Facts

• Segment: Industrial
• Country: Germany
• Founded: 1969
• Website: https://www.dlr.de/en/rm

Profile sections

• Summary
• Market context
• Products
• Facts
• Context / Market Position
• Events
• Operations / Deployments
• Team
• Relationships
• Sources

Summary

The DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics researches robots, mechatronic systems and intelligent control for space, industry, mobility and medical applications. Its work spans humanoids, lightweight robot arms, teleoperation, surgical robotics, planetary exploration and autonomous systems.

Market context

DLR RM matters as a foundational European robotics research group whose torque-controlled platforms, modular drives and humanoid systems have influenced both academic and industrial robot development. DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics (German Aerospace Center). Research institute; competence center for robotics, mechatronics, optical systems.

• Capability: torque-controlled joints with link-side torque sensors backdrivable, compliant actuation systems impedance control algorithms ZMP-based walking control multi-contact balancing strategies real-time Linux midd…
• Strategic position: torque-controlled humanoid robotics pioneer modular drive technology (KUKA-DLR LWR basis) compliant control and safe human-robot interaction bipedal locomotion research (DLR-Biped lineage since 2009)…

Products

• TORO (TOrque-controlled humanoid RObot)
• TORO Wheeled (Mobile Manipulator Variant)

Facts

• Website: https://www.dlr.de/en/rm
• HQ: Oberpfaffenhofen (Weßling), Germany
• Founded: 1969
• Segment: Industrial

Research robotics for space, dexterous manipulation and field systems

The DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics develops robotic systems across aerial robots, arms, hands and grippers, humanoids, legged robots, multi-arm systems, mobile platforms, human-machine interfaces and system components. Its official research pages also highlight orbital and planetary robotics applications where robots must handle assembly, servicing, construction, maintenance and exploration tasks under space constraints.

• Target environment: Robotics research labs, space robotics programs, aerospace projects, industrial research transfer, field robotics, terrestrial assistance and future manufacturing contexts.
• Deployment model: Public research institute model built around robotics research, prototypes, missions, technology transfer, spin-offs, publications and collaboration with space and industrial partners.
• Customer context: Space agencies, research collaborators, industrial partners, robotics spin-offs, academic groups and aerospace programs needing advanced mechatronics, autonomy or teleoperation research.
• Workflow context: Dexterous manipulation, humanoid and legged robotics, orbital servicing, planetary exploration, teleoperation, autonomy, human-machine interfaces, advanced mechatronics and robotic system components.
• Commercial maturity: Mature research institution rather than a commercial robot OEM. Its impact is through technology development, missions, spin-offs, research transfer and long-horizon robotics capability building.
• Market position: Foundational European robotics research institute in space robotics, dexterous manipulation, autonomy and advanced mechatronics.
• Adoption constraints: Research-to-product transfer, mission funding, qualification for space environments, prototype maintainability, commercialization pathways and dependency on public or partner-backed programs.
• Adjacent context: Space robotics, orbital servicing, planetary exploration, humanoids, dexterous hands, teleoperation, advanced mechatronics and robotics research transfer.
• Source confidence: high

Events

• 2025-06-24 - Demonstration - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics presents robotics highlights at automatica 2025 - At automatica 2025 the institute showed work spanning future production, assistance robotics, med…
• 2025-03-25 - Partnership - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and Siemens launch research collaboration on the production of the future - DLR RMC and Siemens signed a cooperation agreement on future production s…
• 2025-03-10 - Demonstration - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics participates in the first German Robotics Conference - The institute joined the first German Robotics Conference in Nuremberg as a partner alongsid…
• 2024-03-14 - Award - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics researcher Manuel Keppler wins Georges Giralt PhD Award - Manuel Keppler won the Georges Giralt PhD Award for the best European robotics dissertation based…
• 2014-11-18 - Research Publication - DLR publishes overview paper for torque-controlled humanoid TORO - DLR published an overview of TORO at the 2014 IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

Operations / Deployments

• 2025-03-25 - Partnership - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and Siemens launch research collaboration on the production of the future - DLR RMC and Siemens signed a cooperation agreement on future production s…

Team

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alin Albu-Sch?ffer - Director of the Institute - Albu-Sch?ffer is the institute director and a central robotics research leader at DLR RM.
• Prof. Dr. Rudolph Triebel - Head of Department, Perception and Cognition - Triebel leads perception/cognition research relevant to DLR robotics systems.
• Prof. Dr. Alin Albu-Schäffer - Institute Director

Relationships

• Siemens AG - technology_partner - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and Siemens launched a research collaboration on AI-driven robotics for future production systems.
• partner - DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics has a public partnership relationship with Robotics Institute Germany.