Demonstrate to implement: Autonomous systems in practice
The National Autonomous Systems Congress revealed how far the Netherlands has come with autonomous technology – and what needs to be done.
Published on April 3, 2025
Bart, co-founder of Media52 and Professor of Journalism oversees IO+, events, and Laio. A journalist at heart, he keeps writing as many stories as possible.
Self-driving buses, intelligent milking robots, autonomously sailing ships, and AI that independently optimizes factory processes: during the National Autonomous Systems Congress on April 2 in Drachten, it became clear that autonomy is no longer a thing of the future. Practical examples, ethical issues, and technological breakthroughs came together in an inspiring day program along three lines: business, science, and society. The 'Dean of the day', Jacquelien Scherpen (Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen) aptly summarized the day: “Autonomy is already in full development - not only for cost savings, but also as a sustainable revenue model and with social value.”
Autonomy as an accelerator
Whether it was fault detection in industry or virtual shortages in the labor market, autonomous systems appear to be a powerful answer to today's challenges. The theme cropped up everywhere, from dairy farming to sheet metal production, from recycling to robot soccer. “We saw how AI and robotics reinforce each other, but also how ethics and legislation must evolve along with them,” said Scherpen. “Autonomy is not only efficient, but also contributes to circularity, sustainability, and safety.”
One of the highlights was the presentation by Sergio Ooijens (Lely), who showed how dairy and feed robots contribute to more efficient and animal-friendly dairy farming worldwide. Equally impressive was the contribution of 247TailorSteel, where CEO Carl Berlo explained a fully autonomous production system that has made his company the European market leader. And IBM's Jan-Willem Sieben took the audience to sea with the Mayflower project: an unmanned ship that autonomously conducted ocean research – and will soon do so again.
The Demo Square was also full of telling examples of industrial innovation. BMTEC demonstrated a fully autonomous factory in which smart machines produce independently. Avular showed how its mobile and flying robots can be used flexibly in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and inspection. Track32 demonstrated AI technology for real-time object recognition in production environments, and RobotTUNER showed how trucks and buses can maneuver autonomously with the help of its autopilot kit.
Discussion about a Groningen drone on the demo square
The North as a testing ground
According to Scherpen, the Northern Netherlands is a logical home base for this conference. With companies such as Batenburg Beenen and Bollegraaf, the presence of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) that specializes in autonomous systems, the high-tech companies of the Drachten Innovation Cluster, and close cooperation between secondary vocational education, higher professional education, and universities, the region is an active breeding ground. “This is where fundamental research and industrial application really come together,” says Scherpen.
This was tangible on the demo square: FerryGo presented autonomous ferry services in the Wadden Sea region, and Drone Delivery Services from Assen demonstrated a hydrogen drone that can transport medical cargo over tens of kilometers. Spheer AI used AI to translate satellite images into insights for nature management and climate adaptation. And with the Ronny project, Batenburg brought an autonomous mobile robot for the agricultural sector to the conference. Everywhere you looked there were drones and robots, some on wheels, some not. Vector and Harkboot also presented the EDIH Autonomous Green Management cluster.
Science and practice together
The scientific sessions showed how close the interaction between robotics and AI is becoming. Prof. Bayu Jayawardhana (RUG) spoke about multi-robot systems that perform tasks together. Prof. Ming Cao showed how language models help autonomous robots navigate complex environments, while Prof. Javier Alonso-Mora (TU Delft) showed how autonomous vehicles consider human behavior through game theory and constrained optimization. “We are building systems that are not only smart, but also collaborative, self-learning and safe,” came the message from the academic world.
Full house in De Lawei Drachten
Questions about risk, legislation and trust were central to the social aspect. Who is liable if an autonomous system fails? And how does an organization prepare for the AI Act? The new ELSA Lab North Netherlands received a lot of attention here: a national initiative in which the ethical, legal and social aspects of AI are investigated. CNV chairman Piet Fortuin brought in the employee's perspective: “The labor market is changing dramatically. But with the right tools and cooperation between government, employer and employee, we can take advantage of this technological wave.”
Social applications were also on display in the demo square. Hulp AI (Help AI) presented an AI tool to identify loneliness and requests for help in the social domain. Fysio Zelfcheck (Physio Self-Check) demonstrated a digital triage tool that allows users to independently determine whether physiotherapy is necessary. And VR Bieb (VR Library) gave visitors a virtual introduction to technology and innovation via VR glasses.
Boston Dynamics
To conclude, Aaron Saunders, CTO of Boston Dynamics, gave a keynote that had the audience on the edge of their seats. His argument about the future of humanoid robots – such as the famous Spot and Atlas – was spectacular and drenched in urgency: “The technology is there. But it requires vision, courage, and cooperation to implement it responsibly.”
He explained that in a maximum of ten years, robots will be an inseparable part of our society, present everywhere. Saunders is not yet convinced that they will take our jobs. “Look at the enormous shortages in the labor market. We should be happy that robots will partially solve that.”
Aaron Saunders (Boston Dynamics) pitching
From inspiration to action
Scherpen summarized her closing appeal: “For companies: look at how you can make your processes or products more autonomous. For governments: create room for experimentation, including legally and ethically. And for researchers: build the bridge between fundamental knowledge and applications. Decide now what you will do tomorrow with your factory, your municipality, your project.”