Swarm of drones and ballistic wall. Nine cutting-edge technologies from BUT are heading to IDET

After two years, the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET (28–30 May 2025) returns to the Brno Exhibition Centre, and Brno University of Technology (BUT) will present nine exhibits. The main attraction will be an autonomous swarm of drones and robots for terrain reconnaissance – a joint project of BUT and the University of Defence (UD). It will be officially unveiled on 28 May at 14:00 at stand no. 18 in pavilion P, with the participation of the rectors of both universities, Ladislav Janíček and Jan Farlík. Other exhibits will include, for example, MobiSHIELD ballistic walls or the APALER device for protecting pilots from laser dazzling.

Autonomous swarm of drones and robots for terrain reconnaissance

A multi-agent system of drones and robots controlled by artificial intelligence will help the Army of the Czech Republic detect enemies in the field or explore areas contaminated by radiation. | Author: Jakub Rozboud

AI-controlled system is being developed by experts from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication at BUT (FEEC BUT) and the University of Defence (UD), primarily for the needs of the Czech Army, but also for the Integrated Rescue System (IZS). Thanks to modular sensor configurations, the system can gather information about potential threats – such as enemy unit activity, terrain conditions, or detect environments after a chemical plant accident or a so-called dirty bomb attack. It is also applicable to other security forces, especially in the field of radiation protection. By enabling fast and detailed reconnaissance of hazardous areas, the system reduces the need to deploy human personnel into dangerous zones.

"The entire swarm can automatically explore the terrain without manual control." If one of the drones fails – whether due to enemy action or weather conditions – the system completes the mission autonomously using automatic reconfiguration and AI algorithms that reroute the remaining drones,” explained project leader Petr Marcoň from FEEC BUT.

Project leader Petr Marcoň from FEKT BUT shows one of the drones. | Author: Václav Koníček

For Czech Army units, it is crucial to have up-to-date data and situational awareness in the deployment area. “The development and implementation of a modular system with various types of sensors represents a significant step forward. Thanks to its ability to quickly gather information from larger areas, it can significantly enhance intelligence capabilities and support decision-making in near real-time,” commented Lieutenant Colonel Karel Michenka from the Faculty of Military Leadership at UD on the collaboration with BUT.

The project, which experts have been working on since January 2022, will be completed by the end of 2025. Already this September, the multi-agent system’s capabilities will be demonstrated to the Czech Army in the Březina military area.

The project "An Artificial Intelligence-Controlled Robotic System for Intelligence and Reconnaissance Operations, VJ02010036" was supported by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic under the Strategic Support for the Development of Security Research Program in the Czech Republic 2019–2025 (IMPAKT 1).

MobiSHIELD Ballistic Walls

Researchers from the Faculty of Chemistry at BUT (FCH BUT) are developing mobile solutions for the protection of critical infrastructure – such as power plants or government offices. The result is a ballistic protection panel (BPP) made from a highly durable cement composite, combining resilience with easy handling – it withstands armor-piercing rounds up to 12.7 mm caliber according to NATO standards (levels A3 and A4), yet can be moved manually.

In addition to its exceptional ballistic resistance, the main advantage of MobiSHIELD is easy handling of its parts. Demonstrated by Radoslav Novotný and František Šoukal from FCH BUT. | Author: FCH BUT archive

The use of BPP is now evolving further. In collaboration with ATHEX Technology s.r.o., which manufactures the patented modular construction system MOBILOT, a new variant has been created in the form of the ballistic wall MobiSHIELD. “For this year’s IDET exhibition, we have prepared a corner wall fitted with eighteen BPPs, offering the same advantages as individual panels – high durability, versatility, easy handling, low production costs, and availability of raw materials,” said František Šoukal from the FCH BUT development team.

Other BUT Exhibits

Researchers from the Faculty of Information Technology at BUT are collaborating on the APALER project with UD, CTU, and the Czech Police to develop a device for protecting aviation from low-energy laser dazzling. The same faculty is also working on algorithms for rapid detection of distant objects, such as drones. An experimental platform based on this research will be presented at the fair.

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT and UD will jointly present composite elements of multilayer ballistic protection, combining the properties of metallic and non-metallic materials. The result is multilayer structures with enhanced resistance to external influences and ballistic loads.

Volteek Solutions offers advanced technologies for increasing the reliability and lifespan of batteries, applicable in space or the defense industry. | Author: Václav Koníček

FEEC BUT will present the development of a specific plasma source for satellite propulsion in very low Earth orbit (around 200 km), and the company Volteek Solutions was also founded here, offering advanced technologies for increasing the reliability and lifespan of batteries applicable in space or the defense industry.

The X-ray computed tomography laboratory at CEITEC BUT (CTLAB) will present its CT expertise and a holographic projector, on which CT data will be demonstrated. Industrial CT enables viewing the internal structures of objects of various sizes and materials and performing non-destructive analysis focused, for example, on detecting leaks or defects.

CEITEC BUT will present its CT expertise and a holographic projector, on which it will demonstrate CT data. | Author: Václav Koníček

The field of laser spectroscopy is the focus of the start-up Lightigo, also originating from CEITEC BUT. The miniFly spectrometer is used for elemental, contactless analysis of samples directly in the field, which can be applied, for example, in chemical reconnaissance of contaminated areas and detecting environmental contamination by toxic elements.