Session 2: Connectivity in Cooperative Robotics
Intuitive programming, increased mobility, flexible adjustment to the task at hand: These are the characteristics robots will have in the future. They will feature adaptive control based on AI and Machine Learning. A remote prospect? Not quite. Initial use cases already exist. The experts of Session 2 have been and still are involved into such development projects.
These scientists present the upcoming two generations of industrial robots:
Industrial robots will be programmed using new intuitive tools in the future. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torsten Kroeger, former head of the Google Robotics Software Division and current CTO at Intrinsic, USA, explains what these tools are exactly. Intrinsic is part of the Alphabet group and focuses on developing robotics software and AI applications.
Michael Hartmannsgruber is VP of the Festo robotics team that has developed the innovative Festo Cobot. He presents a collaborative pneumatic robot that better integrates with humans than the robots preceding it, and is accepted just like a human “employee” or aide. Artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as smart pneumatics are prerequisites for making this work.
Dr. Jeremy Wyatt, Director of Applied Science at Amazon Robotics, Germany, presents innovative use cases involving smart robots for handling goods in the world’s largest online retailer’s locations. The core competencies of Amazon Robotics include the development of collaborative and autonomous robots using AI and machine learning for applications deployed across the group of companies.
Ryan Gariepy, co-founder and CTO of both Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors, outlines his perspective on the robot market based on fifteen years of robot development experience across various applications. He feels that robotics companies need to change the way they think: Robots are becoming increasingly cost-effective. And they will become easier to operate. New robotics companies will enter the market and rise quickly as they build on existing robot platforms. Some of them could turn into global market leaders very quickly.
Speakers and presentations in this session
The vision of road traffic without casualties—Vision Zero—has been a guiding principle since the 1990s. Early progress was driven by vehicle improvements and regulatory measures, such as mandatory seat belts and the introduction of electronic stability control, resulting in a significant reduction in road fatalities.
In this talk, we explore the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in achieving Vision Zero. We examine the correlation between intelligent safety systems and the prevention of severe road accidents, highlighting the capabilities of today’s AI-powered driver assistance technologies. Looking ahead, we consider how future advancements in AI can enable fully autonomous driving and transform road safety.
The discussion will also address key challenges: how to develop automotive systems with AI in a responsible and trustworthy way, and how to ensure the reliability and safety of AI across all levels of automation.
Dr. Corina Apachiţe leads the Department on Artificial Intelligence within Continental Automotive Operations and Technologies. In this role, she is responsible for the overall AI technical strategy and operational implementation, in close cooperation with the business areas and central functions. With her team, she contributes significantly to the company’s vision of “AI empowered mobility” and “AI empowered employee.” Her globally distributed team works closely with industry and academic partners, driving innovations in security and privacy, advanced electronics technologies, and wireless communications to enhance the next generation of automotive solutions.
Before joining Continental in January 2018, Dr. Apachiţe held a similar position at Robert Bosch GmbH, where she was responsible for the technical strategy for artificial intelligence and big data, including pioneering work in secure AI systems and advanced communication technologies. Dr. Apachiţe also gained several years of experience as chief product owner in the agile software development of virtualization solutions during her time at ETAS GmbH in Stuttgart, where she led projects focused on enhancing system security and optimizing wireless communication protocols.
Dr. Corina Apachiţe holds a doctorate in computer science (hybrid systems verification).
How AI can help us to make our vision come true?
The vision of road traffic without casualties—Vision Zero—has been a guiding principle since the 1990s. Early progress was driven by vehicle improvements and regulatory measures, such as mandatory seat belts and the introduction of electronic stability control, resulting in a significant reduction in road fatalities.
In this talk, we explore the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in achieving Vision Zero. We examine the correlation between intelligent safety systems and the prevention of severe road accidents, highlighting the capabilities of today’s AI-powered driver assistance technologies. Looking ahead, we consider how future advancements in AI can enable fully autonomous driving and transform road safety.
The discussion will also address key challenges: how to develop automotive systems with AI in a responsible and trustworthy way, and how to ensure the reliability and safety of AI across all levels of automation.
Hightech Summit Session 2: Connectivity in Cooperative Robotics
Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) is expected to reshape the way of travelling and moving around the world to decrease traffic, increase safety and reduce congestion. By the CCAM, the automated vehicles have to be integrated into the mobility and transport system by designing and implementing infrastructures, new services, platforms, cooperation and governance models.
This talk will present some approaches developed to accelerate the integration of innovative CCAM technologies and systems for passengers and goods. In particular, the talk will show some innovative techniques for designing and applying traffic control methods such as signalized intersection management, route planning services and carpooling strategies. The used methodologies encompass global and distributed optimization, artificial intelligence techniques and simulation frameworks applied for a full integration of CCAVs in the real traffic for transportation. The talk will also describe some recent results obtained in case studies by simulation environments and in the field.
Maria Pia Fanti, IEEE Fellow, received the Laurea degree in electronic engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 1983. She was a visiting researcher at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York, in 1999. Since 1983, she has been with the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering of the Polytechnic of Bari, Italy, where she is currently a Full Professor of system and control engineering and Chair of the Laboratory of Automation and Control.
Her research interests include management and modeling of complex systems, such as intelligent transportation, logistics and manufacturing systems; discrete event systems; Petri nets; fault detection and cybersecurity. Prof. Fanti has published more than 370 papers and two textbooks on her research topics.
She is senior editor of the IEEE Trans. on Automation Science and Engineering, and Associate Editor of the IEEE Trans. on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems and the IEEE Transaction on Intelligent Vehicles. She is member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, and was member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Robotics and Automaton Society, founder and chair of the Technical Committee on Automation in Logistics of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. Prof. Fanti was general chair, program chair and member of the organizing committee of many international conferences, in particular she was General Chair of the 2011 IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Service Operations and Logistics, and Informatics and the 2019 IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Conference.
Artificial Intelligence Based Approaches for Integrating Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility in the Real Traffic
Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) is expected to reshape the way of travelling and moving around the world to decrease traffic, increase safety and reduce congestion. By the CCAM, the automated vehicles have to be integrated into the mobility and transport system by designing and implementing infrastructures, new services, platforms, cooperation and governance models.
This talk will present some approaches developed to accelerate the integration of innovative CCAM technologies and systems for passengers and goods. In particular, the talk will show some innovative techniques for designing and applying traffic control methods such as signalized intersection management, route planning services and carpooling strategies. The used methodologies encompass global and distributed optimization, artificial intelligence techniques and simulation frameworks applied for a full integration of CCAVs in the real traffic for transportation. The talk will also describe some recent results obtained in case studies by simulation environments and in the field.
Hightech Summit Session 2: Connectivity in Cooperative Robotics
The next generation of communication networks, particularly 6G, will redefine the role of connectivity in robotics. Beyond simply replacing wired connections, communication in 6G-enabled robotic systems will be a fundamental enabler of real-time collaboration, precise coordination and intelligent autonomy. This talk explores key advances in 6G, including Joint Sensing and Communication (JSC), embedded AI, and novel information-theoretic paradigms, that are driving this transformation. In environments where robotic systems operate in close proximity, such as medical operating rooms or industrial manufacturing, communication must evolve into an integrated, intelligent fabric that seamlessly links computing and control. The fusion of networking, distributed computing and AI-driven decision-making will enable robots to share situational awareness, anticipate actions and dynamically adapt to their environment. This shift towards communication as holistic networked intelligence will be critical to unlocking the full potential of collaborative robotics in safety-critical and high-precision domains. This talk will highlight new architectural principles and technologies that underpin this evolution, and show how 6G will shape the next frontier of human-machine collaboration.
Frank H. P. Fitzek is a Professor and head of the “Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks” at TU Dresden. He is the spokesman of the DFG Cluster of Excellence CeTI and coordinates the5G Lab Germany as well as one of the four Germany 6G hubs 6G-life, which is funded by the BMBF and carried out together with the Technical University of Munich. His current research interests are in the areas of Tactile Internet, In-Network Computing, Quantum and Molecular Communication, Mobile and Wireless Mesh Communication, Post-Shannon Theory, Network Coding as well as Robotics and the Metaverse.
Future Communication Networks for Collaborative Robotics
The next generation of communication networks, particularly 6G, will redefine the role of connectivity in robotics. Beyond simply replacing wired connections, communication in 6G-enabled robotic systems will be a fundamental enabler of real-time collaboration, precise coordination and intelligent autonomy. This talk explores key advances in 6G, including Joint Sensing and Communication (JSC), embedded AI, and novel information-theoretic paradigms, that are driving this transformation. In environments where robotic systems operate in close proximity, such as medical operating rooms or industrial manufacturing, communication must evolve into an integrated, intelligent fabric that seamlessly links computing and control. The fusion of networking, distributed computing and AI-driven decision-making will enable robots to share situational awareness, anticipate actions and dynamically adapt to their environment. This shift towards communication as holistic networked intelligence will be critical to unlocking the full potential of collaborative robotics in safety-critical and high-precision domains. This talk will highlight new architectural principles and technologies that underpin this evolution, and show how 6G will shape the next frontier of human-machine collaboration.
Hightech Summit Session 2: Connectivity in Cooperative Robotics
Session Chair
"Connectivity in Cooperative Robotics" is hosted by Session Chair Prof. Dr.-Ing. Birgit Vogel-Heuser, holder of the Chair of Automation and Information Systems at TUM School of Engineering and Design (TU Munich).