A demonstration of an innovative robotic system was presented at the national scientific conference “Robotics and Mechatronics 2026” organized by the Institute of Robotics – BAS. The two-day forum was opened today by Academician Chavdar Roumenin and Director Prof. August Ivanov in the “Max Planck” Hall of the institute.
Control of a mobile robot powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, an electronic system for real-time monitoring and control of small ruminants, and a drone developed under a contract within the “Security and Defense” National Scientific Program are the successful projects that scientists from the Institute of Robotics discussed in their plenary presentations.
Current trends in robotics are focused on the development of energy-efficient and sustainable systems, particularly in the context of service and collaborative robots. The limitations of traditional battery technologies related to capacity, charging time, and lifespan have driven the search for alternative solutions. In this context, hydrogen fuel cells are emerging as a promising technology, offering high energy density and zero local emissions.
The development aims to demonstrate the applicability of hydrogen technologies in mobile robotic platforms by creating a real-world prototype with intelligent energy management. The main contribution relates to the integration of an intelligent Energy Management System (EMS), which ensures dynamic power distribution and increased energy efficiency. The system architecture, control principles, and results from experimental studies demonstrating increased autonomy and reduced energy consumption were presented.
The robotic system has been developed under Project No. BG-RRP-2.017-0011 “Eco-friendly collaborative robots powered by green hydrogen” for the implementation of an investment under C2I2 “Enhancing the innovative capacity of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) in the field of green and digital technologies” under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
