Wissenbasierte Systeme

Wissensbasierte Systeme/Knowledge-Based Systems

Group Profile

AI systems with incomplete control and incomplete knowledge of their environment, e.g., autonomous mobile robots, profit greatly from knowledge-level representation and reasoning for acting rationally: active sensing, sensor data disambiguation, performance optimization, human-robot co-operation, explanation – these and more aspects of robust and beneficial robot performance are impossible without applying at least a bit of symbolic knowledge. However, intertwining in closed-loop and in real-time the faculties of knowledge-level reasoning, robot control, sensing and sensor data interpretation is a fundamental challenge in AI. Within this spectrum, research in the Knowledge-Based Systems group focused on hybrid (task-level, spatio-temporal, hierarchical, probabilistic) planning, and we developed control architectures to amalgamate it with multi-modal active sensing, learning-based methods for sensor data interpretation, object anchoring, multi-modal semantic mapping, and closed-loop plan execution and monitoring. Regular teaching by group members has spanned over introductory AI, Robotics, and Knowledge-Based Systems topics.

A textbook on Mobile Robotics (1st edition, published in 2012), which has resulted from the group’s work.

The group was established in 2004, headed by  Prof. Dr. Joachim Hertzberg, and terminated in 2025, shortly after his retirement in 2024. Many of the topics have been taken up by two new working groups in the institute: Hybrid AI, and Computer Vision and Robust AI.

The group was deeply involved in establishing in Osnabrück first a branch, then a Lab, and eventually a permanent Niedersachsen Site (in Osnabrück and Oldenburg) of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz,  DFKI) from 2011 on. Joachim Hertzberg was the head of the DFKI Research Group Plan-Based Robot Control; after his retirement in 2024 continued under the direction of Martin Atzmüller as the DFKI Research Group Cooperative and Autonomous Systems. Joachim Hertzberg  was also the inaugural Managing Director of DFKI Niedersachsen, 2022–24.

Members 2004–2025

The following list includes all graduate persons who have worked for the group on UOS contracts as scientific assistants (“Wiss. Mitarbeiter”), irrespective of the source of financing – be it on regular State contracts, or in externally funded research projects, or on doctorate scholarships (such as DAAD or scholarship foundations). The many student assistants are not covered. Regarding academic titles, we use the highest ones known when writing this list – in many cases, they have changed as part of the persons’ work in the group.

  • Sven Albrecht (Dr.), 2011–17
  • Johannes Brust (MSc), 2018–21
  • Michaela van Eickelen (Dr.), 2021–22
  • Martin Günther (Dr.), 2011–15
  • Desiree Heijne (Dipl.-Geogr.), 2019–23
  • Lena Herrmann (MSc), 2018–21
  • Felix Igelbrink (MSc), 2015–22
  • Kai Lingemann (Dr.), 2004–13
  • Neele Meyer (Dr.), 2021–22
  • Alexander Mock (Dr.), 2019–25
  • Andreas Nüchter (Prof. Dr.), 2004–09
  • Piper Powell (MSc), 2024–27
  • Sebastian Pütz (Dr.), 2017–21
  • Juan Carlos Saborío Morales (Dr.), 2015–19
  • Jan H. Schoenke (Dr.), 2014–17
  • Thomas Schüler (Dr.), 2011–14
  • Amos Smith, MSc (2024-27)
  • Jochen Sprickerhof (MSc), 2012–17
  • Stefan Stiene (Prof. Dr.), 2006–2009
  • Sebastian Stock (Dr.), 2011–15
  • Stefanie Thieme (MSc), 2023–2024
  • Thomas Wiemann (Prof. Dr.), 2008–20
  • Dennis Ziegenhagen (MSc), 2023–2024

Other former doctoral students of the group

A number of persons have finished their doctorates in the group without a formal work contract, i.e., in some form as external doctoral candidates, working at DFKI, at University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück, or industry. We list them with the years of their thesis defenses.

  • Mohamed Altaleb (Dr.), 2024
  • Iman Awaad (Dr.), 2025
  • Henning Deeken (Dr.), 2022
  • Simone Frintrop (Prof. Dr.), 2005
  • Maik Fruhner (Dr.), 2025
  • Ronny Hartanto (Prof. Dr.), 2009
  • Stefan May (Prof. Dr.), 2009
  • Stephan Scheuren (Dr.), 2014
  • Irem Stratmann (Dr.), 2007
  • Wolfram Strothmann (Dr.), 2016

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