In the second episode of “Metrology Stories with Raimund,” Stefan Horvath and Raimund Loser meet again on the well-known couch in the Eleven Dynamics office in Rosenheim. This time, the focus is squarely on the present. Although Raimund officially retired five years ago, he continues to be closely involved in metrology projects. His curiosity, deep technical expertise, and passion for innovation are undiminished — especially when it comes to the intelligent marking robot known as IMARO.
What started as a student diploma project slowly developed into a robust, professional tool. Raimund describes how the evolution of IMARO was far from linear. With team members working on it only in parallel to other responsibilities and development overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic, delays were inevitable. Sourcing issues — like missing chips or unavailable Raspberry Pis — didn’t make things easier. But through persistence and iteration, the team managed to build a powerful and cleanly engineered system with modular batteries, real-time compensation, and solid software integration.
Raimund makes clear that manual floor marking is tedious, physically exhausting, and often dreaded. He recounts how some technicians use modified trolleys to mark while lying down — an extreme workaround for a task few are eager to do. With IMARO, that changes. The robot allows for up to 800 precisely placed points per day, compared to around 350 when done manually. In one test run, a team marked 5,000 points, which would have otherwise taken nearly three weeks of tough labor. The ergonomic and efficiency gains are hard to ignore.
Live testing with customers has been crucial to IMARO’s refinement. After an early prototype was introduced to a client in Austria, the team gathered feedback, made a comprehensive list of issues, and implemented improvements. The enhanced version is now ready to be presented again — and expectations are high. Companies like Sigma 3D and FFT in Fulda were among the first to test the robot, and their enthusiastic reactions helped push development forward. Today, the second and third units are already in production, though supply logistics and part availability continue to pose real-world challenges.
Even in retirement, Raimund continues to contribute meaningfully to the field. He has written technical articles, attended international conferences like CMSC, and keeps a close exchange with former colleagues. He recalls the early days of 6D technology, how it was met with skepticism, and how it found its first major application in an automated carbon drilling setup in Australia. That moment helped solidify his conviction that automation would be a critical force in the future of metrology — a belief that still guides his thinking today.
As Stefan and Raimund agree, automation is no longer a luxury in the metrology world — it is a necessity. Skilled labor is increasingly scarce, and precision demands continue to rise. With solutions like IMARO, it becomes possible for one person to oversee several automated tasks that would have previously required a full team. Meanwhile, advancements in optical sensor technology have made robots far more adaptable and reliable than in the past. The timing is right, and the tools are ready.
Although IMARO is now a reality, Raimund makes it clear that the journey is far from over. He hints at new ideas, upcoming technologies, and further improvements waiting to be realized. Artificial intelligence, while not central to this discussion, is certain to play a role in the next chapters. What’s most exciting is that the spirit of experimentation and discovery is alive and well — and Raimund, even if now only “on the sidelines,” continues to inspire and shape what’s next in automated metrology.
Listen to Episode 2 with Raimund Loser at:
