Cross-sectional skills
Robotics
The term robot – from the Czech word “robota” meaning work – was first used in 1921 although the first devices were only constructed in 1948.
Industrial robots should be perceived as mechatronic systems and thus really belong to the field of mechatronics. This cross-sectional technology comprises the disciplines of mechanical engineering, electro-technology and IT. The core of this interdisciplinary science is the development and technical implementation of new integrated mechanical/electronic systems, which use their intelligence to act independently. The fundamental characteristics of robots mean they are freely programmable and can be applied universally. Robots can be used to move materials, tools or special components and to carry out various tasks. So industrial robots are used to save time and money or to carry out manufacturing work which human dexterity is too limited for. So-called service robots perform services for people and are used in human environments.
The aim and challenge for research is to create robots in such a way so that they are not restricted by any lack of mobility or autonomy.
Biomedicine
Biomedicine is the science on the boundaries between medicine and biology.
It is a new interdisciplinary subject linking the questions of experimental medicine with the methods of molecular biology and cell-biology. It focuses on the molecular and cell-biology basis of life and their abnormal changes.
Technologies such as microfluids and laser-structuring lead to intersections with micro and nanotechnology.
