Chair of Adaptive Autonomy & Off-road Robotics
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Wolf
Welcome to
The Chair of Adaptive Autonomy and Off-road Robotics (AOR) conducts research in the following areas:
- Autonomy of AI-based robots, commercial and special vehicles in challenging environments
- New control and perception architectures taking into account sensor data quality and environmental semantics
- Adaptive autonomy and behavior networks (Behavior Networks & Behavioral Intelligence)
- Development of reliable robot systems taking into account measurable safety, availability and reliability
- Autonomics as an inter- and transdisciplinary field of knowledge for holistic research into autonomous systems
News from the chair
Research Approach to Adaptive Autonomy at the 2026 Young Researchers Symposium
The AOR Lab was represented by Catharina Helten at the 2026 Young Researchers Symposium. She presented her research paper titled “The Predictive Robotic Mind – Why Robots Should Learn to Be Surprised, ” which explores an approach to adaptive autonomous robotic systems inspired by human thinking.
The research centers on the question of how robots can recognize when their current perceptions no longer align with their previous experiences. The proposed concept of the Predictive Robotic Mind integrates perception, memory, and predictions to detect discrepancies between expected and actually observed environmental states. This so-called prediction error is intended to serve as an internal uncertainty signal and enable situation-dependent behavioral adaptation.
The symposium provided an opportunity to present this interdisciplinary research approach and to exchange ideas on new perspectives for safe and adaptive robotics.
Further information on the research concept is available on the accompanying project website: https://catharinahelt.github.io/the-predictive-robotic-mind/
Robotics Research Lab
The Chair of Robotic Systems at RPTU is a leading research institution in the field of humanoid robotics, service robotics and commercial vehicles under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karsten Berns. There is close cooperation with the RRLab and both chairs share the laboratory and robot systems.
Fraunhofer IESE
The Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE in Kaiserslautern has been one of the leading research institutes in the field of software and systems engineering for almost 30 years.
Center for Commercial Vehicle Technology
The Center for Commercial Vehicle Technology (ZNT) is an interdisciplinary institute for commercial vehicle-specific research, development and services at RPTU. The Chair of Adaptive Autonomy and Off-road Robotics is a member of the ZNT.
Robotics Insitute Germany
The Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) is an initiative to network leading robotics research locations in order to increase international visibility and accelerate progress in AI-based robotics. The AOR-Lab is an associated partner of the RIG.
Commercial Vehicle Cluster
The Commercial Vehicle Cluster (CVC) is a leading network in south-west Germany that connects companies, scientific institutions and political partners from the commercial vehicle industry. The Chair of Adaptive Autonomy and Off-road Robotics is a member of the CVC through the ZNT.
SVI-HUB Rhineland-Palatinate
The SVI-HUB is a network for the security and defence industry in Rhineland-Palatinate and connects companies, research institutions, trade associations and organizations that work together to strengthen the security and defence industry. The Chair of Adaptive Autonomy and Off-road Robotics is a founding member.
Career and entry opportunities
At the chair, students have the opportunity to actively participate in research and development. In addition, we offer employment opportunities as student assistants (Hiwi) and as scientific staff. These activities enable in-depth participation in ongoing research projects and a close insight into the scientific work of the chair.
Please send applications for work at the chair exclusively by e-mail to:
aor-jobs(at)cs.rPTU.de
Please make sure that your application is informative and clearly relates to the research and work priorities of the chair. Incomplete or thematically unsuitable applications cannot usually be considered.