Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Wurll

Vita

Since September 2022
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Germany
DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS

• Dean of the Faculty of Management Science and Engineering
• Deputy Director of the Institute for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (IRAS) (since 09/2023)
• Director of the Institute of Applied Research (IAF) (09/2019 – 08/2023)
• Chairman of the faculty's friends association “Freunde W”
• Board member of the Friends of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences association

Since March 2016
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Germany
PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND AUTOMATION

• Program Director of the Master's program in Industrial Engineering and Management
• Director of the Institute of Applied Research (IAF)
• Chairman of the faculty's friends association “Freunde W”
• Board member of the Friends of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences association

June 2015 – February 2016
Swisslog Automation GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
HEAD OF ROBOGISTICS COMPETENCE CENTER

• Development of robotic applications for automated case and piece picking
• Worldwide consulting and coaching of the sales department
• Technical sales support within project acquisition
• Development of concepts and strategies for the Robogistics market of Swisslog and its customers

February 2013 – May 2015
Grenzebach Automation GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER (CTO)

• Definition and implementation of market and product strategy in cooperation with the sales and development departments
• Development of concepts and strategies for the logistics market
• Coordination of development topics across the Karlsruhe, Antwerp, and Detroit locations

March 2010 – January 2013
KUKA Systems Corp., Sterling Heights, MI, USA
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR LOGISTICS

• Technical sales support and project acquisition in the USA
• Development of concepts and strategies for the Robogistics market for KUKA and its customers
• Worldwide consulting and coaching of sales employees

September 2006 – February 2010
KUKA Robotics Corp., Atlanta, GA, USA
MANAGER ROBOGISTICS COMPETENCE CENTER

• Coordination of development and research topics between KUKA Roboter GmbH and the KUKA Chair of Robotics
• Technical sales support and project acquisition in the USA

January 2006 – August 2006
KUKA Roboter GmbH, Augsburg, Germany
SENIOR CONSULTANT

• Technical sales support and project acquisition in Europe and the USA
• Development of concepts and strategies for the Robogistics market for KUKA and its customers
• Worldwide consulting and coaching of sales employees

January 2004 – December 2005
KUKA SysTec GmbH, Augsburg, Germany
BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER OF THE ROBOGISTICS GROUP

• Member of the Management Board
• Project acquisition in Europe and the USA
• Head of Development

April 2000 – December 2003
Amatec Robotics GmbH, Germering, Germany
GROUP MANAGER

• Project manager for the development of an automated order picking system with industrial robots
• Project acquisition in Europe and the USA

Awards

• 2019: 1st Prize, “100 Places for Industry 4.0 in Baden-Württemberg”, Germany
• 2013: Bronze Prize, Edison Award for the development of the Mixed Row Palletizing (MXRP) system, USA
• 2010: 1st Prize, CSCMP Award for the development of the High Speed Layer Picking (HSLP) and Mixed Layer Picking (MXLP) systems for the Pepsi Bottling Corporation, USA
• 2006: 1st Prize, VDI Innovation Award for the development of an innovative optical sensor system for robotic applications in intralogistics, Munich, Germany

Teaching

Bachelor's Program

Electrical Engineering A (SS 2016 – WS 2018)

• Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
• DC Circuits
• Electric and Magnetic Fields

Automation (SS 2016 – present)

• Fundamentals of Automation Engineering
• Sensors
• Actuators
• Control Systems

Logistics B (SS 2016 – SS 2022)

• Fundamentals of Intralogistics
• Packaging Technology
• Storage and Conveyor Systems
• Sorting and Order Picking Systems

Cyber-Physical Laboratory (SS 2016 – WS 2019)

• Fundamentals of PLC Programming
• Commissioning of a Workpiece Carrier System

Industrial Robotics Laboratory (WS 2018 – present)

• Fundamentals of robot programming with the KUKA Ready2Educate cells
• Introduction to robot simulation with KUKA.SIM

Master's Program

Robogistics – Robots in Logistics (SS 2022 – present)

• Introduction to robot applications in logistics
• Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
• Mobile Robot Systems

Research

Research Projects at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences

Ongoing Projects

Nov. 2022 – Jun. 2027: MauRobot4.0 – Masonry Robot for Automated Bricklaying

Description: In cooperation with Dreßler Bau GmbH and AAT Automation GmbH, the Institute for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (IRAS) is developing a mobile robot that will autonomously build sand-lime brick walls on construction sites in the future. The focus is on AI-based image processing, an AR application for operating the system, and fault-tolerant process control.

Partners: Dreßler Bau GmbH, AAT Automation GmbH

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/profil/news-detailseite/artikel/mauer-roboter-40

Aug. 2023 – Mar. 2027: KATE Doctoral College – Accessibility through AI-Based Assistive Technologies

Description: The KATE graduate school is a cooperative and interdisciplinary graduate school of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA). The doctoral program aims to improve the autonomy and participation of people with disabilities through the use of AI-based assistive systems. Within KATE, I supervise the doctoral project of Valentin Knoben.

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/profil/news-detailseite/artikel/promotionskolleg-zugaenglichkeit-durch-ki-basierte-assistenztechnologien-kate

Apr. 2023 – Sep. 2026: Interreg Robot Hub Academie

Description: The project aims to counteract the shortage of skilled workers in robotics in the Upper Rhine region. The Robot Hub Academie teaches robotics content to an international standard and inspires school students, university students, doctoral candidates, and company employees — through school fairs, summer schools, road shows, demonstrators, and a certified robotics license. The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Interreg Upper Rhine program and has a total volume of €3.6 million. Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences is the lead partner.

Partners: Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (lead partner), Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Trier University of Applied Sciences (Environmental Campus Birkenfeld), Université de Haute-Alsace, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW)

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/en/iras/project-field/robot-hub-academie

Apr. 2023 – Sep. 2026: Interreg Robot Hub Transfer

Description: The sister project supports small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany, France, and Switzerland in introducing robotic systems — from an initial as-is analysis and potential assessment to a first feasibility study. Over the three-year project period, 100 companies will receive an initial consultation and potential assessment, and 50 companies will integrate and commission their own robotic system. The project is also co-financed by the ERDF within the Interreg Upper Rhine program and has a total volume of €4.0 million.

Partners: Trier University of Applied Sciences (lead partner), Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Université de Haute-Alsace, CCI Alsace Eurométropole, Swiss Mechatronic Cluster, Hightech Zentrum Aargau

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/en/iras/project-field/robot-hub-transfer

Completed Projects

Feb. 2022 – Feb. 2025: CROCEMS – Collaborative RObotics for Circular Economy in Manufacturing Sectors

Description: The Erasmus+ project CROCEMS aims to develop a comprehensive training course on the application of collaborative robotics in circular economy processes — such as sensor planning for vision systems, recognition of reusable parts, or disassembly of valuable materials. The goal is to promote effective waste management in the European manufacturing sectors while enabling new production processes, business models, and industrial symbioses. At its core is a new e-learning platform with an innovative, gamified vocational training course.

Partners: CETEM (Spain, coordinator), Universidad de Deusto (Spain), ATMOTERM (Poland), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/crocems

Sep. 2022 – Sep. 2024: RoLe4D – Learning Robotics in 4 Dimensions

Description: Within RoLe4D, the existing robotics teaching concept at HKA was comprehensively further developed to significantly increase the practical component and learning success and to give more students access to robotics. The four-stage teaching concept ranges from an inverted classroom and virtual and simulated training cells to applying the acquired knowledge on a real robot cell. Around 200 students and lecturers from the faculties of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Computer Science and Business Information Systems, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, and Management Science and Engineering were involved in the development. The project was funded by the Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre (Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching) under the “Freiraum 2022” program.

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/role4d

Sep. 2020 – Aug. 2023: TOURINGS – Innovative Training Solution for the Installation of Collaborative Robotics in Manufacturing Sectors

Description: The goal of TOURINGS is to develop innovative training tools aimed at the manufacturing sectors, addressing the field of collaborative robotics, facilitating its installation, and improving skills and knowledge of this key technology for the years to come.

Partners: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Cetem (Spain), Uninfo (Italy), IMT-BS (France), OU IMECC (Estonia)

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/tourings

Feb. 2020 – Jan. 2023: PeTRA – Patient Transfer Robot Assistant

Description: The overarching goal of PeTRA (Personen-Transfer Roboter-Assistent — Patient Transfer Robot Assistant) is to create a support solution for patient logistics that meets these needs to a high standard while relieving nursing staff and auxiliary caregivers. The project aims to generate added value for users and operators, with a particular focus on freeing up qualified nursing capacity from non-nursing activities.

Partners: KUKA Deutschland AG, RWTH Aachen University, Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences, Augsburg University Hospital, Martha Maria Hospital Nuremberg, Barmherzige Brüder hospital network

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/petra

Feb. 2019 – Jan. 2022: ProBot – Proactive Diagnosis and Design of Cobot Deployment in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Description: The ProBot project aims to make it easier for SMEs to introduce cobots and to provide support throughout the entire implementation process. Against this background, the research project developed a virtual method toolkit offering detailed, company-specific, and easy-to-use planning and decision-making aids. This is intended to help SMEs systematically tap the potential of human-robot collaboration (HRC) and thereby increase their competitiveness. In the spirit of application-oriented research, three scientific partners worked together with four manufacturing SMEs as application partners and two technology partners.

Partners: Institute of Human and Industrial Engineering (ifab, KIT), Schnorr GmbH, Maus GmbH, Leutron GmbH, robodev GmbH, ArtiMinds Robotics GmbH

Jul. 2018 – Aug. 2019: Feasibility Study — Automated Item Picking @ adidas AG

Description: In a cooperation project between Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, adidas AG, KUKA Deutschland GmbH, the Zimmer Group, and Roboception GmbH, a prototype solution was developed to automate the order picking process for sports and fashion articles. The main objective was to fully automatically detect shoe boxes and plastic-wrapped clothing inside a load carrier and pick them from it. The developed prototype demonstrated the general feasibility of the provided use case using a robotic solution. In addition, insights were gained with regard to various performance indicators such as the achievable cycle time and system reliability.

Partners: adidas AG, KUKA Deutschland GmbH, Roboception GmbH, Zimmer Group

Further information: https://www.h-ka.de/iras/adidas-aip

Publications

Selected Publications

• Knoben V., Blattgerste J., Pfeiffer T., Hein B., Wurll C.: Towards Augmented Reality Authoring Tools that Ensure Cognitive Accessibility of Instructions. IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and eXtended and Virtual Reality (AIxVR), 2026.
• Sóti G., Huang X., Wurll C., Hein B.: dGrasp: NeRF-Informed Implicit Grasp Policies with Supervised Optimization Slopes. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, vol. 186, 2025.
• Zachariae A., Stogl D., Hein B., Wurll C., Krell-Roesch J., Woll A.: Towards Automated, Individualized, and Adaptive Lower-Limb Motor Training with a Force-Controlled Robotic Walker. IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts (ARSO), 2025.
• Zachariae A., Plahl F., Tang Y., Mamaev I., Hein B., Wurll C.: Human-Robot Interactions in Autonomous Hospital Transports. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, vol. 179, 2024.
• Zhang Y., Mirus F., Pasch F., Scholl K.-U., Wurll C., Hein B.: A Comprehensive Modeling and Scheduling Approach for Allocating Distributed Multi-Robot Software to the Edge/Cloud. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2024.

A complete list of publications is available on Google Scholar.