology spin-offs.
  • Integrity: We draw our success from an inclusive community of talents from different backgrounds, cultures, ideas and perspectives. We act with respect for others and transparency in accordance with our shared values.
  • Collegiality: We respect and inspire one another in a vibrant culture of university community. We cultivate the academic, economic and social partnerships that make TUM a site of global knowledge exchange.
  • Sustainability and Resilience: We learn from our diverse experiences and see in persistent change the opportunity for the sustainable development of science, ecology, economy and society – from this we draw inspiration, motivation and resolve.

Our Guiding Principles

Governing Documents

An overview of central codes and regulations by which we shape research and innovation, teaching, and our governance as a top and modern university of international standing.

Governing Documents

Compliance

The TUM Compliance Office ensures the integrity and transparency of research, teaching and innovation based on the TUM Code of Conduct, the TUM Respect Guide, and the Statute on Safeguarding Good Academic Practice.

TUM Compliance Office

Image brochure "Global Hub of Knowledge Exchange"

We show who we are, what will drive us in the future and what makes us tick, through exciting research projects, insights into the future organizational structure and with stories of visionaries, founders and pioneers.

Explore now

News

  • 3/30/2016

The Human Brain Project: Prototype of the Neurorobotics Platform Released

Virtual Robots for the Simulated Brain

An important milestone for the Human Brain Project has been reached: as of today, Wednesday, 30 March, the prototypes of the six information and communications technology (ICT) platforms are set for release. The neurorobotics platform, led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), gives scientists the chance to apply brain models to various different robots and thus conduct their own experiments.

Scientists are working on brain simulations.
Scientists are working on brain simulations. (Picture: vege / fotolia)

To create a computer simulation of the human brain - in simple terms, this is the aim of the Human Brain Project (HBP). The HBP, which is supported by the EU over a 10-year period, is one of the two large Future and Emerging Technologies flagship projects.

The researchers pursue four sub-goals during the project:
•    collate all existing data about the functioning of the brain,
•    strengthen the theoretical brain research,
•    develop applications, for example, in the areas of medicine or computer technology and
•    develop several so-called information and communications technology (ICT) platforms.

The technology platforms are used by the scientists as tools for analyses, developments and simulations. For example, atlases of the brain are provided or virtual behavioural experiments can be conducted. As of 30 March, the prototypes of the platforms will also be available to researchers who are not members of the HBP consortium.

Led by Prof. Alois Knoll, the TUM coordinates the creation of the platform for neurorobotics. "We expect robots to work more closely with humans in the future, in the manufacturing or care sectors, for example", explains Knoll. "For this to work, robots must be able to perceive their environment similar to how a human can. This means that we have to know how perception works in the brain. During the HBP, we will equip robots with different brain models in computer simulations and test their behaviour."

Therefore, the initial aim of the ICT platform for neurorobotics is to provide robot simulations that are linked to brain models. In addition, virtual environments are designed, in which the behaviour of these robots is examined.

The prototype of this platform can now be accessed by all scientists via a central web portal. Various different virtual robots, to which a neuronal network model can be applied, are available in a type of library. For example, there is a virtual mouse, which can differentiate colours among other things. "Husky", on the other hand, is an off-road vehicle that drives on the simulated surface. You can even select a humanoid robot. Users of the platform have the opportunity to conduct their own experiments or they can access the results of other experiments, too.

The developers of the platform would like to be in direct contact with the users and enhance the software step by step based on their feedback. On the other hand, the users can perform tests to see how realistic their own models are. "We hope to learn how we can make robots intelligent from the simulations and using our partners’ data", explains Dr. Florian Röhrbein, Scientific Coordinator of the Neurorobotics Subproject at the TUM.

The next project phase should also see the emergence of actual physical robot models that are programmed with a brain model. The basic idea behind this: robots work best with humans if they can perceive their environment similar to how a human can.

Based on this assumption, Knoll’s researchers had developed the so-called ECCEROBOT as early as the end of 2012. With ECCEROBOT, muscles, tendons and joints were replicated.

Over the course of the HBP, a new robot may be created along these lines with a brain that is anatomically similar to that of a human.

More information:


Contact
:
Assoc. Lecturer Dr. rer. nat. Florian Röhrbein
Technical University of Munich
Robotics and Embedded Systems
+49.(0)89.289.18139
florian.roehrbein@in.tum.de
www6.in.tum.de

Technical University of Munich

Corporate Communications Center

Back to list
HSTS