Driving innovation forward: Constructor University hosts Bremen Autonomous Systems Meetup

Can Bremen chart a course to becoming the next technology and innovation hotspot for self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles? For the businesses, researchers and entrepreneurs who gathered at Constructor University for the Autonomous Systems Meetup on March 16, the answer was a resounding yes. 

This was Constructor University’s first time hosting the semi-annual regional networking event, which brought around 60 academics, industry, students and other enthusiasts together to discuss and collaborate on efforts to research and develop autonomous systems technology in the region. It’s a growing and increasingly important space in Bremen's high-tech sector, one that is poised to transform many of the region's core industries, including automotive, maritime, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

Bremen already possesses a unique combination of assets that position it well to become a national or even international leader in this field, which is one of the driving forces behind events like the Autonomous Systems Meetup, which aims to build greater cohesion and coordination between the various players.

"Bremen already has the core ingredients to become a leading hub for autonomous systems research and technology," explained Dr. Shruti Patel, Head of Autonomous Systems at TOPAS, the University of Bremen-based startup and transfer center that organizes the networking series. "Stronger collaboration between universities, research institutes, start-ups and established industry is essential. Events like the Autonomous Systems Meetup support knowledge exchange, improve coordination and enable technical collaboration at the developer level."  

This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Andreas Birk, a leading Robotics and AI scholar from Constructor University’s school of Computer Science and Engineering, whose presentation at the event highlighted a number of Constructor's own autonomous navigation research milestones, demonstrating the university's expanding contributions to the field, both through research and its autonomous racing team.  

"Constructor has quite a lot of expertise in autonomous systems, much of which complements and strengthens the activities of other Bremen players," explained Dr. Birk. "Hence, there is a lot of potential for mutual benefits and win-win scenarios. After all, the academic and commercial challenges to implementing and using autonomous systems are non-trivial, and there is still enough to be done for more than one institution or company.”

Along with Dr. Birk, the evening featured presentations from multiple organizations linked to Constructor and other Bremen-based universities:

• Constructor Autonomous Racing: Team principal Ilya Shimchik showcased the high-stakes world of autonomous car racing, where Constructor has taken part in elite-level competition since 2018, including the world’s current top league: the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL). He also demonstrated how technological innovations in the competitive environment lead to downstream applications that increase safety by reducing automobile accidents and fatalities.
• Bremergy E.V.: This joint, student-run racing team from the University of Bremen and University of Applied Sciences Bremen presented its plans to design and implement an autonomous system for next season’s Formula Student competition car.
• TOPAS: Algorithm Developer Matthias Rick gave a summary of the startup’s progress with autonomous automotive systems, working with companies like Opel and Volkswagen to advance from simulations and closed-course testing to live, in-traffic navigation. He also shared the company’s recent government approval to test their self-driving Volkswagen bus throughout the country.

This latest Autonomous Systems Meetup, the eighth in the series to date, demonstrated that Bremen's path to becoming a recognized hub for autonomous systems technology depends not just on individual excellence, but close coordination and collaboration between its leading players, including both Constructor University and the University of Bremen.

“Universität Bremen and Constructor University bring long-standing expertise in robotics, AI, embedded systems and human-machine interaction, and their collaboration with organizations such as DFKI (the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) provides a solid scientific foundation,” said Dr. Patel. “Combined with Bremen’s industrial ecosystem in aerospace, maritime operations, logistics and manufacturing, the region offers both research excellence and real operational environments for testing and deploying autonomous systems.”