Unique testing facilities
State-of-the-art facilities are the backbone of the Competence Centre for Sustainability Robotics, enabling groundbreaking research and innovation. Our well-equipped spaces foster creativity, collaboration, and precision, providing the tools to design, test, and refine advanced robotic systems. From prototyping workshops and simulation environments to dedicated zones for field testing and environmental monitoring, our facilities empower researchers to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Maintaining cutting-edge infrastructure ensures that our lab remains a hub for transformative solutions that advance sustainability and drive impactful change.
AeroAquaArena
The AeroAquaArena (AAA), located at Empa in Dübendorf, is a unique large-scale flight aquatic robotics testbed (W 15.5 m × L 34.1 m × H 10.8 m). It is designed for systematic testing, validation, and benchmarking of aerial, aquatic, and amphibious robots under controlled and repeatable conditions.
DroneHub@NEST
The DroneHub, located in the NEST building at Empa, is a modular testbed for aerial robotics that includes test cages, rooftop access, reconfigurable structures, and embedded sensor networks for research on autonomous navigation, inspection, and multi-drone coordination (5.5m x 6.4 x 6m Upperstage ; 6.3m x 7.5m x 8m Lowerstage).