XPONENTIAL Europe, a trade fair for uncrewed systems and robotics held in Düsseldorf from 18-20 February 2025, is set to highlight the new KRITIS Umbrella Act for the protection of critical infrastructure.
The KRITIS Umbrella Act aims to ensure greater security for sites such as airports, and will enter into force on 1 January 2026.
Accordingly, field tests for autonomous security systems using security robots and drone-assisted property surveillance will start from spring 2025 at Mönchengladbach Airport (MGL), a real-life laboratory for property protection and perimeter surveillance for Germany.
One solution is uRun, a 73kg autonomous mobile robot equipped with four tires featuring strong profiles to traverse rough terrain. uRun reacts extremely sensitively to everything it spots on its route.
Fitted with a heat sensor and optoelectronic ultra-vision, uRun detects the heat signatures of people or fires, even at night during fence patrols. In such an event uRun, manufactured by the United Robotics Group from Bochum, immediately notifies the control centre.
“The first official trial patrols along the 1.5 km fencing are scheduled for early 2025,” said David Osten, the innovation manager of Mönchengladbach Airport.
Perimeter protection along the fencing of airports is a security-critical area. The video-surveyed fence at the biggest continental airport in Frankfurt is about 40km long – just as long as the fencing around Germany’s second biggest airport, Munich. In Düsseldorf the fence is 13km long, and 8km in Mönchengladbach.
Aviation experts at these major locations are reportedly looking to the Lower Rhine as an innovation hub for research and development in aviation technology and air mobility.
“MGL has developed into a central real-life laboratory and research hub for the innovative operation of airports and sustainable air mobility,” commented MGL Managing Director Andreas Ungar.
Testing Ground for Research & Innovation
Originally designed for regional airline operations two decades ago, the site is referred to as a “real-life lab.” It has evolved into a center for green aviation and new air mobility. The facility operates in a climate-neutral manner, with infrastructure for e-drives and a synthetic fuel station.
Ungar summarized, “Energy efficiency and security on the ground, new mobility in the air. With our infrastructure we can validate new standards in real operations, standards that can be scaled up for international airports worldwide.”
MGL’s shift to a research-oriented focus has yielded successful outcomes. For example, the SkyCab II project, led by the University of Applied Sciences FH Aachen and supported by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport, explores air mobility.
Another initiative within the Smart City series involves testing VTOL drones for transporting medical samples across urban areas. Meanwhile, the SkyTRACKplus project aims to establish a model flight operations concept for drone activities.
Drones Advancing Property Protection
The initial patrols by uRun mark the beginning of a broader security initiative. The project’s goal is to create an integrated security system for airport property and perimeter protection, incorporating both ground-based and aerial surveillance.
“Here drones can render enormously valuable services – and more efficiently and sustainably in ecological terms than is possible with traditional technologies,” noted Dr. Gerald Wissel, chairman of the board of UAV DACH – Association for Unmanned Aviation, a strategic partner of XPONENTIAL Europe.
In his words, “Efficient operation and especially the reliable protection of critical infrastructure is at present probably more relevant than ever.”
At Mönchengladbach, Germandrones is reportedly a leading collaborator. This Berlin-based company, founded by CEO Dr. Klaus Scho, has operated a production facility at MGL since the summer of 2024.
“The combination of ground and air-borne robotics markedly contributes to enriching the situational pictures for emergency call and service control centre staff (certified by the VdS Property Insurance Association) with high-quality and real-time data. As a result, the control centre can undertake appropriate action at an early stage. In addition, the uncrewed systems can monitor and deliver tamper-proof documentation of police or our own interventions,” explained Cornelius Toussaint, managing partner of the CONDOR Group (an anchor investor in Germandrones) and chairman of the Drone Committee at the Federal Association of the Security Industry (BDSW).
Together with Kupferer of Securiton Deutschland, Toussaint oversees committee responsibilities. Based in Achern, Securiton offers ground and airborne robotics under its SecuriAgents brand, along with counter-UAS capabilities as part of its Dome-Security concept.
Düsseldorf: Ideal for XPONENTIAL Europe
“The ongoing projects and developments show that North Rhine-Westphalia and the region between Rhine, Ruhr and Weser play a leading role in the development and deployment of uncrewed technology and robotics. The resulting cross connections are highly relevant to such application areas as security technology. We are delighted partners like Securiton GmbH, Germandrones and Mönchengladbach Airport use XPONENTIAL Europe as a technology platform,” stated Malte Seifert, Director Metals & Autonomous Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.
Seifert is responsible for XPONENTIAL Europe, which will debut in Düsseldorf next year. Focal topics of the trade fair are uncrewed systems and robotics.
EUROPEAN DRONE FORUM
XPONENTIAL Europe will begin with the EUROPEAN DRONE FORUM, held on 17 and 18 February 2025, just before the trade fair. This event is considered one of Europe’s premier platforms for discussions between the UAS industry and regulators. Organized by UAV DACH, one of the largest professional drone associations in Europe and a strategic partner of XPONENTIAL Europe, the Forum also benefits from the support of AUVSI, a world-leading professional uncrewed aviation association.
Register for XPONENTIAL Europe in Düsseldorf >>
Thanks to Dr. Mike Seidensticker, expert author.
