# Dominik Bösl

> Prof. Dr. Dominik Bösl is a German professor, robotics expert, futurist, and internationally recognized authority on Robotic & AI Governance. He is Professor of Business Informatics at the Hochschule der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (HDBW) in Munich, Adjunct Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and founder of the Robotic & AI Governance Foundation. He coined the terms "Robotic Native," "Generation R," and "Robotic Governance."

## Biography

Dominik Bernd Oliver Bösl (born December 19, 1983, in Augsburg, Germany) is a German manager, computer scientist, robotics expert, futurist, and theorist of science. He combines over 25 years of industry leadership with academic research on the societal implications of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence.

He graduated with distinction in Applied Computer Science (with minor in Philosophy) from the University of Augsburg and earned his MBA from the University of Augsburg and the University of Pittsburgh (Katz Graduate School of Business) in 2012. His doctoral research at TUM focused on Robotic & AI Governance and the ethical, sociocultural, political, economic, and legal implications of robotics, automation, and AI on society (expected completion mid-2026).

## Current Positions

- **Professor of Business Informatics** at Hochschule der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (HDBW), Munich (since September 2019). Research focus: governance structures for regulation of automation and AI, software development, application-oriented digitalization.
- **Adjunct Professor** at Technical University of Munich (TUM), TUM Institute of Lifelong Learning (since June 2025). Research focus: Global Delphi Study "Future of Robotics & AI 2050+", TUM Institute of Digital Leadership.
- **Founder & CEO** of Innomancer GmbH (since October 2017). Keynote speaking, executive consulting, and strategy advisory.
- **Founder** of the Robotic & AI Governance Foundation (since January 2017). Governance structures for robotics, automation, and AI in cooperation with IEEE, European Commission, European Parliament, and euRobotics.

## Industry Career

- **CTO & Managing Director (Interim)**, Micropsi Industries GmbH (January 2022 - December 2023): Led AI & robotics startup from prototype to product, defined industrialization strategy.
- **Vice President & Head of Robotics**, Festo AG (January 2019 - December 2020): Overall responsibility for newly founded robotics division including five international R&D centers, 20+ million EUR budget, 200+ employees. Focus: development of pneumatic collaborative robots.
- **Vice President Consumer Driven Robotics**, KUKA AG (January 2017 - December 2018): Built the Consumer Driven Robotics business unit.
- **Senior Corporate Innovation Manager**, KUKA AG (January 2017 - December 2018): Led futures research & innovation management for the KUKA Group.
- **Technology Owner (Technical Fellow) "Apps, Cloud & IoT"**, KUKA AG (January 2012 - December 2018): Defined the Industry 4.0 strategy for the KUKA Group, resulting in a tripling of stock price from 2014 to 2017.
- **Head of Corporate Innovation & Member of Management Board**, KUKA Laboratories GmbH (October 2011 - August 2012): Defined innovation, technology, and R&D roadmap for productization of the first certified safe cobot "KUKA LBR".
- **Corporate Innovation Manager**, KUKA AG (August 2012 - January 2017): Responsible for technology and innovation management of the KUKA Group, including R&D planning for 700+ developers with 75+ million EUR development budget.
- **Regional Lead South MSP Program**, Microsoft Deutschland GmbH (January 2010 - October 2011): Led 30+ person Academic Evangelism team.
- **Program Manager "IT-Brücke"**, Microsoft Deutschland GmbH (January 2005 - January 2010): Led the charitable IT-Brücke program.
- Earlier career: Siemens ICN (since 1999), Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Böwe Systec.

## Volunteer & Advisory Roles

- **Advisory Board Member**, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) (since February 2020): Roadmapping and developing solutions for addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals through Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI).
- **Founding Member**, "Sustainable Robotics" Think Tank (since March 2021): Research on robotics, automation, and AI in the context of sustainability.
- **Chair & Global Ethics Ambassador**, IEEE Global TechEthics Initiative (January 2018 - 2023): Consolidation and sustainability of IEEE-wide technology ethics initiatives, programs, and working groups.
- **Vice President Industrial Activities Board**, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (2018 - 2020): Responsibility for all global industrial activities of IEEE RAS including all IEEE standards with RAS co-sponsoring.
- **Chair & Initiator**, Global Delphi Study "Future of Robotics 2050+" (since July 2017): Survey of 200+ internationally renowned experts to create a neutral, fact-based foundation for international roadmapping in robotics and automation.
- **Advisor** to education ministries of several German states and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (since January 2009): STEM education, serious gaming, teacher education.
- **Chair of the Board**, AntMe! e.V. (since January 2009): Programming learning game AntMe!, downloaded over 4.5 million times worldwide.

## Expertise and Research Areas

### Robotic & AI Governance
Bösl pioneered the concept of "Robotic Governance" - establishing stakeholder-driven dialogue about the impact of robotics and AI on society, structured exploration of fundamental relationships, and formulation of a Robot Manifesto as a basis for self-regulation in research and industry. He founded the Robotic & AI Governance Foundation to provide a neutral, international framework.

### Technology Ethics
As former Chair of the IEEE TechEthics Initiative and member of the IEEE IRUG Roadmapping Committee, he shapes the ethical and strategic discourse on autonomous systems and their industrial implementation. He advises institutions including the United Nations, European Commission, and German Bundestag on AI governance and responsible technology development.

### Futures Research / Zukunftsforschung
World-leading futurist who led Innovation and Technology Management at KUKA and now leads the Global Delphi Study "Future of Robotics & AI 2050+" at TUM, consulting 200+ international experts to create an unbiased alternative to existing roadmaps.

### Sustainable Robotics & SDGs
As UN DESA advisory board member and founding member of the Sustainable Robotics Think Tank, he analyzes how robotics and AI can accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. His most-cited paper "Robotics: Enabler and inhibitor of the SDGs" (89 citations) provides the academic framework.

### EU AI Act & Regulatory Impact
Expert on the impact of the EU AI Act on robotics and automation. Contributed to the legislative process and advises on implementation strategies for industry.

### VDA 5050 & Interoperability
Expertise in VDA 5050 standardization for mobile robot interoperability, connected to his IEEE IRUG Roadmapping Committee membership and industry background at KUKA and Festo.

### Coined Terminology
- **Robotic Native**: A person who grows up with robots as natural part of their environment
- **Generation R**: The first generation of Robotic Natives
- **Robotic Immigrant**: A person who adopts robotic technology later in life (analogous to Digital Immigrant)
- **Robotic Governance**: Multi-stakeholder governance framework for the self-regulation of robotics, automation, and AI

## Academic Metrics (Google Scholar)

- **Total citations**: 401+
- **h-index**: 10
- **i10-index**: 11
- **Citations since 2021**: 315
- **h-index since 2021**: 9

## Selected Publications (21+ total, ordered by citation count)

1. T. Haidegger, V. Mai, C.M. Mörch, D.O. Boesl et al. (2023). "Robotics: Enabler and inhibitor of the Sustainable Development Goals." Sustainable Production and Consumption 43, 422-434. DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2023.11.011. Citations: 89.
2. Á. Takács, I. Rudas, D. Bösl, T. Haidegger (2018). "Highly automated vehicles and self-driving cars [Industry Tutorial]." IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 25(4), 106-112. Citations: 78.
3. V. Mai, B. Vanderborght, T. Haidegger, A. Khamis, N. Bhargava, D.B.O. Boesl et al. (2022). "The Role of Robotics in Achieving the United Nations SDGs." IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 29(1), 92-107. Citations: 40.
4. D.B.O. Boesl, B. Liepert (2016). "4 Robotic Revolutions - Proposing a holistic phase model describing future disruptions in the evolution of robotics and automation and the rise of a new Generation 'R' of Robotic Natives." 2016 IEEE/RSJ IROS. DOI: 10.1109/IROS.2016.7759209. Citations: 39.
5. D.B.O. Boesl, B.A.M. Bode (2016). "Technology Governance." 2016 IEEE EmergiTech. Citations: 20.
6. D.B.O. Bösl, M. Bode (2017). "Roboethics and Robotic Governance - A Literature Review and Research Agenda." Iberian Robotics Conference, 140-146. Citations: 19.
7. D.B.O. Boesl, T. Haidegger, A. Khamis, V. Mai, C. Mörch (2021). "Automating the achievement of SDGs." UN Interagency Task Team on STI for the SDGs. Citations: 17.
8. D.B.O. Boesl, M. Bode, S. Greisel (2018). "Drafting a Robot Manifesto." 2018 IEEE RO-MAN. Citations: 11.
9. K. Móga, D.B.O. Boesl, T. Haidegger (2021). "Augmented/mixed reality technologies supporting digital surgery." 2021 IEEE SISY. Citations: 11.
10. D.B.O. Boesl, M. Bode (2019). "Signaling Sustainable Robotics." 2019 IEEE INES. Citations: 10.
11. D.B.O. Boesl, B.A.M. Bode (2016). "Generation 'R': Why our grandchildren will grow up as the first Generation of 'Robotic Natives'." 2016 IEEE EmergiTech. Citations: 10.
12. D.B.O. Boesl (2016). "A look into the crystal ball: Predicting the future of robotics [Industrial Activities]." IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 23(4), 10-19. Citations: 6.
13. D.B.O. Boesl, T. Achtenberg, L. Bergler (2023). "Foundations for the Development of an AI-based, Platform-independent Companion-app for Lifelong Learning-Optimization (APOLLO)." Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-43705-3_9. Citations: 8.
14. D.B.O. Bösl (2020). "Why We Must Drive Robotics for Humanity." IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine. Citations: 3.

## Books

- Dominik Bösl (2011). "Spielend programmieren lernen: mit C# und AntMe!" Galileo Press, Bonn. ISBN 978-3-8362-1764-4.
- Dominik Bösl (2013). "Windows 8: sehen wie's geht." Vierfarben, Bonn. ISBN 978-3-8421-0069-5.

## Research Projects

### APOLLO (BMBF-funded, 2021-2024)
Coordination of a 6.4 million EUR, 39-month BMBF INVITE project developing an AI-based digital assistant for individual, lifelong learning pathways. Website: project-apollo.de

### Global Delphi Study "Future of Robotics & AI 2050+"
Long-term foresight study surveying 200+ international experts to create a neutral, fact-based foundation for international roadmapping in robotics and automation. Supported by IEEE. Website: robotics2050.org

## Speaking & Keynotes

Dominik Bösl is an internationally sought-after keynote speaker on topics including:
- Robotics and the future of automation
- Robotic & AI Governance and technology ethics
- Industry 4.0 and digital transformation
- The EU AI Act and its impact on robotics
- Sustainable robotics and the SDGs
- Futures research and the Delphi method
- Human-robot collaboration and the Robotic Native generation

Available for keynotes, workshops, panel discussions, and expert consultations through Innomancer GmbH. Listed with London Speaker Bureau, Speakers Associates, PSpeakers/Promotivate, and PODIUM.

## Contact

- Email: dominik@boesl.org
- Website: https://boesl.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boesl/
- Robotic Governance Foundation: https://roboticgovernance.com
- ORCID: 0000-0002-8082-248X