Looking back on Stallwächterparty 2026
FZI presented high-tech applied research from Baden-Württemberg
At the 2026 Stallwächterparty in Berlin, the FZI Research Center for Information Technology presented an interactive robotics demonstrator. The event, held at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation, provided an ideal opportunity to engage with the numerous guests from politics, academia, and society and to showcase the innovative potential of AI and robotics research in Baden-Württemberg. Through its research, the FZI is helping to make robots trainable through “demonstration rather than programming,” thereby promoting the accessibility of robotics for commercial enterprises.
Intelligent robotics in practice
The focus was on illustrating the latest transfer learning research in AI-based robotics. The FZI’s demonstrator showed how data can be collected and, with the help of so-called vision-language-action (VLA) models, transformed into solutions ready for commercial use.
Now that large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have introduced generative AI to the general public, VLAs are paving the way for the use of this technology in the physical world: While LLMs understand and generate language, VLAs combine language processing with visual perception to derive specific movements for a robot.
This was illustrated on site by two robotic arms that demonstrated the same process in two different scenarios. The task was relatively simple: to precisely insert a plug into an unsecured power strip in order to turn on a lamp
In the first scenario, visitors controlled the robotic arms themselves using controllers.
In the second scenario, guests experienced an automated version that used a VLA solution: The robotic arms were able to complete the task regardless of the position of the power strip and the plug, and despite disruptions during the plugging process, without any reprogramming. This scenario also made it clear that this is only possible when the robots have been trained using sufficiently diverse data that accounts for various factors, such as different lighting conditions.
Technology with an impact
With this demonstrator, the FZI illustrated how current research findings in the fields of robotics and Artificial Intelligence are being translated into concrete applications – but also the challenges that applied research faces in terms of successful transfer.
The goal is to develop intelligent assistance systems that support people and open up new applications for robotics in industry, manufacturing, and other application fields. These new developments have the potential to make robotics more accessible by enabling robots to learn new tasks through teleoperation, where they observe and mimic sequences of actions and movements, thereby eliminating the need for expert reprogramming.
The numerous discussions at the booth confirmed that Baden-Württemberg boasts excellent research, innovative companies, and highly qualified talent. The key now is to consistently channel this potential into innovation, economic value creation, and technological autonomy. Application-oriented research and close collaboration between academia, industry, and government play a vital role in this effort. Through its independent research, the FZI supports the rapid translation of scientific findings into practical applications, thereby strengthening the state’s innovative capacity. The FZI would like to thank the Baden-Württemberg State Representation for the invitation and for providing an outstanding platform for exchange.
About the FZI
The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, with headquarters in Karlsruhe and a branch office in Berlin, is a non-profit institution for information technology application research and technology transfer. It delivers the latest scientific findings in information technology to companies and public institutions and qualifies individuals for academic and business careers or the leap into self-employment. Supervised by professors from various faculties, the research groups at the FZI develop interdisciplinary concepts, software, hardware and system solutions for their clients and implement the solutions found as prototypes. The FZI House of Living Labs provides a unique research environment for application research. The FZI is an innovation partner of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and strategic partner of the German Informatics Society (GI).