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I’m really hoping for a jack-of-all-trades. Each of us has to get around, and we all order things. Even when we’re still in good shape, we have to figure out how to get from A to B affordably. When we’re not quite as fit anymore, we’ll be glad just to get from A to B at all—and safely, too. And think about our orders from online delivery services—in the future, these goods will also need to find their way to our homes at an affordable price and relatively quickly. We need to start thinking now about the shortage of skilled workers and create suitable delivery solutions.

Right now, autonomous systems are being tested primarily in metropolitan areas—to learn in those environments. For example, how to navigate traffic lights, roundabouts, or complex road layouts. I see the greatest need in rural areas, and that’s the direction we want to take in our next projects. Autonomous systems are becoming faster and safer, the legal framework is being defined, and now these systems can serve as feeders for the infrastructure of major cities.

I think in stages. Over the next five years, we’ll see autonomous systems that are remotely monitored by a control center. For this, we’ll need good 5G or Wi-Fi coverage, and then a person can help the autonomous system if it can’t find its way out of a tricky situation by intervening via remote control.

I can’t yet describe a definitive scenario for the time after that. We can see from the many major players in the autonomous driving market that implementation is no simple matter. I believe, therefore, that we’ll remain at a stage for some time where we drive pre-programmed, predefined routes and gradually expand this network. Once we’ve achieved that, we’ll already have taken a major leap forward in mobility and logistics.

The first cargo bikes for Anhalt University of Applied Sciences’ Köthen campus: In November 2023, Prof. Sebastian Trojahn and his team presented their project to the public.

In the “Ready4Robots” project, we’re focusing on delivery processes—such as online deliveries—and want to have our robots move along sidewalks and bike paths. And that’s exactly where the data situation is still very poor. How high is the curb? Which traffic light applies to pedestrians? Is the robot currently on the street or on the sidewalk? These are questions we need to answer, and our first step is to create a digital map of Köthen so we can navigate using this detailed map. In other words, we first need data and transparency; then we can let our robots drive.

Our partner evhcle is gradually expanding its fleet, and we’re seeing that the bikes are currently good. We’re already collecting various types of data, but we plan to use a new generation of sensors (such as LiDAR sensors for distance, vibration, etc.) to generate even more and more precise data soon. This will allow us to gradually work our way toward the data quality we need.

Unfortunately, we can’t say for sure. It depends primarily on whether this develops into a sustainable business model for our partner and whether demand for the bikes remains good. For now, we’ve only “reserved” the bikes until the end of our project, but we’re hoping for further positive momentum toward sustainable and smart mobility and logistics.

The research will continue to be funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) through 2025. The project officially launched in June 2022. Prof. Trojahn and his team are collaborating with various partners from academia and Economics on this topic. Their findings will be incorporated into a comprehensive concept for mobility and logistics applications in rural areas, such as former lignite mining regions. Other partners in the project include: Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, OvGU, Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, TINK GmbH, DigiPL GmbH, CyFace GmbH, PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG, Endiio Engineering GmbH, and the District of Northern Saxony.

Visit the project’s website on Anhalt University of Applied Sciences’ research pages.

Visit the joint project’s website at the Technical University of Freiberg.

... is a professor of Business Studies at the Department of Economics at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, specializing in supply chain and operations management as well as digitalization. "Ready4Robots" represents only one aspect of his research interests. In "be-automated," he has already been focusing on automated shuttle buses based on open data. His current projects also include "TRANSFORM," which addresses the topic of digital Agriculture. Learn more on his personal website.