Zwentendorf: Robot hackathon in the atomic nucleus-rescue under radiation!

Zwentendorf: Robot hackathon in the atomic nucleus-rescue under radiation!

Kernkraftwerk Zwentendorf, Österreich - What is happening in the area of ​​robotics and AI in 2025? An exciting event is getting closer: the Hackathon Enrich 2025, which takes place in one of the most remarkable, but also most controversial places in Austria - in the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant. This was stopped in 1978 after a referendum and has not only caused a lot of conversation for technology enthusiasts. The venue is almost identical to the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, and that not only evokes memories, but also exciting challenges.

In the period from June 30th to July 4, 2025, eleven international teams from Europe, including representatives of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Technikum Vienna, will come together. The aim of the hackathon is to develop innovative robot solutions for complex radiological and nuclear scenarios that are not only technically impressive, but are also the focus of the security and emergency strategies. Dr. Frank E. Schneider, the deputy head of the "Cognitive Mobile Systems" department at Fraunhofer Fkie, organizes this event and emphasizes the importance Fraunhofer Fkie reports that ....

challenges and tasks of the robot

The conditions in the nuclear power plant are anything but easy. Darkness, tight curves and narrow rooms await the robots and their developers. However, these challenges are selected in a targeted manner to test the robustness and efficiency of the systems. The agency for innovation in cyber security will not only evaluate the services shown, but is also particularly interested in the newly established AI-supported assistance functions that are intended to support the bombing.

The teams will compete against each other in three categories: When mapping, they have to detect radiation and create digital cards, while in the manipulation they concentrate on identifying and closing a valve of a container with radioactive coolant. The third category includes the search and rescue, in which the participants have to find and mark workers - represented by dolls in uniform. The need for special robots for radiological scenarios is obviously explained German engineering leaf that….

realistic conditions and technical finesse

In order to ensure the realistic test conditions, real radiation sources such as cobalt-60 are placed in the reactor building. The entire venue extends over an area of ​​around 5000 square meters, which also complicates the challenges. Team members have to complete a complete use of dangerous goods, which also includes the search for radioactive material. Rudi Deutsch, a radiation protection officer, plays an important role here by adding the transport and placement of these sources Fraunhofer Fkie that ....

The pre -selection of the teams ends on February 28, 2025 and some of the robots that will be used have already convinced with their technology. The TU Darmstadt, for example, has a telemax hybrid robot that is equipped with a chain drive and a gripper arm. High -tech measuring devices ensure that the robots can efficiently handle radioactive sources. Entering the reactor building is only allowed to a limited group of people during the tests, which also guarantees security.