Virtual partnering event
The Cyberagentur invites you to the partnering event – “Robust interaction of robotic systems in heterogeneous swarms for use in crisis and disaster situations” (IRiS).
May 28, 2026 – 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Registration by May 22, 2026 to:
Aim of the partnering event
Those interested in the new research program can obtain initial further information on the contents at the upcoming partnering event. Furthermore, all participants will have the opportunity to present themselves and their areas of focus and thus network with potential partners for the formation of consortia.
Agenda
- Presentation of the Cyberagentur
- Presentation of the IRiS program
- Introduction of the partners (2 minutes each)
Please send your presentation slides to iris (at) cyberagentur.de by May 22, 2026 at the latest.
Introduction Slide
Registered interested parties can also download the slide here.
Netiquette
The digital space is intended to promote exchange and has its starting point in a critical and constructive, but above all respectful interaction with one another. We would therefore kindly ask you to treat each other with respect.
Background
The use of unmanned, semi-autonomous and highly automated systems is increasing worldwide due to the growing possibilities in robot technology. This also applies to fields of application in internal and external security. State and federal police forces, the German armed forces and civil defence and disaster control organizations are already using unmanned systems to support operations. At the same time, it is foreseeable that these systems will not only be used more frequently in the future, but will also increasingly operate in swarms. The ability of different robotic systems to work together in a coordinated, reliable and adaptive manner, even under difficult conditions, will be crucial, particularly in crisis and disaster situations, in conflict-ridden environments or when protecting critical infrastructure.
This is precisely where IRiS comes in. The research program addresses the robust interaction of robotic systems in heterogeneous swarms. Such networks should remain capable of acting even if communication and localization become unreliable, e.g. due to interference transmitters or difficult environmental conditions. This is directly relevant for applications in which people do not have to operate in the danger zone themselves and reliable reconnaissance, protection and/or support services can be provided with the lowest possible risk to the personnel deployed.
At the same time, IRiS builds on impulses from the HAL2025 ideas competition “Autonomous intelligent systems in the swarm” and transfers them into a structured research program. This transforms an open innovation process into an application-oriented research framework that combines scientific originality, technological feasibility and safety-relevant benefits.
Aim
The aim of the project is to research and further develop approaches on the basis of which robotic systems can interact reliably and robustly in autonomous, heterogeneous networks – even when communication channels become unreliable, localization is impaired or targeted interference affects radio and navigation signals.
The focus is therefore not on a single subsystem, but on the resilient interaction of a swarm under realistic operating conditions. This includes the ability for decentralized coordination, proactive handling of communication breakdowns, the use of alternative communication channels, mutual support between different platforms and the comprehensible and controllable integration of people into the overall system.
Thematically, the program is divided into the following main research areas:
- Robot-robot interaction
Coordination, cooperation and mutual support of heterogeneous systems in navigation, communication and task performance as well as proactive movement and planning approaches for swarms that anticipate communication requirements, disturbances and localization uncertainties. - Human-swarm interaction
Controllability, control and comprehensible processing of complex swarm states for human operators.
For internal and external security users, IRiS thus opens up the prospect of robotic alliances that can take over reconnaissance, protection, transportation, support and situational awareness even where conventional infrastructures fail or disruptive conditions limit the use of conventional systems.
Disruptive Risk Research
IRiS addresses a field with high scientific and technological risk. Robustness in a heterogeneous swarm with disrupted communication and localization is not a solved problem. The state of the art has so far mostly focused on clearly defined scenarios, homogeneous systems or reactive procedures. What is missing are scalable, decentralized and proactive approaches that combine communication, navigation, cooperation and human controllability in an integrated framework.
This is precisely the disruptive nature of the program. IRiS investigates how swarms can organize themselves in such a way that they anticipate communication weaknesses at an early stage, adapt their positions accordingly, think about alternative transmission paths and physically support each other. The swarm should not only react to disruptions, but also anticipate them.
There is also the challenge of integrating people into such systems in a meaningful way. The central question is how the control of an autonomously operating network can be transferred to humans even under fluctuating communication conditions. When a heterogeneous swarm operates with numerous sensor inputs, platform types and states, new interfaces and processes are needed to make complex information understandable, controllable and cyber-secure. This is precisely where IRiS aims to develop new approaches with a high gain in knowledge and considerable implementation potential.
Whether and to what extent these aims can be achieved remains to be seen. This is precisely why IRiS is disruptive risk research: the program is working on a security-relevant future field in which the decisive technological breakthroughs are still pending, but the potential benefits for Germany are considerable.