Around 700 metres of fibre optic cable, at least as many metres of network cable, 40 cameras, almost two dozen switches and access points, plus benches, tables, tents and much more: over the coming weeks, the organisation team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics FKIE will have a lot to pack. The equipment will be transported to Zwentendorf in a 20-feet sea container and will be set up, installed and wired on site. “We have now established a certain routine with these large experiments,” says EnRicH organiser Dr Frank E. Schneider, Deputy Head of the FKIE Cognitive Mobile Systems department. “Nevertheless, the preparations are time-consuming and take several months for the entire team.”

Premiere of the major event in 2017

In 2017, Schneider initiated the major event, which has been held every two years since then, together with the ARWT. The idea: to test robotic systems under realistic conditions in a staged incident, highlight deficits and thus promote the development of solutions. For the FKIE scientist, this task could hardly be more topical. “In the event of incidents, but also during the decommissioning and dismantling of old nuclear facilities, many operations are risky for humans due to the potentially high radiation,” he says. Specialised robotic systems need to be developed for these radiological and nuclear scenarios.

The Zwentendorf nuclear power plant, which was never commissioned following a referendum in 1978, offers ideal conditions for the EnRicH organisers to achieve their goals: Metre-thick concrete walls, narrow corridors, steep stairs, self-closing doors, hardly any light and no or only limited communication options are only some of the challenges. All teams that bring their Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the start will have their performances evaluated by an international jury of experts.

Teams compete in three categories

This year, the participants will compete in the categories “Mapping”, “Manipulation” and “Search & Rescue”. Schneider and his team developed the complex tasks in the respective scenarios in close collaboration with the ARWT. “From the very beginning, the focus of EnRicH was on testing as realistically as possible,” emphasises its head, Brigadier Michael Janisch. "And where can it be better to practise radiological detection than in a nuclear power plant? Practising with real sources is a recurring task for us and represents a useful exercise for the employees assigned to the office's own detection team. The relocation of the office management and the logistical and safety-related realisation of such an event is a good opportunity to prepare for operations."

Accordingly, the teams will focus on searching for radioactive material, handling it if necessary, and mapping the difficult environment. For the first time, there will be a combined scenario for robots and drones. Not without reason, as Schneider emphasises: "Both, current operational situations and previous EnRicH events, have clearly shown that the use of UGVs or UAVs alone is not effective. Good results can only be achieved by working together."

15 teams take part in the hackathon for the first time

The topicality and complexity of the task may also be reasons why the field of participants from industry, research, and education at the 5th EnRicH is larger than ever before. Among them are participants such as Team Hector from TU Darmstadt, which has not been absent from any edition since the EnRicH première in 2017. However, newcomers such as Team AutonOhm from TH Nürnberg, which won the RoboCup German Open in the ‘Rescue’ category with robot ‘Schrödi’ in March, will also be competing. The Nuremberg team will also be meeting up with old friends at EnRicH: Team CJT-Robotics from Lauf an der Pregnitz in Bavaria – also taking part in Zwentendorf for the first time - secured third place in the same category at the RoboCup.

The organisers and hosts are already looking forward to seeing how well the robotic systems can perform under the difficult conditions at the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant. “In technical terms, the FKIE and the ARWT are united by the unconditional demand for ever-increasing autonomy of robotic control systems,” says Brigadier Janisch. “Only when we achieve autonomous systems that really support emergency services these systems will be accepted and actually serve to expand the portfolio of these forces.” In addition to increasing interaction between similar systems, intermodal cooperation between different robotic systems is also required.

Schneider agrees: "We are the only event in the world to rely on the combined use of UGVs and UAVs to solve these tasks. We are thus laying a solid foundation for future events."

 

The 5th European Robotics Hackathon
EnRicH 2025
Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant, Austria
30 June - 4 July 2025

Information: https://enrich.european-robotics.eu

 

Further information & images:

https://www.fkie.fraunhofer.de/enrich

 

Contact:

Dr. Frank E. Schneider, "Cognitive Mobile Systems" department
Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE
frank.schneider@fkie.fraunhofer.de I Telephone: +49 228 9435481