Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) stands at the forefront of intelligent systems research, seamlessly bridging fundamental science with cutting-edge engineering across two world-renowned campuses in Stuttgart and Tübingen, Germany. The institute has carved out a distinctive identity through its pioneering work in soft robotics, micro- and millirobotics, wearable sensing technologies, and machine learning — establishing itself as one of the most influential robotics and AI research institutions globally. MPI-IS has made transformative contributions to the miniaturization of robotic systems, particularly in biomedical applications. Its researchers have pioneered untethered milli- and microrobots capable of navigating the human body for minimally invasive medicine, with foundational work on magnetic soft machines, shape-programmable materials, and bioinspired locomotion accumulating thousands of citations. The institute's research into soft actuators and biohybrid systems has redefined how robots can move, deform, and interact with biological environments — work that has become essential reading across the field. Equally impressive is the institute's impact on wearable technology, with highly cited reviews on stretchable strain sensors driving advances in health monitoring and human-machine interfaces. In machine learning and perception, contributions including data-driven grasp synthesis and omnidirectional image understanding reflect the institute's breadth across the intelligent systems landscape. Home to celebrated departments and research groups — including those led by Bernhard Schölkopf in empirical inference and Metin Sitti in physical intelligence — MPI-IS offers an extraordinary environment for aspiring researchers and collaborators seeking to solve grand challenges at the intersection of robotics, materials science, and artificial intelligence.