The Technical University of Munich has opened a new robotics and AI facility at LabCampus, where around 100 robots will initially train.
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has opened its new TUM Convergence Center at LabCampus, the innovation hub at Munich Airport (MUC), with a focus on robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and mobility.
The facility brings together students, researchers and partners from industry and society, and is intended to accelerate the development and application of future technologies. Alongside the RoboGym, the ecosystem includes the KI.Fabrik, the TUM Future Work LivingLab and the TUMorrow Hub for student innovation projects.
Advancing physical AI through real-world training
A central component is the TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, a real-world laboratory developed by the TUM Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (TUM MIRMI) and NEURA Robotics. It is described as a scientific training environment for physical AI and humanoid robotics, where robots can learn and refine skills under realistic conditions. It is also the first location in the global NEURA Gym network.
Physical AI refers to intelligent systems that can perceive, learn and act in the physical world through robotic platforms. At the RoboGym, researchers investigate how robots acquire new capabilities, interact safely with people and their environment, and transfer learning from one scenario to another. It is described as among Europe’s most advanced environments for embodied AI.
Initially, around 100 humanoid and service robots will train in 48 dedicated training cells, performing tasks such as folding boxes, assembling components and operating tools. The resulting data will be collected in a curated cloud-based data lake, which is intended to support the development of scalable AI models, safe human-robot interaction and practical robotics applications.
To coincide with the opening, NEURA Robotics is unveiling the next generation of its 4NE1 humanoid robot, which will also become part of the RoboGym environment.
Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, President of the Technical University of Munich, said: “With the TUM Convergence Center, we are creating a place at LabCampus where scientific excellence translates into tangible impact. Here, students, researchers, and partners do not meet only at the end of a development process. They work together on responsible technologies from the very beginning. This is what an entrepreneurial university means to us: nurturing talent, overcoming disciplinary boundaries, and translating knowledge into innovations for society.”
Strengthening Munich Airport as an innovation hub
LabCampus offers flexible workspaces, prototyping facilities and showroom areas. Located directly next to one of Europe’s leading international aviation hubs, the site combines global connectivity with close access to Munich’s technology and innovation ecosystem.
Jost Lammers, Chief Executive Officer at Munich Airport, said: “Together with TUM, we are strengthening Munich Airport as a world-class hub for innovation. At LabCampus, scientific excellence and entrepreneurial practice come together directly to turn future technologies into reality more quickly. In this way, Munich Airport will not only send passengers on their way in the future, but also ideas for the future.”
Driving Bavaria’s High-Tech future
The TUM Convergence Center and the RoboGym are designed to strengthen cooperation among international universities, industry partners, scale-ups and emerging talent. As a cornerstone of Bavaria’s High-Tech Agenda, TUM MIRMI combines research in robotics, machine perception and AI with practical implementation.
Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume said: “TUM is a global leader in robotics research, and NEURA Robotics is one of the most exciting rising stars in an industry that is changing the world.”
He said NEURA Robotics had made a deliberate choice to partner with Bavaria and TUM, which he described as a reflection of the strength of the region’s ecosystem. He also pointed to a concentration of talent and technology that few other locations in Europe can match.
Blume added: “The TUM Convergence Center is more than a research site. It is an interdisciplinary powerhouse driving Bavaria’s technological future and an innovation hub for all of Europe.”
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