Robotics: Student Wins Award for Contribution to Conference

A group led by Professor Andreas Nüchter at the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Würzburg has developed spherical mobile robots. They feature a completely enclosed protective housing and can roll in all directions.

The robots were built for special applications such as high-precision 3D mapping of confined and hazardous environments. Andreas Nüchter's team tested the new technology in such a setting in early 2025: the robot successfully mapped a permafrost tunnel on the Zugspitze (JMU Press Release).

Impressive Live Demonstration of the Robot

Computer science student Marawan Khalil played a key role in the development of the spherical mobile mapping robots. He wrote his bachelor's thesis on the subject and presented the results at an international conference in Padua in early September 2025.

Khalil's presentation impressed the expert audience with the clarity and depth of his research topic as well as the live demonstration of the spherical robot. The student was awarded the ‘Best Presentation Award’ for his work.

The title of his presentation was ‘Design and Evaluation of Two Spherical Systems for Mobile 3D Mapping’. Khalil gave his presentation at the European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR 2025) as part of the 3D-AdViCE: Advanced 3D Vision for Complex Environments workshop.

Leading the Way in Robotic 3D Imaging

The award underscores the University of Würzburg's leading role in the field of robotic 3D imaging. ‘The combination of innovative 3D mapping methods with novel robot platforms opens up new avenues for research into applications in challenging environments on Earth, but also for future missions to the Moon or other planets,’ said Professor Nüchter.