The Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technology, and Image Analysis (IOSB) has opened a “Humanoid Robots Experience Lab” at its locations in Karlsruhe, Lemgo, and Ilmenau. The program is aimed at, among others, industrial companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), skilled trades businesses, agricultural operations, municipalities, emergency services, and organizations in the defense and security sectors.

The goal is to provide interested individuals with hands-on access to humanoid robotics. Together with researchers, they can analyze application scenarios, evaluate technical possibilities and limitations, and develop specific use cases and pilot projects.

Three locations with different areas of focus

The locations of the "Humanoid Robots Experience Lab." © Fraunhofer IOSB

The Experience Lab is designed to serve as a cross-site platform for demonstration, testing, and knowledge transfer.

The Karlsruhe site focuses on applications in unstructured and safety-critical environments. These include, among others, defense, civil security, disaster response, and construction. The focus is on reconnaissance, inspection, tampering detection, and support tasks, as well as the collaboration between heterogeneous robotic systems and humans.

In Lemgo, the focus is on industrial automation. There, manipulation and handling tasks in production environments are studied. Another area of focus is on human-in-the-loop concepts and the transfer of these technologies to industrial applications.

The lab in Ilmenau focuses on assistance, inspection, and manipulation tasks in agriculture, municipal public services, and critical infrastructure. Its main areas of focus include integration with sensor and control center systems, as well as simulation-based development and Sim2Real transfer.

Focus on Safe Human-Robot Collaboration

One of the Experience Lab’s main focuses is the development of reliable autonomous systems. Humanoid robots are designed to perceive their environment, assess situations, and perform tasks in collaboration with humans and other robotic systems. The focus is particularly on safety considerations, traceability, and operation under real-world conditions.

“Humanoid robots are about more than just putting machines on two legs. At its core is the question of how artificial intelligence will be able to operate in our real world in the future: in environments that aren’t perfectly prepared, in situations that remain ambiguous, and in interaction with people who need support but should retain responsibility,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Beyerer, director of the Fraunhofer IOSB.

First event in September

Those interested can learn more about the Humanoid Robots Experience Lab at its opening events. The first event will take place on September 23, 2026, in Lemgo. In addition, organizations can discuss their own questions and potential pilot projects directly with the contact persons at the three locations.