Bionic Intelligence
Tübingen Stuttgart
A collaboration of the University of Stuttgart, University of Tübingen, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, part of Cyber Valley.
part of
About Us
The Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) will
support to establish a radically new approach for the tight integration of intelligent technological systems with humans. At its culmination, we will be able to overcome technical limitations of current treatment and support systems for neural diseases, compensating for deficiencies and restoring intelligent bodily functions. This will markedly reduce the ever-increasing societal burden of psychiatric and neurological diseases.
Human embodied intelligence results from the smart interplay between neural information processing and physical properties of the body, both tightly integrated in a closed-loop fashion. Such an interplay must be extended to systems that integrate humans with technology.
The BITS Center uniquely combines the complementary excellence of the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen and the associated Max Planck Institutes for Intelligent Systems and Biological Cybernetics as ideal setting and fits perfectly in the regional academic-industrial ecosystem.
current news
Cutting-edge research at the Hannover Messe. Biorobotics for Tremor Suppression represented by BITS
The University of Stuttgart is showcasing biorobotics, green hydrogen production, digital solutions for businesses, and student space projects.
The exhibit: A biorobotic arm that suppresses tremors. The Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) is introducing an assistive system for Parkinson’s patients designed to suppress tremors. Scientists from the Institute for Modeling and Simulation of Biomechanical Systems (IMSB) at the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) explain how the arm simulates and compensates for tremors and why this function resembles that of noise-canceling headphones
[Picture: Allianz Industrie 4.0 BW/Daniel Möller Fotografie]
Hannover, 21 April 2026, No. 11
Parkinson’s Tremor Research Prize
The special Parkinson’s Tremor Research Prize has been awarded to Dr. Alona Shagan Shomron (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems), Prof. Dr. Syn Schmitt (University of Stuttgart) and Prof. Dr. Daniel Haeufle (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen) for the project “Next generation of soft wearable assistive devices for tremor suppression based on electrohydraulic actuators.”
The award recognises a scientifically sound concept for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s tremor, which could represent an alternative to deep brain stimulation.
“The high quality of the submitted projects impressively demonstrates the dynamism of German Parkinson’s research,” said Professor Jens Volkmann. “The selected projects have the potential to provide important impetus for the further development of diagnostics and therapy.”
The Parkinson’s Foundation (parkinson-stiftung.de) supports innovative research projects. Three pioneering projects have been awarded the 2025/2026 Innovation Prizes for clinical research, basic research and the Tremor Research Prize.
Berlin, 15 April 2026
