News of October 6, 2025
“Mensch, Roboter!“
New COSMO exhibition showcases robotics research from Dresden
Poster for the current exhibition “Mensch, Roboter!” at the COSMO Science Forum in Dresden
Image: Barkhausen Institut / Rafael Vinz
Starting October 2, 2025, the COSMO Science Forum will present the exhibition “Mensch, Roboter! – Robotics from Dresden science”. Until February 27, 2026, visitors can explore how robotics is being researched in Dresden – and how it is already part of everyday life. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is participating in the exhibition together with five other research institutions.
The exhibition is fully interactive. At various stations, visitors can test robotic models and prototypes. Exhibits, games, and a VR station invite everyone to actively participate. A central theme throughout is trust: How can robots operate safely, reliably, and responsibly?
“Robotics already plays a role in many areas today – from industry and medicine to our homes. These developments increasingly shape our daily lives,” says Dr. Tiphaine Cattiau, project lead for the exhibition. “With ‘Mensch, Roboter!’ we aim to provide clear insights into Dresden’s robotics research while also addressing the questions we must ask to ensure robots are reliable and trustworthy.”
Demonstration model as part of the exhibition: The soft robots developed at HZDR are made of rubber-like materials with magnetic components and integrated ultra-thin sensors on the surface. They are moved and controlled by a magnetic field.
Image: HZDR / T.Voitsekhivska
One of the exhibits comes from the Helmholtz Innovation Lab FlexiSens at HZDR, where so-called “soft magnetic robots” are being developed – tiny robots, only a few millimeters in size, made of elastic, magnetic materials that operate entirely without electricity. In the future, they could be used in medicine, for example in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease or in artificial fertilization.
At COSMO, visitors can experience these soft robots in action: they can touch the material, feel its flexibility, and learn how soft robots work. They can also watch magnetically controlled butterfly robots flying precisely under a dome, steered by changing magnetic fields. A film and reflective questions invite visitors to think about possible future applications – and about the trust we place in such technologies.
The exhibition “Mensch, Roboter!” is open to everyone aged 14 and above and is available in German and English. Admission is free. In addition, workshops and discussion events for adults and children will accompany the exhibition. Guided tours are available on request.
Alongside the HZDR, participating institutions include the Barkhausen Institute, the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTW Dresden), the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TU Dresden, and as a guest, the University of Bremen.
About the COSMO Science Forum
COSMO is an interactive science forum where current research comes to life through events and hands-on exhibits. COSMO is jointly run by the Barkhausen Institut, the Department Speculative Transformation at TU Dresden, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, in cooperation with partners from the DRESDEN-concept research alliance, the Dresden Philharmonic, and the Central Library.
