Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Thomas Schlegel is a leading researcher at the intersection of robotics, cyber-physical systems (CPS), and intelligent production control. His work focuses on making complex, distributed systems accessible and adaptive for both humans and machines. Schlegel’s major contributions include developing a capability-based framework for programming small domestic service robots, which addresses the challenge of heterogeneity in consumer robotics by abstracting technical differences into reusable capabilities. He also pioneered the interactive mobile control center for CPS, enabling ubiquitous monitoring and manipulation of physical and virtual properties. In the manufacturing domain, his INT-MANUS project (supported by the European Commission) introduced the Smart Connected Control Platform, revolutionizing production plant control through distributed, interactive environments. Schlegel further advanced context-adaptive workflow engines like PROtEUS, which integrate dynamic sensor streams, IoT services, and human actors as first-class citizens. His work on brain-computer interfaces for robot control and rapid factory reconfiguration underscores his commitment to human-centric automation. With over 37 citations across his most-cited papers, Schlegel’s research is foundational for creating smart, responsive environments where humans, things, and services collaborate seamlessly.