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The main research and development areas of the Mechatronics Research Unit are as follows:
- Robotics and automatisation: Particularly robot grippers and robotic handling of non-rigid materials such as textile fabrics, polymer and metal foils, carbon and glass fibre, etc. Medical robotics for fracture surgery. Automation analysis and control concerning higher levels of robot programming abstraction including object and task level programming.
- Electrostatics: including the use of electroadhesion for automated handling, material separation and for the temporary immobilisation of lepidoptera. Electrostatic micro- grippers suitable for the handling of minute optical components such as micro lenses, mirrors, gratings etc. Optical high voltage switching using direct band gap semiconductors.
- Smart Materials: including electrorheological fluids and other electrophoretic effects. Previously included a 4,000,000 ecu BRITE/EURAM and a BMBF grant of ca. 2,000,000 Euro for research in electrorheology and magnetorheology in haptic displays. Original investigations into the use of shape memory polymers in robotics and associated investigations into the acoustic properties of shape memory foams.
- Laser und Elektro-optics: measurement of surfaces and web structures using coherent and confocal systems. Electronic displays using thermochromic liquid crystals, electrophoretic and electrorheological technologies. Excimer laser based ion-implantation. Infra red technology for tactile sensing, materials analysis and more recently in mobile robots for position determination and navigation purposes.
- Bio- and Medical-technology: Investigations into tumour removal through robotic laser surgery, Automated sensory and microfluidic systems, robotics in fracture repositioning in accident surgery. Use of tactile displays in telemedicine. Application of electron paramagnetic resonance in radiation dosage detection.
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Research 
