From the lecture theatre to the vehicle measurement technology of tomorrow MAHA and University of Applied Sciences Kempten launch MAHALO

With the research project MAHALO – MAHA Location & Orientation Measurement – MAHA SE & Co. KG and University of Applied Sciences Kempten are implementing their first joint initiative under their cooperation agreement. The twelve-month project, with a budget of around 160,000 euros, focuses on the development of new methods for localization and position determination. This brings a key technology for the next generation of modern vehicle testing and measurement technology to the center of attention. The project marks an important milestone in the strategic partnership between MAHA and the University Kempten.

Haldenwang, 9th June 2026. MAHA, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of vehicle testing and lifting equipment, is strengthening its research partnership with the University of Applied Sciences Kempten. On May 21, the official launch of the first joint research project, MAHALO, was announced on MAHA’s headquarters in the Allgaeu region of Bavaria. This is the first joint project under the existing cooperation agreement that the two partners signed last year. 

The project combines MAHA’s practical expertise with the scientific depth of University Kempten, laying the foundations for a new generation of precise vehicle testing and measurement methods.

Twelve months for greater precision
The MAHALO project will run from September 2026 to August 2027, with Markus Schmid, Head of Research at the MAHA Group, overseeing it on behalf of MAHA. On behalf of University of Applied Sciences Kempten, Prof. Dr Bernd Pinzer, Head of the Institute for Machine Vision (IMS), is leading the project.

The focus is on the further development of positioning methods. This refers to the precise determination of position and spatial orientation for modern vehicle and testing applications. The research team’s aim is to systematically build on existing methods and identify new approaches that are both more cost-effective and more powerful.

From the MAIA prototype to the next generation
The project is based on MAIA, MAHA’s in-house research prototype for automated vehicle measurement. To date, MAIA has relied on relatively expensive hardware for localisation and is dependent on external calibration measurements. Both factors make it difficult to move from the laboratory to industrial application.

This is exactly where MAHALO comes in: The research team is investigating alternative methods for determining position and orientation reliably, cost-effectively and without the need for complex calibration. Among other things, the findings will be incorporated directly into the further development of MAIA. At the same time, they lay an important technological foundation for future product generations in the MAHA portfolio.

Strategic investment in the Allgaeu as a centre for research
'With MAHALO, we are sending out the first clear signal that our partnership with the University of Applied Sciences Kempten is much more than just a letter of intent. We invest specifically where scientific expertise and industrial application come together – and in doing so, we are also strengthening the Allgaeu region as a centre for research, ' explains Dr Peter Geigle, Managing Director of the MAHA Group. 'The topics we are working on together will help determine how vehicles will be tested and measured in five or ten years’ time. '

University Kempten also sees the project as the start of a long-term collaboration. 'MAHALO is a prime example of successful knowledge and technology transfer: Real-world industrial challenges meet cutting-edge research. This benefits both sides – and, above all, our students, who are able to work directly on real-world projects, ' said Prof. Dr Regina Schreiber, Vice-President for Research and Transfer at University of Applied Sciences Kempten.

Positioning – more than just a set of coordinates
In research, position determination refers to the combined determination of an object’s position and orientation in space. So it is not just a question of where something is located, but also of how it is positioned.

In vehicle testing and measurement technology, this information is of crucial importance. It plays an important role, for example, in the calibration of driver assistance systems, in modern wheel alignment procedures, and in the automated positioning of test setups. Robust and cost-effective positioning methods are therefore regarded across all sectors as one of the key technologies for the increasingly automated workshops and test centres of the future.