Günther Schmidt (engineer)

Professor Günther Schmidt on an excursion to the Technical University of Munich in 1979

Günther Schmidt (born March 31, 1935 in Wiesbaden ) is a German engineer and professor emeritus for control and regulation technology at the Technical University of Munich .

Live and act

Günther Schmidt studied electrical engineering from 1955 to 1960 with a focus on communications engineering and control engineering at the TH Darmstadt . As a graduate engineer with distinction, he became a research assistant and lecturer at the Institute for Automatic Control (Head: Winfried Oppelt ). His early scientific work concerned adaptive and digital control systems. With a dissertation on the theory of parameter sensitivity and robustness of controls, he received his doctorate in 1966 with distinction.

An invitation from Irmgard Flügge-Lotz led him in 1967 as a visiting scholar to a one-year research stay in the Division of Engineering Mechanics at Stanford University . At times he also held a visiting professorship for digital controls at Santa Clara University . Based on his scientific work on the optimal control of vehicles and aircraft, he became head of the department for flight and vehicle control in 1968 and later also deputy head of the electronics division at the aerospace company Dornier-Werke . His research and development work there related to a. the high -flying aircraft Dornier Do 31 , the unmanned reconnaissance helicopter Dornier Kiebitz and electronic systems for in-flight pilot training.

After a refused appointment as full professor at the Technical University of Graz , Schmidt accepted a call as full professor for measurement and control technology at the Technical University of Munich in 1971. In addition to his academic tasks, promoting international research collaborations, stimulating and collaborating on numerous national and European research projects, Schmidt held various visiting professorships and was a member of national and international committees, e. B. Franco-German University (DFH), and editor of the trade journal at-Automatisierungstechnik (1993–2002). He performed advisory functions as a member of the executive and supervisory boards of various commercial and industrial companies.

Research priorities

His research and development work, which he carried out at the Institute for Control and Regulation Technology (LSR) of the Technical University of Munich beyond his retirement in 2003 - often in close cooperation with international research institutes and industrial companies - relates to innovative methods as well as hardware and software technologies for measuring , Filtering, controlling, regulating (bus-based control systems, discrete (manufacturing) processes, automotive regulation), the automation of large systems (gas transport and distribution networks, ASDEX upgrade fusion reactor , traffic on expressways), mechatronics (high-precision scales, 3D Laser camera), sensor-guided mobile robots (semi-autonomous service robots MACROBE and ROMAN, stereo camera-guided bipod robot I-JOHNNIE), medical technology (gait neuroprosthesis WALK !, medical training simulators), telepresence and teleaction (tele-shopping, Tele drilling with haptic feedback). The results of his engineering activity, which spanned more than half a century, are documented by patents and 470 publications. His interdisciplinary research interests focus - in close connection with technical information processing - on the development of methods and systems in control, regulation and automation technology and innovative applications in production and transport systems, mechatronics, robotics, telepresence and medical technology.

Awards

• IEEE Life Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA, 2006
• IROS Fellow, Intelligent Robots and Systems Board, Japan, 2005
• VDE honor ring, highest award from the Association of Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies (VDE), 2002
• Joseph G. Wohl Outstanding Career Award, Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA, 1999
• Honorary doctorate (Dr.-Ing. E. h.) From the Technical University of Darmstadt, 1999
• Professor of Robotics, Chinese-German University College (CDHK), Tongji University , Shanghai, PR China, 1998
• Postdoctoral Scholarship, Max Kade Foundation, New York, USA, 1967
• Award of the Rector of the TH Darmstadt for excellent performance in the diploma examination, 1960

literature

• M. Buss: Günther Schmidt on his 70th birthday. In: at automation technology. Vol. 53, 2005, p. 225.
• Karl Heinz Fasol , Rudolf Lauber; Franz Mesch, Heinrich Rake , Manfred Thoma , Heinz Töpfer : Great Names and the Early Days of Control in Germany. In: Automation technology, Munich. Vol. 54, No. 9, 2006, pp. 462-472.
• M. Buss, Georg Bretthauer : Dedicated to Prof. Günther Schmidt on the occasion of his 80th birthday. In: at automation technology. Vol. 63, 2015, pp. 225-226.
• Henning Tolle : Professor Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Günther Schmidt. In: at automation technology. Vol. 63, 2015, pp. 227-230.
• Werner Kriesel : Future models for computer science, automation and communication. In: Frank Fuchs-Kittowski , Werner Kriesel (Hrsg.): Computer science and society. Festschrift for the 80th birthday of Klaus Fuchs-Kittowski . Frankfurt a. M., Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Vienna: Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, PL Academic Research 2016, ISBN 978-3-631-66719-4 (print), E- ISBN 978-3-653 -06277-9 (e-book).

Web links

• Website