Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Daniel Schleich is a leading researcher at the intersection of rescue robotics, autonomous navigation, and learning-based motion planning. As a key member of the German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ), he has pioneered a holistic approach to integrating robotic systems into emergency response, directly supporting first responders in earthquake, fire, and flood scenarios. His work on the DRZ task force has yielded critical lessons from real-world disaster deployments, with his 2021 paper on the center’s holistic framework accumulating 36 citations and his 2023 deployment analysis reaching 23 citations. Schleich has also made significant contributions to autonomous aerial robotics, developing search-based planning algorithms for dynamic MAV trajectories using local multiresolution state lattices, and leading Team NimbRo’s UAVs to success in the MBZIRC 2020 competition, where his robots tackled target chase, wall building, and fire fighting tasks. Additionally, his research on Value Iteration Networks (VINs) at multiple levels of abstraction advances goal-directed learning for robot motion, reducing reliance on extensive search. With a portfolio spanning from foundational planning theory to high-impact field deployments, Schleich’s work exemplifies how rigorous robotics research can directly enhance real-world safety and autonomy.