EnRicH - The European Robotics Hackathon 2027
EnRicH 2027 is the 6th European Robotics Hackathon, a strictly non-profit, R&D-oriented trial organised by the European Robotics group together with several partners. It takes place at the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant (NPP Zwentendorf), Sonnenweg 1, 3435 Zwentendorf an der Donau, Austria (coordinates 48 degrees 21 minutes 16 seconds N, 15 degrees 53 minutes 5 seconds E), from 5 to 9 July 2027.
Unlike a competition, EnRicH is a field trial: participants test and evaluate CBRNE robotic response equipment in a real-world, full-scale nuclear facility. The 2027 edition provides a Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operation in a scenario built around finding real radiation sources, mapping challenging environments and/or manipulating radioactive material inside the decommissioned reactor halls, turbine halls and training areas of the Zwentendorf NPP - the world's only nuclear power plant that was completed but never put into operation. A combined UAV and UGV scenario is offered, and an additional new scenario covering intelligent assistance functions for EOD/IED work will be added. A single run lasts about 30 minutes plus setup time, and no debugging or online coding is possible during a run; the scenario is supervised by cameras with Austrian radiation protection officials on site.
Preliminary schedule: event setup and arrival of participants on 3 and 4 July; opening ceremony including mandatory safety instructions on Monday 5 July (09:00-10:00) followed by setup and testing; testing with radiation sources plus press attendance and demos on Tuesday 6 July; competition day 1 and VIP day on Wednesday 7 July; competition day 2, award ceremony and farewell on Thursday 8 July; bundle-up and departure on Friday 9 July (08:00-12:00). The organisers note this is a preliminary schedule and ask participants to check for updates.
Participation is only possible with real radiation measurements. Organisers include the Austrian Armaments and Defence Technology Agency (ADTA), EVN AG, the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) and European Robotics. Contact: Dr. Frank E. Schneider, Fraunhofer FKIE, Fraunhoferstrasse 20, 53343 Wachtberg, Germany, [email protected]. The organiser's website enrich.european-robotics.eu is the official source for the EnRicH 2027 programme, teams and rules.
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Venue Map and Hotels Around
Zwentendorf - Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant (NPP Zwentendorf), Lower Austria, Austria