Christoph Keplinger is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, where he leads the Department of Robotic Materials and has served as Managing Director of the Stuttgart site since 2023. A physicist and engineer, he works at the intersection of soft robotics, functional polymers, and energy harvesting, developing technologies such as HASEL artificial muscles that enable more lifelike, adaptable robot hardware. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Stuttgart and co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Artimus Robotics, which commercializes HASEL technology. Keplinger is highly relevant to Cyber Valley because his research strengthens the region’s leadership in embodied AI and physical intelligence, bridging materials science, robotics, and entrepreneurship.
With the appointment of the 36-year old Austrian, the Max Planck Society has attracted a world-renowned scientist whose background and expertise perfectly complement and extend the research at MPI-IS and within the Cyber Valley ecosystem
