Understanding and Designing Autonomous Systems Holistically

Autonomous systems are increasingly changing the way people interact with technical systems and tackle complex tasks. Their development raises not only technical challenges but also social, ethical, and legal questions.

Autonomics is a young, interdisciplinary field of study that takes a holistic approach to the design, understanding, and deployment of autonomous systems. At the Chair of Adaptive Autonomy and Off-Road Robotics, we investigate the interplay between humans, technology, society, and responsibility to lay the groundwork for the safe, transparent, and responsible use of autonomous technologies.

Research Focuses

Humans

Autonomous systems interact with people, assist them with tasks, or make independent decisions in shared environments.

The focus is on human-robot interaction, the comprehensibility of autonomous behavior, and collaboration between humans and autonomous systems. Trust, transparency, and human agency play a key role in this context.

Technology

The technical development of autonomous systems involves the interplay of perception, decision-making, control, and system architecture. Their integration into real-world environments places high demands on reliability and adaptability.

We view autonomous systems as holistic technical systems whose components and functions must be systematically developed, integrated, and validated.

Society

The increasing use of autonomous technologies is influencing work processes, social structures, and the demands placed on technical innovations.

We examine the societal impacts and framework conditions of autonomous systems, particularly with regard to their acceptance, their integration into existing application areas, and their sustainable use.

Responsibility

Autonomous systems can make decisions whose effects impact people, their environment, and other technical systems. This raises questions regarding safety, accountability, and the legal framework.

Our focus is on the transparent validation of autonomous decisions, ethical requirements, and the responsible design of autonomous technologies throughout their entire lifecycle.

Research Goal

Our goal is to research autonomous systems not in isolation as technical solutions, but in interaction with people, societal requirements, and their responsibilities. To this end, Autonomics combines technical and interdisciplinary perspectives and lays the groundwork for the safe and sustainable integration of autonomous systems into real-world applications.