idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Positions were in high demand: 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 Defense Procurement (armasuisse) is providing as host in collaboration with the Swiss Army. Here, the participants will compete with their robotic systems in several disciplines, whose realistic scenarios have been developed by a team led by Dr Frank E. Schneider from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE.
“This year’s field of participants is particularly exciting,” says Schneider, looking at the registration list. “An interesting mix of established teams we already know from previous events and those taking part in ELROB for the very first time.” Among the latter, the deputy head of the FKIE’s “Cognitive Mobile Systems” (CMS) department cites Team Łukasiewicz-PIAP from Poland and the two German teams GAP and FENRIDE. Further participants are travelling to Thun from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland, whilst two teams are coming to ELROB this year specifically from Canada.
Highly realistic scenarios
In the main disciplines of Reconnaissance, Transport (Mule) and Search & Rescue (SAR), the teams will put their Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through their paces over four days. Common to all scenarios is the high level of realism and the close alignment with the current needs of the armed forces. It is no coincidence that, against this backdrop, several teams have shown an interest in the "Mule" discipline, for example, which is "closely aligned with procurement", as Schneider explains: "The transport of personnel and equipment is an essential component of military operations. In hostile environments, however, this is a dangerous and demanding task, which is why UGVs are increasingly being deployed here."
In Thun, their practical suitability can be tested and demonstrated to the fullest extent. The military training area is not only the oldest but, at around 6.5 square kilometres, also the largest of its kind in Switzerland. In its centre, a large tent city is being set up for the participants, where they can program, tinker with and fine-tune their robots and drones around the clock. For Schneider, who has been organising ELROB every two years with his team since 2006, the venue is familiar. Thanks to a trilateral R&D cooperation between Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the host country for the competition rotates every two years: “Thun was already the venue in 2012 and we are delighted to be back here now,” says Schneider.
For ELROB host Dr Thomas Rothacher, Head of armasuisse Science and Technology and Deputy Chief of Defence, cross-border cooperation enables “a valuable exchange of experience and knowledge.” At the same time, the event offers “a unique opportunity to test robotics technologies in military operations and thereby strengthen security-related robotics research between industry, universities and national and international partners,” says Rothacher.
Constantly redesigned scenarios
The team is not revealing any details about the scenarios. Suffice it to say that this time there is no urban environment; there are no buildings or other structures to explore. The tasks require different approaches and solutions, which will, incidentally, be assessed by an international jury led by the renowned robotics expert Prof. Dr Henrik I. Christensen. “The demands on robotics are increasing rapidly,” says ELROB initiator Schneider. “And we are responding to this by constantly redesigned scenarios.” He is particularly pleased with the diverse field of participants from research, universities and industry: “This shows once again that ELROB more than lives up to its claim of bringing users, researchers and clients together.”
European Land Robot Trial
15 to 19 June 2026
Thun Military Base, Switzerland
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
https://www.fkie.fraunhofer.de/en/press-releases/2026-elrob.html
http://www.fkie.fraunhofer.de/elrob
http://www.elrob.org
What is the current state of robotics? At ELROB, teams are testing their unmanned ground and aerial ...
Source: Fabian Vogl
Copyright: Fraunhofer FKIE
A dedicated tent city is being set up at the Thun military training area, where the teams will prepa ...
Source: Fabian Vogl
Copyright: Fraunhofer FKIE
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