To provide insights into the diversity of research, to make science visible and accessible beyond the walls of OTH Regensburg, and to engage with the public: this is the idea behind STADTnah, a joint initiative by the City of Regensburg and OTH Regensburg. In the summer of 2026, science and research were once again brought right to where people in Regensburg go about their daily lives. For example, at the weekly market in the Kumpfmühl district of Regensburg. The format: open, accessible and easy to understand. At the heart of it all: Navel, a social robot that uses artificial intelligence to answer questions, ask its own, and can even hold entire conversations.
What’s a robot doing at the weekly market?
For many of the visitors to the Kumpfmühle weekly market or from the neighbouring retirement home, this was their first direct encounter with a robot and an accessible introduction to the topic of artificial intelligence. From chatting about the market to reciting poems and telling jokes: many realised that the little robot is curious in its own right and asks lots of questions, such as: “What’s your favourite vegetable at the Kumpfmühl market?” or “What do you like doing with your friends?”.
Navel was developed as an ‘empathetic robot’ intended primarily for care settings: it is designed to engage those in need of care, chat with them and create a cheerful, positive atmosphere.
In 2023, the company Navel Robotics began pre-series production and sold its empathetic robots to care homes and research institutions. This is how Navel came to be at OTH Regensburg.
How do people react to social robotics?
Navel is a suitable conversation partner who, by design, is limited to giving only positive answers and asking only positive questions, explains Prof. Dr Sonja Haug. The use of a social robot forms part of the SoRoP project (Social Robotics in Practical Testing by the Institute for Social Research and Technology Assessment) at OTH Regensburg. The aim of the project is to investigate how people react to social robotics, how they perceive it and how they interact with it. This is also fascinating from the perspective of the acceptance of new technologies. To this end, observational studies and quantitative surveys are being carried out. Navel’s deployment at the weekly market provided a good opportunity to observe the reactions of a wide variety of people.
STADTnah: Engaging in dialogue through science
Overall, the STADTnah programme aimed, once again in the summer of 2026, to provide insights into the diversity and relevance of the research carried out at OTH Regensburg, and to make it visible and tangible to the wider community. During the summer term of 2026, the focus was not only on traditional lectures but, above all, on dialogue-based and interactive formats: conversations on park benches – so-called ‘Science Benches’ – short talks at urban meeting points, as well as activities that spontaneously invite people to get involved, ask questions and make discoveries.
The STADTnah event series is organised by OTH Regensburg in cooperation with the City of Regensburg. It offers numerous opportunities to engage in conversation with researchers from OTH Regensburg and to ask your own questions. Thematically, previous events have covered topics such as robotics, artificial intelligence, historical building research, sustainable construction in Regensburg and even the search for extraterrestrial life.