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Places were in high demand and had already been fully allocated by the end of January: 20 international teams – more than ever before – will face one of the world’s most demanding performance tests for military robotics at the European Land Robot Trial (ELROB) in mid-June. The impressive venue for this four-day major event is the Thun military training area, which the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) is providing as host in collaboration with the Swiss Army.

Threats from chemical, biological, or radiological hazardous substances (CBRNE) are becoming increasingly important in the current security environment. But how can emergency responders better prepare for CBRNE incidents and accelerate their response capabilities? Solutions are being developed by the EU project “TeamUP,” in which the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE is involved. Extensive practical tests took place at the end of February.

Female Co-Leadership for European Space Association: Together with President Dr. Anne Van den Bosch (IMEC), Dr. Nadya Ben Bekhti-Winkel will lead the European Association of Space Technology Research Organisations (EASTRO) in the future. The researcher from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE was unanimously elected Vice President at the General Assembly in February. This marks the first time that two women have headed the EASTRO Executive Board. The association represents research and technology organizations (RTOs) in the European space sector and coordinates their activities in order to strategically contribute research expertise to the further development of a competitive European space market.

Artificial intelligence is set to provide optimum learning support for soldiers and increase teaching quality. Fraunhofer researchers have conducted a study to determine which AI functions would be useful in this context and how this technology could be integrated into the existing system. The Bundeswehr plans to create a virtual learning environment for all its employees. Until now, soldiers have used conventional learning management systems such as Moodle to expand their competence in subjects such as mathematics, English or social skills and prepare efficiently for examinations. Fraunhofer researchers have taken part in a joint research project to determine how AI could be integrated into this system and which applications would be helpful. Daniela Altun, project manager and research scientist at the Fraunhofer FKIE, and her team followed a typical course in order to find out whether AI could be used to create added value and what form this would take. Researchers at the Fraunhofer IOSB and the Fraunhofer FOKUS also took part in the joint research project.

How can cancer registries make the best possible use of the flood of cancer data they receive every day for research and therapy? This was the task of the “TeMeK” project, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health and has now been successfully completed. The result: a tool that uses text mining and data science to support documentation and promote its use. Not only does it save documentarians time, it also contributes to standardization and brings to light aspects that were previously lost in the flood of data. The collaboration will therefore continue.

Radioactive, chemical or biological substances are usually invisible in threatening situations and cannot be detected from a distance. Researchers at the Fraunhofer FKIE use specially equipped drones and robots to quickly and precisely localize radioactive sources.

New cooperation in the areas of dual use and security infrastructure: The Central German Institute for Security Industry (MISI) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE are now working closely together in the field of defence and security research. The cooperation agreement was signed by retired Major General Markus Kurczyk, Chairman of MISI, and Prof. Dr. Christoph Igel, Deputy Director of Fraunhofer FKIE.

The contract for the delivery of LUCHS 2 reconnaissance vehicles has just been signed. This means that in 2029, the first German Armed Forces vehicle will roll off the production line that is based entirely on STANAG 4754 NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture from the scratch. This multinational standard, co-developed by Fraunhofer FKIE, ensures that the subsystems of vehicles from several NATO nations can communicate with each other. It thus makes a significant contribution to the necessary digitalization of the armed forces. Fraunhofer FKIE and IABG have now been tasked by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to test the vehicle for interoperability and compatibility.

When international robotics experts gathered at the Hammelburg military training area 2006 for the first European Land Robot Trial (ELROB), no one could have predicted that it would become such a success story. Two decades later, this demanding performance comparison of military robotics is now a fixture in the calendars of researchers, clients and users alike. In the anniversary year 2026, the Swiss Federal Office for Armament armasuisse will host ELROB, which will take place from 15 to 19 June at the Thun military training area.

These were probably the most difficult scenarios since the European Robotics Hackathon (EnRicH) premiered in 2017: At the beginning of July, more than 120 robotics experts from all over Europe and Canada gathered at the never-operational Zwentendorf nuclear power plant near Vienna to test their ground robots and drones under realistic conditions at the 5th EnRicH. In the three main categories “Search & Rescue,” “Mapping,” and “Manipulation,” the organizing team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE had placed an emphasis on combined scenarios for driving and flying systems, which posed problems for many teams. Many – but not all.