Florian Hartmann receives scholarship from Daimler and Benz Foundation

Stuttgart – Florian Hartmann, who is a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart where he leads the Biomimetic Materials and Machines Group, has been selected as one of 12 scholarship holders supported by the Daimler and Benz Foundation. Thanks to this scholarship, Florian’s team will be able to advance components for sustainable robot technologies.

The constantly increasing volumes of electronic ways post major challenges for our society. Along with entertainment electronics, robots are now likewise giving rise to new streams of waste. Examples include domestic robots, toys, and drones. Many of these products are made from materials that consume a great deal of energy in production and are difficult to recycle. This project sets out to develop more sustainable solutions for robotics. At the focus is a new type of biodegradable motor made from more environment friendly materials.

“The support from the Daimler and Benz Foundation not only allows me to accelerate my research, but also connects me with an excellent network of Germany's top early-career scientists from various disciplines,” says Hartmann.

The MPI-IS group leader focuses on the development of soft robotics and electronics, additive manufacturing of functional materials, and sustainable technology. He is a trained physicist and received a doctoral degree in Technical Sciences in 2021 from the Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria, working with Prof. Martin Kaltenbrunner. After his doctoral studies, Florian worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Herbert Shea at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. There, he developed small-scale swimming robots and soft actuation technologies for environmental monitoring in agriculture.

The objective of the Daimler and Benz Foundation is to promote science and research in order to gain a better understanding of the interrelations between humans, the environment, and technology. It also promotes dialog between the interested public and scientists from various disciplines.

In 1986 Daimler-Benz AG, now Daimler Truck AG and Mercedes-Benz Group AG, established the “Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz Foundation” in commemoration of the company’s two founders. Renamed “Daimler and Benz Foundation” in 2010, it is an incorporated foundation in civil law and has foundation assets of around EUR 125 million at its disposal. Annual subsidies of some EUR 3.5 million annually are currently available. The Foundation is headquartered at Carl Benz House, the former residence of the Benz family in the town of Ladenburg in Baden.

The Foundation awards grants to postdoctoral researchers with the aim of reinforcing the autonomy and creativity of the next generation of scientists. Find out more here: https://www.daimler-benz-stiftung.de/cms/en/foundation/about.html