Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Stefan Barthelmes is a robotics and space systems engineer whose research sits at the intersection of planetary exploration, rover locomotion, and advanced mobile robot control. Based primarily at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), he has made significant contributions to the development of rovers designed to operate in some of the most extreme and low-gravity environments imaginable. His most influential work centers on the MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission — a collaborative endeavor between JAXA, CNES, and DLR — for which he helped develop and qualify a novel locomotion system capable of navigating Phobos, where gravity is roughly 2,000 times weaker than on Earth (cited 21 and 10 times respectively). Barthelmes has also advanced the broader field of planetary robotics through his contributions to the ROBEX alliance, which pioneered exploration technologies for both deep-sea and extraterrestrial environments. His technical expertise shines in work on over-actuated wheeled robots, model-based chassis control, and real-time terramechanics simulation — tools essential for reliable rover performance on unpredictable terrain. Collectively, his publications, accumulating over 60 citations, reflect a sustained and impactful career pushing the boundaries of robotic mobility beyond Earth.