The two-day conference, conducted in English, was hosted by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen with the technical support of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The event focused on autonomous machines, intelligent robotics applications and their practical implementation.
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Géza Husi told hirek.unideb.hu that the event served as a proof of the high level of development that the faculty had achieved.
- A conference of this calibre in the field of engineering has never been hosted before by the University of Debrecen. By now, we have reached the point where we are capable of doing so. Several professors who typically attend only the most prestigious events have responded affirmatively to our call for papers. This is indeed an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our capabilities- said the dean.
Péter Korondi, a professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Mechatronics at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen, underlined that two of AMIRA’s six keynote speakers, Pavol Bauer and Marek Pástor, are active members of the IEEE Power Electronics and Motion Control Council (PEMC-C), which contributed to organizing the event. The permanent secretariat of this prestigious international organization is located at our Faculty of Engineering, and the presence of these two speakers also strengthens that connection.
- This is the first ever conference at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen to receive technical sponsorship from the world’s largest organization of engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This organization boasts of over half a million members worldwide. In order to be able to use their logo, we must meet quite a number of quality assurance requirements- said Péter Korondi.
Professor László Palkovics, head of the Vehicle Industry, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Coordination Institute at the University of Debrecen, presented findings from an autonomous vehicle fleet at the event. The fleet was tested both on the ZalaZone proving ground and in real-world urban traffic. The experiment utilized a combination of onboard sensors and actuators for vehicle dynamics control and information received from the so-called “traffic cloud” simultaneously.
Professor Pavol Bauer, from the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy at Delft University of Technology, advocated for the creation of energy hubs that facilitate an efficient and flexible energy transition. These would be microgrids integrating multiple energy carriers: electricity, hydrogen and heat, designed to operate reliably even under weak grid conditions and extraordinarily dynamic environments.
Professor Radu-Emil Precup, from the Department of Automation and Applied Informatics at the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, gave a presentation on artificial intelligence-based reinforcement learning and control structures for transportation applications. His talk also featured research findings from his university’s Process Control Group.
Hans-Peter Kemser, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Hungary Kft. (operator of the BMW plant in Debrecen) and a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen, demonstrated how effective planning and optimization can be implemented within an operational automobile factory. His presentation introduced and explained the concepts of virtual production and the so-called “ghost car,” as well as how to advance to the next level in these areas.
Professor Yasuharu Kunii, from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Chuo University in Japan, presented research aimed at developing robots capable of long-term survival and operation in high-risk, unknown and unexplored natural environments, such as the Moon. This requires examining how a community of robots evolves when new units are introduced and how shared functions can be updated and expanded.
According to Associate Professor Marek Pástor, from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Mechatronics at the Technical University of Košice, the rapid transition toward fully autonomous systems, automated vehicles, electric mobility and advanced industrial robotics requires a fundamental shift in power electronics architectures. His presentation focused on advanced phase-shifted DC/DC converters, which are core enablers in the power conversion and management of autonomous systems.
Press Centre – OCs