Parallelsession: Autonomous systems for public and military safety

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | Innovation Stage

Moderation: Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner, TU Graz

Autonomous systems – on land, in the air, or underwater – are rapidly emerging as a key technology for security, defense, and civilian applications. They can relieve personnel, reduce risks, accelerate decision-making, and enable operations in complex, hazardous environments. Central challenges range from perception and decision-making to robust locomotion, human-machine teaming, and resilience in contested environments. This session offers the opportunity to discuss current developments, collaboration opportunities, and concrete application areas together with researchers, industry, and involved organizations.

Talk 1: Weather Doesn't Care Whether Your UAS Is Civil or Military, Reinhard Puffing, Pegasus Research & Development

A Weather Research & Test Center in Styria for Both Worlds – and an SME's Experience with EDF

Talk 2: How Canada is consolidating robotics in a new geopolitic era? Prof. Francois Pomerleau, Northern Robotics Laboratory, University Laval, Quebec, Canada 

Launched in 2022, the Canadian Robotics Council is a national, non‑profit organization that brings together existing initiatives by collecting, organizing, and disseminating the information and insights needed to strengthen Canada’s robotics sector. In doing so, the CRC becomes the collective national voice and primary point of contact for robotics in Canada, with a mandate to connect robotics and its adjacent sectors into a cohesive ecosystem that encourages collaboration, research, and product development. Moreover, Norlab is the largest research group on off-road autonomy in Canada, generating impact in dual-use applications.

This virtual session will cover the latest CRC activities to consolidate robotics in Canada and an overview of research activities related to autonomous navigation in subarctic conditions.

Talk 3: Virtual Validation of Autonomous Systems, Alexander Harrich, AVL

AVL’s virtual validation architecture brings critical off-road testing into the virtual world. AI-generated scenarios help make autonomous military vehicles safer, more robust and mission-ready.