Autonomous robots have the potential to revolutionize industries such as construction, agriculture, and disaster relief by increasing efficiency and safety. However, one major hurdle remains: machines from different manufacturers cannot easily communicate with or collaborate with one another. This lack of interoperability leads to costly customizations and complex programming whenever new machines are integrated into existing autonomous processes.

The IMARO project is dedicated to researching middleware solutions that enable autonomous machines to be integrated into cooperative systems on an ad hoc basis without requiring extensive reprogramming. This also includes semantic self-descriptions, data compatibility, and dynamic reconfiguration of robots.

• Development of generic, modular middleware that enables ad hoc networking and coordination of heterogeneous autonomous robots.
• Ensuring interoperability between different manufacturers, platforms, and application areas without the need for individual interface adaptations.
• Creation of standardized models and metrics for describing and evaluating the autonomy capabilities of machines.
• Demonstrating the effectiveness of the middleware in real-world application scenarios such as construction, agriculture, and disaster relief.

Robot Makers GmbH was founded in 2011 by Carsten Hillenbrand and Bernd Helge Leroch. Starting out as a pure engineering services provider, the company has evolved into an OEM supplier for the agricultural, construction machinery, and specialty vehicle industries.

In this project, Robot Makers GmbH plays a central role as an industrial application partner and provides support in integrating new machines into existing autonomous work processes and in the further development of adaptive middleware (interfaces, automatic adaptation of the autonomy software, and ensuring the accuracy of data transmission).