Ü:MO 2026

The EcoFrame project focuses on the development of a framework that makes the generation and provision of sustainability information for EcoDesign and production networks efficient. The focus is on the methodological priorities of EcoDesign and sustainable production. Improved, holistic monitoring across company boundaries is intended to enable the optimization of existing products and their production with regard to sustainability requirements and to support decision-making for the development of sustainable products and their production. A key component of the project is the integration of the concept of the circular economy into the automotive supply chain in order to address the resulting opportunities and challenges.

The Connect4HCA project puts people at the heart of industrial automation by adapting technologies to the needs of workers under Human-Centered Automation 5.0 (HCA 5.0). Automated and manual processes are networked according to the situation, supported by a flexible communication infrastructure. The core is the development of decentralized technical intelligence (DTI), which controls production processes in real time along the entire product life cycle. A demonstrator shows the connectivity between processes, systems, supply chains and human and artificial intelligence. With a focus on occupational health and safety, the project is working with consortium partners to drive forward the networking and optimization of industrial production.

The Well-defined project on the ARENA2036 research campus is making value chains fit for the future through digitalization and flexibility. Traditional structures are being transformed into dynamic networks that react flexibly to changes and support goals such as CO2 reduction. Central to this is an adaptive Value Chain Execution System (VCES) with standardized data exchange formats and secure interfaces. Technologies such as Catena-X-datadata spaces enable cross-company orchestrations. Challenges lie in the implementation of standards and their integration into existing systems. From 2024, 8 partners will be researching sustainable solutions over 5 years, networked with projects on mobility, sustainability and connectivity.

CARpulse focuses on the development of a safe and sustainable vehicle architecture for autonomous vehicles that is tailored to the needs of users and takes into account their interaction with the environment. The CARpulse project aims to develop a modular capsule for autonomous vehicles. The vehicle architecture will be designed both physically and virtually to cover different use cases. By focusing on a user-centered perspective, CARpulse aims to make the concept of the future vehicle realistic and applicable. An important element is the technology demonstrator, which illustrates the interaction of the future vehicle with people and the environment. Another important area is the development of a research platform that uses XR technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality) for the development of mobility concepts.

In this project, we demonstrate STRIDE, a compact and portable system for simulating g-forces in virtual reality driving simulators. The system uses cable-based haptic feedback devices attached to the driver’s body to simulate acceleration forces and, through additional vibration patterns, to replicate road conditions such as potholes or cobblestones.

The KIRR Real pilot project has been continuing since March 2026 at the AI Advancement Center as a real-world laboratory for legally compliant AI and robotics. The goal is to support companies in Baden-Württemberg in the legally compliant development of AI applications in the context of the EU AI Act and other relevant regulations. The consortium consisting of Fraunhofer IPA, Fraunhofer IAO, and the University of Stuttgart conducts funded “Legal Quick Checks” that analyze AI use cases from a regulatory perspective and provide companies with concrete recommendations for the technical implementation of legal requirements. A practical example is the Label Reader: a camera-based system that employees use to scan goods, whose labels are read and processed using AI before the data is transferred to the customer’s ERP system. The regulatory analysis of the Label Reader serves as an example of how companies can design their innovative AI solutions in compliance with the law.

The AI-MATTERS project aims to strengthen Europe's leading role in the introduction of human-centered AI systems in manufacturing. The focus is on the integration and optimization of transformative AI technologies through practical tests and experiments. Particular attention is paid to making these innovations accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe in order to sustainably increase the competitiveness and innovative strength of the European manufacturing sector.

RoX creates a decentralized data and services ecosystem that enables the development, deployment and continuous improvement of advanced AI-powered robotic systems throughout their lifecycle. RoX emphasizes data sovereignty, sustainability and energy efficiency and cooperates closely with European initiatives such as Manufacturing-X and IPCEI-CIS.

As part of the "New Hall Network" project, ARENA2036 is modernizing the digital infrastructure of its research hall together with its partner Nokia. The aim is to provide a highly flexible, secure and powerful network infrastructure that meets the requirements of Industry 4.0, networked data spaces and AI-supported production. By integrating state-of-the-art technologies such as PON, 5G, WiFi, edge computing and software-defined networks, the new hall network enables real-time communication between people, machines and sensors as well as digital twins, the industrial metaverse and other cloud-based applications.

We would like to demonstrate how humanoid robots and mobile robots (AGVs/AMRs) can interact. This is a challenge that will arise as the use of humanoid robots in manufacturing environments grows.

Tractus-X is the official open-source project within the Catena-X ecosystem and provides an open, scalable, and interoperable foundation for building and operating data rooms in industry. Under the umbrella of the Eclipse Foundation, the community collaboratively develops reference implementations that companies of all sizes can use, adapt, and further develop. With standardized interfaces, open licenses (Apache 2.0, CC-BY 4.0), and a transparent governance model, Tractus-X promotes digital sovereignty and innovation across the entire value chain. As part of the Tractus-X Community Days, we bring active projects and developers together to exchange knowledge, present new developments, and further strengthen collaboration within the ecosystem.

Construct-X is a cross-sector research project aimed at data spaces the digitalization of the construction industry through open, interoperable data spaces . Based on open-source principles, the project is developing a cloud-based reference architecture as well as edge-cloud applications that enable secure, low-latency data processing directly on the construction site. With over 40 partners from the construction industry, skilled trades, IT, and research, Construct-X is working on practical solutions to improve efficiency, transparency, and sustainability on construction sites. The project is funded by the BMWK.

The KI-D@ARENA2036-X project supports companies and startups in the Stuttgart region in developing and testing AI applications in realistic data space. The project offers access to high-performance computing resources, a cross-company data space the option to integrate proprietary hardware. By combining various access technologies—from Wi-Fi and fiber optics to 5G and 6G—a flexible infrastructure is created for secure and efficient AI development. AI-D@ARENA2036-X enables pre-competitive research and development, proof-of-concept testing without major initial investments, and promotes collaboration between companies. The project is supported by ARENA2036, Cyber Valley, DeepScenario, and the University of Stuttgart, and is funded by the Stuttgart Region Association.

Based on the ARENA2036 ecosystem, an Industrial Metaverse real-world lab has been implemented: in collaboration with members, it demonstrates what is already possible today using existing metaverse technologies (metaverse showcase); at the same time, it addresses areas where further development is needed. Within the integrated environment of a shared sandbox, use cases and implementation scenarios are tested using digital twins, optimization potential is identified, and the knowledge gained is put into practice.

Standardization initiative Wire Harness (SILS): Automation in the development, production, and assembly of wiring harnesses requires, above all, the ability to manage complexity and the multitude of variants. Standardization is a key element in this. The standardization initiative Wire Harness is a collaboration between companies from all stages of the wiring harness value chain. The goal of the collaboration is to develop proposals for the standardization of automated wiring harness production in accordance with DIN 72036.

Transformation Hub Wire Harness (LS Hub): The Transformation Hub Wire Harness is a project funded by the BMWE (Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy) to support the transformation of the wiring harness industry. It scouts interesting trends and technologies, including those from other industries and academia. Through events and publications, it informs about innovations and provides impetus for the implementation of innovations. The Transformation Hub Wire Harness connects experts and supports large companies, SMEs, and academia through exploratory processes and feasibility studies. ARENA2036 collaborates with consortium partners Bayern Innovativ and OpenHybridLabFactory.

In the OPTI-FEEL project, the precise, non-contact distance measurement between the rotor and stator of an axial flux motor was investigated using optical measurement technology. The aim was to test compliance with tight measurement tolerances for a future generation of motors. In six months, the project partners developed an optical measurement system in which a micro-printed probe on an OCT fiber was successfully tested on a real motor.

ARENA2036 is an innovation platform where industry, science and start-ups work together on the future topics of mobility and production. We provide a concise insight into the ARENA2036 concept, the benefits of membership and the diverse participation formats.

The Design Factory Stuttgart is an open learning-by-doing platform within ARENA2036. It is aimed at industry partners, specialists, students and school pupils in order to strengthen their innovation potential through practice-oriented learning. The focus is on the design thinking approach, which is taught through workshops, courses and training sessions. Interdisciplinary teams are formed to jointly develop creative solutions for real challenges. The Design Factory Stuttgart is part of the global Design Factory Global Network (DFGN) and promotes cooperation between science and business to shape sustainable innovations.

Lasers4MaaS is driving the digital transformation of industry through innovative service solutions in the field of laser welding. By complementing dynamic laser beam shaping with AI-supported process development, evaluation, and control, our digital platform enables the flexible, cost-effective, and sustainable use of modern laser welding technology. Whether in the automotive, aerospace, food packaging, hydrogen, or nuclear fusion industries, Lasers4MaaS enables process development and optimization at the touch of a button.

Cross-company development of special machines with the help of digital twins. Networked data spaces, seamless workflows and simulation-supported planning are intended to reduce errors, speed up processes and improve time-to-market. The digital twin grows continuously with data and models across the entire product life cycle.

The demonstration highlights the efforts to address the challenges associated with one of the goals of the SUSTAINET-iNnOvAte project: the creation of seamless, sustainable, and high-performance networks with deterministic and highly available behavior for critical services and infrastructure. The goal is to research system technologies and network elements that enable seamless, sustainable, and high-performance communication across different network segments and ensure deterministic and highly reliable end-to-end communication to support critical services and infrastructure. In this demonstration, we illustrate how a passive optical network (PON), originally developed for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology, can effectively enable reliable and time-critical end-to-end services. In this joint demonstration by NOKIA-BELL-LABS and BALLUFF, we demonstrate the operation of a fail-safe elevator using ProfiNet-based communication between the elevator’s sensor and the PLC, which is located in a remote, centralized edge cloud. The low latency and high reliability required for data communication between the sensor’s IO-Link master and the PLC are achieved via the PON network, demonstrating that end-to-end latency of less than 2 ms with minimal jitter is possible.

The Future Lab for Additive Manufacturing & Engineering (FLAME) focuses on additively manufactured products in the automotive context. Its goal is to develop and evaluate polymer-based parts and components for automotive applications across the entire additive manufacturing process chain. Key research areas include Robotic Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (RSEAM) for large-format, material-efficient parts, as well as High-Speed Sintering (HSS) for flexible, production-ready components. This approach addresses a wide range of product classes in the automotive sector, from large-volume structural and interior parts to complex, functionally integrated plastic components. The focus is particularly on vehicle components where additive manufacturing opens up new possibilities in terms of functional integration, lightweight construction, variant flexibility, resource efficiency, and tool-less production. To this end, FLAME addresses key process- and product-related challenges in the additive manufacturing of thermoplastics—from efficient process and material selection and targeted process optimization to automated material qualification. In doing so, FLAME links additive manufacturing technologies with specific vehicle applications and creates a research environment in which product requirements, process capability, and industrial implementation are systematically integrated.

Together, NXTGN and STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play are creating an end-to-end innovation ecosystem for start-ups. NXTGN is the innovation platform from Baden-Württemberg. It connects start-ups, science and business. As Plug and Play's global open innovation platform with access to over 60 locations worldwide, STARTUP AUTOBAHN combines leading companies in the automotive industry with cutting-edge startups from all over the world. Two approaches with a common goal: to accompany companies and start-ups from the initial idea to successful implementation and thus actively shape the future.

Concept for flexible and adaptable material handling in production, Brief description: Development of flexible and adaptable material handling concepts for manufacturing various products in different quantities on a single production line.

Dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) enables the wireless supply of power to moving vehicles or devices, eliminating the need for charging stops.

Das Projektziel ist die Entwicklung eines speziellen ThermoElektrischen Generators (TEG), der elektrische Energie aus Abwärme gewinnt. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf einem Kryo-TEG, der bei kryogenem Wasserstoff (LH2) zum Einsatz kommt. Ein Kryo-TEG liefert primär nicht nur elektrische Energie, sondern stellt auch die für die Verdampfung von flüssigem Wasserstoff erforderliche Wärme bereit. Dadurch wird eine kontinuierliche Versorgung einer Brennstoffzelle oder eines Wasserstoffmotors mit gasförmigem Wasserstoff sichergestellt. Zusätzlich entlastet der Kryo-TEG beispielsweise den Kühlmittelkreislauf der Brennstoffzelle. Die eingespeiste elektrische Energie steigert die Effizienz der Wasserstoffanwendung und senkt letztlich den Wasserstoffverbrauch und die Betriebskosten.

The hybrid brake is a modified high-performance eddy current brake with an additional friction function, which combines the respective advantages. The eddy current brake takes over most of the braking effect by converting 90% of the braking energy without wear or emissions, while the highly integrated friction brake only takes over the remaining part at low speeds. All in all, the brake lining is subject to low stress and thus lasts the entire life cycle of a vehicle. Compared to conventional eddy current brakes, the hybrid brake presented here has up to three times the power density. The overall aim of the project is to develop a hybrid brake as a sustainable braking system in accordance with TRL 5 for commercial vehicle applications, which will be tested under real operating conditions in real road traffic scenarios.

Various players in the field of quantum technology are being integrated into ARENA2036. Initial initiatives are on display at the “Quantum Bay” booth. SingleQuantum, QuantenBW, and the Q-Cyber project are introducing themselves.

As part of ARENA2036, BÄR Automation, Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation, and Waveye are pooling their expertise to automate the logistics centers of tomorrow using forklift AGVs. This integrated approach begins with Mercedes-Benz’s PACTRIS software, which uses a digital twin to provide precise data on load carriers in order to optimize load utilization. BÄR Automation translates this digital planning into physical reality with a fully autonomous forklift capable of handling various load carriers. Together, their joint developments seamlessly combine complex technologies for object recognition, docking, and stacking using physical AI. Finally, to ensure these advanced systems can operate safely in highly dynamic environments, Waveye provides the critical navigation layer and equips the forklift with state-of-the-art radar for reliable localization and obstacle avoidance.

Balluff, NAiSE, and Waitkus Engineering are demonstrating on their joint flexible production platform how cross-product handling, intralogistics, and inspection can be efficiently implemented. Waitkus’ Sustainable Karakuri Gate transports boxes (small load carriers) purely mechanically and without electricity, using gravity via cable pulley systems. The boxes are transferred to a mobile robot that—like all autonomous vehicles—operates under the NAiSE control system. During the journey, the Balluff RadarImager inspects the products in the boxes. Using radar technology, the products are scanned to generate a 3D image. The RadarImager reliably detects irregularities, checks for completeness and integrity, and identifies foreign objects—even in opaque materials.

Nokia is conducting research on 6G sensing through funded research projects (such as SENSATION) and internally, with the aim of integrating radar-like capabilities into the communication system to detect objects and people even when they are not connected to the network. At ARENA2036, there is a setup for a "proof-of-concept" for sensing experiments and real-time processing.

The market potential for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems in robotics and automation is far from exhausted. Technological advances in modern gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors could serve as a key enabler for this in the future. The use of wide-bandgap semiconductors with integrated HEMTs, drivers, and protection functions drastically increases power density and enables extremely compact form factors. In the future, this will facilitate the use of wireless power transfer in stationary and dynamic industrial and logistics applications, such as humanoid robots. The low-voltage prototype on display demonstrates the current state of research.

Together with the University of Stuttgart, the Innovation Campus for Future Mobility (ICM), and RKW Baden-Württemberg, the ARENA2036 ecosystem forms a seamless innovation chain—ranging from basic scientific research and application-oriented development to the transfer of results to business and industry. The goal is not only to research new technologies but also to translate them into concrete applications and marketable solutions as quickly as possible. This will be demonstrated through several examples at the ARENA2036 project fair.

Strengthening Resilience Through the Digitalization of the Semiconductor Value Chain: This project aims to make the semiconductor industry sustainable and resilient through comprehensive digitalization and the establishment of traceability. Together with our partners, we are developing new data-driven business models and fostering innovation across the entire value chain.

SMAR3TS (Staff Mobility to Action Resilient, Restorative & Regenerative Transitions & Societies) is led by Professor Anne-Laure Mention, Director of the Global Business Innovation Enabling Impact Platform at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and is administratively coordinated by RMIT Europe. The project aims to promote open innovation approaches and support up to 360 staff exchange or secondment months within an international consortium of 33 partners across 16 countries on 4 continents. The goal is to conduct innovative research activities on resilience, restoration, and regeneration capabilities, as well as to accelerate pathways to economic, environmental, and social impact. The international and intersectoral network of SMAR3TS focuses in particular on the themes of resilience, restoration, and regeneration in four key areas: food, mobility, energy, and housing.

We are pleased to give new members of the ARENA2036 ecosystem the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work to the other members. At the ARENA2036 New Members’ Booth, you can learn who they are and what they hope to gain from the research campus. You can learn even more during the pitches, which will take place following the keynote speeches.

Demonstration of industrial AI to increase value creation in industrial settings.

Flexible and adaptable production is part of a strategy to increase efficiency and resilience in a volatile market environment. A key technical feature of this approach is the use of mobile robots that operate cooperatively in production and logistics. This cooperation makes it possible, for example, to respond quickly to fluctuating demand and individual customer requests, as well as to external factors such as supply bottlenecks. This project aims to deploy mobile robots of various types and in any number cooperatively for different transport processes, as well as combined transport and handling processes, thereby utilizing resources more effectively. However, a novel safety solution is required to connect the safety zones of the individual mobile robots/AGVs and ensure safe collaboration with humans. In addition to the integration of safety sensor systems, challenges include the secure identification and position monitoring of the vehicles. A safety concept is intended to solve these problems, be demonstrated in a generalized proof-of-concept application, and be transferred to a specific industrial use case in intralogistics. The goal is to develop software and services that manufacturers and companies can use to safely and efficiently implement and establish cooperative transport and handling tasks within production and logistics processes.

The Wire Harness Transformation Hub Wire Harness the Robotics Challenge 2026 with the goal of significantly advancing the automation of complex manual processes in wire harness assembly. The task for participating teams was to develop a fully automated process chain for the robot-assisted production of a hybrid wire harness module. The Challenge builds on the results from the previous years, 2024 and 2025, and consistently advances them toward production-ready, integrated automation. The task was based on a digital model of the wire harness module. In addition to physical automation, concepts and foundations for future end-to-end automated wiring harness production based on digital model data were also examined, including the generation of automated process steps and the automated creation of the so-called Digital Product Passport (DPP) for the manufactured product.

In forward-looking building management, routine inspections—such as daily or weekly janitorial rounds—are efficiently and reliably supported by flexible robotic systems. These systems systematically assess the condition of the environment, identify deviations from the target state, and provide relevant information to the service team in real time. This specifically reduces the workload of service technicians: time-consuming routine tasks requiring few qualifications are eliminated, directly helping to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers.

Using ARENA2036 as an example, Siemens and SPIE demonstrate how a digital twin can be implemented and utilized for building operations. This is based on existing 3D as-built data, which is linked to real-time operational and system data—including data from a ventilation demonstration system provided by SPIE. The use case illustrates how systems are continuously monitored using data-driven insights. Deviations from normal operation are detected early, threshold exceedances are identified, and events are presented transparently. Based on this, potential causes can be determined, and concrete, practical recommendations for operation can be made.

In the Mobile Robot Miniworld, material handling is brought to life using a Ritter Sport chocolate bar as an example. On its journey through the production process, the chocolate is transported and guided by various innovative automation solutions, all centrally coordinated via the NAiSE Intralogistics Platform. The interplay ranges from classic intralogistics solutions—such as mobile robots with cobots from Delta and Waitkus—to a Karakuri bridge system and modern manipulators. A particular highlight is the precise sorting performed by compact mini tabletop robots from Bosch Rexroth. The Miniworld impressively demonstrates how different technologies are intelligently networked to create flexible, efficient, and future-oriented intralogistics.

As part of ARENA2036’s Humanoid Robotics platform project, Agile Robots is demonstrating how its Agile ONE humanoid robot system autonomously performs industrial assembly processes. Two Agile ONE robots are working together to assemble small Diana7 miniature robotic arms—a real-world assembly scenario that brings Physical AI to life.

The “RobotSkin” project aims to develop an innovative, bionically inspired, textile-based sensory whisker system for detecting touch in human-machine interaction. At the Ü:MO event, we will present our vision as well as an initial demonstrator that brings to life the technical feasibility and potential of knitting technology for robotics, assistive systems, and intelligent protection systems. Development is still in its early stages, but the results so far already show promising prospects for future applications. For the next steps in development, we are specifically seeking users, development partners, and complementary technology providers to jointly advance the technology into practical solutions. We cordially invite companies interested in textile-based tactile sensor systems to join us for a discussion.

FloorPilot is a joint project between NODE Robotics and Delta and is based on a clear premise: autonomous mobile robotics does not have to be a specialized field. Anyone looking to deploy a mobile platform or robot today usually has to rely on specialized system integrators. This often means months-long implementation projects and ongoing external support. If the layout changes, routes must be adjusted or new zones set up, creating yet another dependency on expertise that simply isn’t available within the company. This is a structural barrier, especially for small and medium-sized businesses: the technology exists, but getting started remains too complex, too expensive, and too prone to failure. FloorPilot shows that there is another way. The DELTA D-Bot MAR navigates autonomously on the ARENA2036 shop floor. Setup, mapping, and control are handled entirely via the no-code interface NODE.OS, without a single line of code and without any prior robotics knowledge. Mapping the environment is as intuitive as with a robot vacuum cleaner: drive it once, and you’re done. Zones, routes, and loading/unloading points can be defined with a tap of a finger and can be adjusted by the operating staff themselves at any time, without any consultation, tickets, or wait times. The result is a true DIY environment for autonomous intralogistics: The robot belongs to the company itself, not the service provider. Those who set it up today can adapt it independently to a new warehouse layout tomorrow. Create missions, set priorities, change routes—all directly during operation, by the staff who know the process best anyway. NODE Robotics provides the underlying software and control logic, while Delta supplies the mature, industrially proven mobile hardware. Together, they demonstrate that the path to automated intralogistics is shorter than many companies assume.

In this project, assembly tasks from Daimler Truck’s production line are being carried out using humanoid robotics. The robot uses a “dexterous hand” to pick up various parts, position them on a fixture in a press, and initiate the pressing process. This implements a complete workflow using “long-horizon planning.” Using radar technology from Waveye, the robot detects people in its vicinity and reacts accordingly to ensure the safety of those near the robot.

How can data be exchanged securely and in compliance with the GDPR in an industrial setting? With STACKIT, Schwarz Digits demonstrates digital sovereignty “Made in Europe.” Based on the groundbreaking European Sovereign Stack Standard, we provide practical guidance on how companies can data spaces collaborative data spaces : from secure, physically isolated infrastructure to automated, highly efficient platform solutions. Experience how trusted cloud architecture forms the foundation for tomorrow’s digital ecosystems.

How much force can an industrial robot exert? And does it actually hurt when a humanoid robot collides with a person? At the HRC collision test bench, visitors can experience for themselves just how high the biomechanical limits specified in standards are. In the AI-Matters project, we systematically measure collaborative robot models and develop collision maps that can be used to reliably design collaborative workstations and estimate their productivity. For humanoid robots, we consider not only arm collisions but also full-body collisions, such as those that occur while walking and running.

The "Sandbox for Embodied AI" demonstrator helps companies safely develop, train, and validate AI-based robotic solutions for industrial applications, and gradually transition them from simulation to real-world environments. The focus is on applications such as AI-based control and motion planning, vision-language-action models, LLM-generated task plans, and experiments in object recognition, scene understanding, and grasping planning. To this end, the demonstrator provides a flexible robotics experimentation cell as part of the AI-Matters service portfolio. The cell consists of a dual-arm robotic system with a tool changer, calibrated cameras, integrated safety mechanisms, and a ROS-2-based system architecture. Through clearly defined ROS-2 interfaces, companies can integrate existing AI models, control strategies, and motion planning approaches, as well as capture real-time robot data. The ROS-2 system architecture enables communication with industrial devices via fieldbus interfaces. Thanks to its modular design, additional hardware components such as sensors, grippers, tools, or customer-specific peripherals can be flexibly integrated. The architecture supports various robot control strategies, including force and position control in articulated and Cartesian space, as well as high-level skills such as collision-free path planning and automated tool changes. In addition to the real-world cell, simulation environments are available in MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, and Gazebo. There, companies can virtually train AI models, generate synthetic data, and test application scenarios risk-free before transferring them to the real-world robotic cell.

TrackPilot is a joint research project between NODE Robotics and NAiSE based on a clear premise: real-time localization in intralogistics must no longer be hindered by the distinction between autonomous and manually operated vehicles. Anyone seeking to digitally control material flow in a warehouse today faces two worlds that are difficult to reconcile. Autonomous mobile robots report their position, status, and task in real time, while forklifts, tugger trains, and manually operated industrial trucks remain largely invisible. Established tracking methods rely on physical markers, permanently installed anchors, or complex radio infrastructure—with high costs, long commissioning times, and little flexibility when it comes to layout changes. Mixed fleets consisting of AMRs and manually operated vehicles, in particular, thus remain a data gap that hinders any holistic control. TrackPilot demonstrates that there is another way. On the ARENA2036 shop floor, a markerless, LiDAR-based real-time localization method is demonstrated on a manually operated industrial truck. Localization is purely software-based, utilizing the industrially proven localization technology from NODE Robotics—with accuracy in the single-digit centimeter range. A single mapping session using a 2D LiDAR sensor is sufficient; re-localization after a stop or power outage occurs completely autonomously. Structural modifications, additional anchors, or permanently installed infrastructure are not required, thanks to positioning via a LiDAR sensor mounted on the vehicle. The determined position data is transmitted in real time as a VDA 5050-compliant message to NAiSE’s manufacturer-independent intralogistics platform. This allows manual vehicles to appear in the same digital situational overview as autonomous systems: centrally coordinable and integrated into orders, routes, and traffic rules. The result is a unified digital infrastructure for mixed fleets—without special solutions for individual vehicle classes and without separate data silos. NODE Robotics provides the underlying localization software as well as markerless real-time tracking of manually operated vehicles, while NAiSE contributes the manufacturer-independent platform for fleet, traffic, order, and warehouse management. Together, the partners demonstrate that a fully digitized, mixed-fleet-capable intralogistics system does not have to be a lengthy infrastructure project, but can be deployed immediately as a cost-effective, retrofittable software-hardware setup.

PRIME-6G is a European research and innovation project aimed at developing resilient and intelligent production environments based on future 6G technologies. Over a 30-month period, 13 partners from six European countries are collaborating to integrate modern communication technologies into real-world industrial manufacturing environments. The focus is on combining 6G connectivity, AI-driven optimization, cloud and edge computing, robotics, and real-time sensor technology into an integrated platform for smart manufacturing, including driverless transport systems. The goal of the project is to demonstrate new approaches for connected, flexible, and robust factories of the future, in which communication, data processing, and automation interact seamlessly and in real time.

The ReDriveS research project (“Automated and Digitalized Circular Economy Solutions for Electric Axle Drive Systems as Key Technologies in Electromobility”) is developing cross-manufacturer, automatable disassembly and recycling solutions for electric axles and strategic materials, particularly rare-earth magnets (NdFeB). Through the use of robot-assisted disassembly systems, innovative recycling processes, and digital tools, the project is laying the groundwork to significantly improve the recyclability of electric vehicles.

euroFMX is a newly launched European research initiative aimed at developing next-generation AI technologies for industrial production and engineering systems. The project’s goal is to strengthen Europe’s technological competitiveness and digital sovereignty through generative AI, autonomous systems, intelligent agent systems, robotics, and data-driven industrial AI solutions. A particular focus is on intelligent automation, adaptive production systems, digital twins, and trustworthy AI for future industrial and technical environments.