Institute for Mechatronics · Hamburg University of Technology
Thorsten A.
Kern
I develop mechatronic systems where force, motion and perception meet. Focus areas are haptic devices, actuators, self-sufficient energy systems, and mechanical, electrical and optical impedance tomography.
“As a mechatronics engineer I never think in a single domain. The interesting problems live where mechanics, electronics, control and the human meet — and that is exactly where I like to work.”
Fields of Work
Haptics
Design and evaluation of haptic systems, from perception thresholds to teleoperator control. Founded on the textbook Engineering Haptic Devices.
“Touch is the only sense that inseparably couples perception and action. To master it, you must treat the human as part of the control loop.”
Actuators
Electrical machines and actuators across a wide power range, from millinewtons to traction drives.
“Millinewtons or megawatts — in the end, the properly designed electromechanical transducer decides the fate of the whole system.”
Impedance Tomography
Spatially resolved measurement of mechanical and electrical impedance to characterize tissue, materials and processes.
“Impedance is the most honest quantity I know: it shows how a system truly responds to excitation — mechanically and electrically.”
Teaching
Measurement technology, human-machine interaction and actuator design. Hands-on formats rather than pure lectures.
“Engineers learn more at the test bench than at the blackboard. That is why I bring both together.”
Short Biography
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten A. Kern is an expert in mechatronics and human-machine interfaces. He received his Dipl.-Ing. (2002) and Dr.-Ing. (2006, summa cum laude) from Technische Universität Darmstadt, focusing on sensor and actuator development for medical applications such as minimally invasive surgery. From 2007 to 2008, alongside his postdoc phase, he worked in a start-up for medical simulation.
From 2008 to 2018 he held central R&D leadership roles in the automotive industry at Continental Automotive GmbH — first responsible for motor systems with more than 65 million units per year, then building up and heading the Head-Up Display Center of Competence, finally as Head of R&D Head-Up Displays with around 300 engineers worldwide. This period produced, among other things, series-production haptic control systems and augmented-reality head-up displays.
Since January 2019, Thorsten Kern has been a professor at Hamburg University of Technology, heading the Institute for Mechatronics (iMEK). His research addresses electromagnetic sensors and actuators and their integration into complex, highly dynamic systems — from high-precision motors and haptic systems to impedance tomography, with applications in automotive, robotics, medical technology and maritime systems. He served as Vice President of the EuroHaptics Society from 2022 to 2026, is Vice President Education of TUHH since 2025, recipient of Hamburg’s Teaching Innovation Award 2022, and coordinator of several STEM and engineering-education initiatives in Hamburg. He is editor of the standard reference Engineering Haptic Devices and inventor in more than 30 patent families.
Full vita · Publications · LinkedIn
Ongoing Research Projects
· Electrical Impedance Tomography — cost-efficient systems for imaging and process analytics.
· SMART Sensor Particles — subproject A07 within the Collaborative Research Centre SMART Reactors.
· Autonomous Multi-Sensor Drifter — self-sufficient sensor platforms for ocean observation.
· HIL test systems for broadband mechatronic applications — real-time simulation at very small step sizes.
· Micro-Grid Lab — laboratory for DC grids and sector coupling.
All projects and research fields of the institute: tuhh.de/imek
