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You, Robot: Experiencing Robotics First-Hand at General Laser

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By: Dominik Hagmann

As part of the University of Vienna’s course “AI and Interdisciplinary Research” held at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology in the summer term of 2025, students from diverse academic fields participated in a hands-on robotics workshop and explored cutting-edge robotics at General Laser in Vienna. From humanoid robotic agents to agile robot dogs, the hands-on workshop illustrated vividly how artificial intelligence (AI) and automation shape both tomorrow’s industry and future research.

Setting the Scene: From Myth to Machine

Long before AI emerged as a formal scientific discipline, the idea of creating artificial beings fascinated the human imagination. For instance, Greek mythology introduced automata—self-moving devices—already during the first half of the 1st millennium BCE. According to some myths, the smithing god Hephaistos, for example, provided King Alcinoos with “robotic watchdogs” crafted from gold and silver. Furthermore, the deity created Talos, a humanoid “lethal autonomous weapon system” made from bronze, for King Midas to guard the island of Crete. Aside from several further examples, these two cases already comprehensively illustrate how deeply rooted complex visions of intelligent, artificial beings are in human thought.

The term robot itself originates from the Czech word robota („forced labor“), first coined in Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), foreseeing a world where artificial workers ultimately rise against their human creators.

Today, AI has evolved from myth and speculation to practical applications, becoming a tangible reality across numerous domains. AI is increasingly becoming a core technology—comparable in societal impact to electricity or the combustion engine—as it rapidly transitions from laboratory research to everyday life, driven by the democratization of data, computing power, and algorithmic tools.

AI in Interdisciplinary Research

The recent rapid advancement of AI has significantly influenced nearly every scientific discipline, opening numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The course addressed this development by promoting Digital AI Literacy—the competence to understand, critically reflect upon, and effectively utilize AI technologies within interdisciplinary scientific contexts. Participants gained comprehensive knowledge by encountering key AI methods and concepts such as eXplainable AI (XAI), Human-In-The-Loop (HITL), Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Deep Learning (DL), Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) as well as 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS), Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) Modeling, and – last but not least – Robotics. Moreover, the course emphasized literature research skills and fostered collaborative scientific dialogue across diverse academic fields.

The course was led by HEAS member Dominik Hagmann and has been especially tailored for students from Archaeology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Biology, Systems Science, Zoology, Informatics, Cognitive Science, and Neurosciences—fostering diverse perspectives on AI’s interdisciplinary potential. Dominik currently serves as a lecturer at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, and is – since 2025 – collections curator and archaeologist at the Center for Museum Collections Management, University for Continuing Education Krems.

Bridging Theory and Practice: Robotics in Context

To foster a practical understanding of how AI and automation technologies are applied in real-world industrial and scientific settings, the course included a dedicated hands-on session. As part of this, students visited General Laser, where they engaged with selected technical foundations of robotics and AI, while also critically examining their ethical implications, limitations, and broader societal impacts.

General Laser is a Vienna-based company specializing in in products and services in the fields of laser and positioning technologies, multisensor platforms, autopilots, numeric controls and special machines, product development, system integration, models, forms, prototypes, electronics and avionics. In addition to serving branches like construction, surveying, utilities, and archaeology, General Laser actively partners in R&D, education, and innovation initiatives, facilitating applied AI, robotics, and interdisciplinary learning.

Interdisciplinary Dialogue Meets Industrial Robotics

At General Laser, after a cup of freshly brewed coffee, students gained first-hand experience with various robotic and automated systems widely used in industry and research. Highlights included demonstrations of collaborative robotic arms, real-time vision-based object recognition, and sensor-guided mobile robotics.

A standout feature was the demonstration of the Unitree Go2 „robot dog“, a state-of-the-art quadruped robot optimized for adaptive locomotion, autonomous navigation, and comprehensive environmental sensing, using technologies such as 4D LiDAR and edge AI processing. Students also explored the Unitree G1 humanoid robot, capable of sophisticated gesture moves and interaction dynamics—ideal for medical science and social robotics research.

The workshop also encouraged critical reflection on the broader implications of AI: How can AI-driven robotics enhance field research? What ethical challenges arise from automated decision-making? And what role should human oversight play? Beyond exploring future applications—including construction, warehouse logistics, and even cultural mediation—the hands-on session provided participants with a technical understanding of how intelligent systems perceive and interact with their environment.

  • One student described the workshop as follows: „Seeing how AI operates in advanced, real‑world machines today—and how rapidly it is evolving—changed how I think about my future studies.“

All in all, the visit to General Laser successfully functioned as an informal interface between theoretical instruction and applied technological practice. Through direct engagement with robotic systems, students not only sharpened their critical understanding of AI technologies but also confronted the technical as well as epistemological, ethical, and operational challenges inherent in their deployment. The session demonstrated how interdisciplinary collaboration—particularly between academic inquiry and industrial innovation—can reveal both the transformative potentials and the practical limitations of AI in concrete research and societal contexts.

  • Our sincerest thanks go to the entire team at General Laser, and especially to Ivan Tochev, Jonathan Daimer, and Sviatoslav Pavlov for making this experience possible and for their generous support throughout the workshop.

Selected Bibliography

 

 

  • Check out Dominik’s recently published paper on AI-driven predictive modeling of Roman villas in today’s Lower Austria (AUT):
    Hagmann, D. (2025). Home is Where my Villa Is: A Machine Learning-based Predictive Suitability Map for Roman Features in Northern Noricum (ca. 50–500 CE/Lower Austria/AUT). Journal of Maps, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2025.2487444

 

Figures

000: Introductory slide from the course „AI and Interdisciplinary Research (2025S)“ at the University of Vienna, focusing on artificial intelligence across diverse scientific fields.

001: Facade of General Laser’s headquarters in Vienna – host of the interdisciplinary robotics workshop.

002: Close-up of the Unitree Go2 quadruped “robot dog” during a demonstration: integrated sensors and high-torque joints enable agile, terrain-adaptive motion. Its mobility and autonomy make it ideal for applications such as remote inspection or mobile data collection in inaccessible terrain, suitable for construction works as well as archaeology or ecology.

003: Hands-on session at General Laser: students discuss autonomous robot behavior and AI-based control systems. The workshop offered valuable insights into how AI-driven machines perceive and navigate the world, fostering interdisciplinary understanding.

004: The Unitree Go2 quadruped “robot dog”, equipped with LiDAR for enhanced perception – a platform for AI-driven navigation and real-time feedback. It may be adapted for research scenarios requiring adaptive locomotion and environmental interaction, such as remote sensing.

005: Introductory lecture slide on AI and robotics concepts during a student presentation: linking artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomous systems.

006: The Unitree G1 humanoid research robot from General Laser’s lab, designed for testing AI-based motor control and human–robot interaction. Such systems open up experimental frameworks, e.g., for cognitive or medical science.

007: Detail of the Unitree G1 humanoid agent AI avatar’s head: LED sensor feedback and human-like design illustrate the merging of form and function.

008: Tracked robots at General Laser, tailored for specific needs: Such platforms can be used for autonomous inspection or surveying as well as exploration in rough environments, making them valuable for construction works, archaeological field work or ecological field monitoring.

009: Tracked robot base at General Laser: robust rubber treads ensure mobility across diverse terrain conditions. Such platforms can be used for autonomous inspection or surveying as well as exploration in rough environments, making them valuable for construction works, archaeological field work or ecological field monitoring.

010: Impressions from the student presentations in the course “AI and Interdisciplinary Research” at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology/University of Vienna, exploring topics ranging from AI literacy to ethics in AI and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.