Personal profile
Biography
Thomas Bräunl is a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences of The University of Western Australia, Perth, where he directs the Robotics & Automation Lab as well as the Renewable Energy Vehicle Project (REV). He has developed numerous robotics systems, including the EyeBot robot family and the EyeSim simulation system. On the automotive side, he has done research on electric drive and charging systems, and is developing AI solutions for autonomous driving. Professor Bräunl worked on Driver-Assistance Systems with Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart and on Electric Vehicle Charging Systems with BMW Munich and BMW Mountain View. He holds a Diploma from the University of Kaiserslautern, an M.S. degree from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. and Habilitation from the University of Stuttgart.
Roles and responsibilities
Head, CIIPS Research Group and Robotics Lab
Director, REV Project
Technical Director, WA Electric Vehicle Trial
Research
Electromobility, Autonomous Driving, Robotics, Simulation Systems.
Latest books:
- Embedded Robotics (Springer 202), and
- Mobile Robot Programming (Springer 2023)
Research Labs:
Current projects
- Autonomous Shuttle Bus with own hardwarwe/software
- Hydrofoil electric jetski
- End-to-end deep learning systems for autonomous robots
- State-wide EV charging infrastructure for WA
Teaching philosophy
Robotics & Automation and Digital Embedded Systems:
You have not really understood a subject until you are able to build it.
Community engagement
REV public Electric Vehicle charging network for the Perth metro area
Research expertise keywords
- Electromobility
- Automotive systems
- Robotics
- Embedded systems
- Image processing
- Parallel processing
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Autonomous Navigation and Automated Control for a Small Balancing Hydrofoil Craft
Wehrli, T. & Bräunl, T., 1 Jan 2026, In: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 14, 1, 32 p., 50.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Enhancing reliability in LLM-integrated robotic systems: A unified approach to security and safety
Zhang, W., Kong, X., Dewitt, C., Bräunl, T. & Hong, J. B., Jan 2026, In: Journal of Systems and Software. 231, 112614.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
A Generative Self-Diagnosis Disengagement Reporting System for Autonomous Shuttles
Kong, X., Liang, L., Li, J., Quirke-Brown, K., Lai, Z., Olaru, D. & Bräunl, T., 2025, IV 2025 - 36th IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium. IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, p. 716-721 6 p. (IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, Proceedings).Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference paper › Conference paper › peer-review
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Cooperative Hybrid Multi-Agent Pathfinding Based on Shared Exploration Maps
Liu, N., Shen, S., Kong, X., Zhang, H. & Bräunl, T., Sept 2025, In: Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems: theory and applications. 111, 3, 16 p., 97.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Embodied AI in Mobile Robot Simulation with Eye Sim: Coverage Path Planning with Large Language Models
Kong, X., Zhang, W., Hong, J. & Bräunl, T., 2025, Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications, SIMULTECH 2025. Yang, X.-S., Drogoul, A. & Wagner, G. (eds.). Science and Technology Publications, Lda, p. 185-192 8 p. (Proceedings of the International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications; vol. 1).Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference paper › Conference paper › peer-review
Open Access
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Preparing WA to deploy automated on-road freight vehicles
Olaru, D. (Investigator 01), Braunl, T. (Investigator 02), Smith, B. (Investigator 03), Das, R. (Investigator 04), Wu, L. (Investigator 05) & Biermann, S. (Investigator 06)
1/07/25 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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AURIN WA Node (NCRIS Stage 2)
Biermann, S. (Investigator 01), Sun, C. (Investigator 02), Grace, B. (Investigator 03), Bolleter, J. (Investigator 04), Braunl, T. (Investigator 05), Tan, T. (Investigator 06), Marinova, D. (Investigator 07) & Hopkins, J. (Investigator 08)
Department of Education (Australia)
17/02/25 → 30/07/27
Project: Research
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ARC Training Centre for Automated Vehicles in Rural and Remote Regions (AVR3)
Glaser, S. (Investigator 01), Schroeter, R. (Investigator 02), Braunl, T. (Investigator 03), Worrall, S. (Investigator 04), Nahavandi, S. (Investigator 05), Rakotonirainy, A. (Investigator 06), McLennan, C.-L. (Investigator 07), Berrio Perez, J. S. (Investigator 08), Li, X. (Investigator 09), Shariati, N. (Investigator 10), Hettiarachchi, I. (Investigator 11), Yasmin, S. (Investigator 12), Olaru, D. (Investigator 13), Foth, M. (Investigator 14), Bhaskar, A. (Investigator 15), Peynot, T. (Investigator 16), Milford, M. (Investigator 17), Roberts, P. (Investigator 18), Guzzomi, A. (Investigator 19), Shan, M. (Investigator 20), Tomitsch, M. (Investigator 21), Chi, S. (Investigator 22) & Sarkar, S. (Investigator 23)
ARC Australian Research Council
1/07/24 → 30/06/29
Project: Research
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Feasibility of battery-electric buses for regional school bus services in WA - Scaling up the transition
Biermann, S. (Investigator 01), Braunl, T. (Investigator 02), Harries, D. (Investigator 03), McHenry, M. (Investigator 04) & Wager, G. (Investigator 05)
1/11/24 → 30/05/25
Project: Research
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Feasibility of battery-electric buses for regional school bus services in Western Australia
Biermann, S. (Investigator 01), Braunl, T. (Investigator 02), Harries, D. (Investigator 03), McHenry, M. (Investigator 04) & Wager, G. (Investigator 05)
1/06/23 → 31/05/24
Project: Research
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