UPm – Urban Pilot Manufactory

Projektleitung:  Johannes Braumann

Projektteam:  Martin Schwab, Johannes Braumann

Projektpartner*innen: -

Art der Förderung: F&E-Infrastruktur FFG/EFRE

Projektlaufzeit: Oktober 2024 bis September 2026

Institut: Creative Robotics 

"The Urban Pilot Manufactory (UPm) project aims to explore new models of production within existing urban structures. In response to growing environmental and regulatory pressures—from the Austrian government’s agenda to EU policies like the Soil Strategy—UPm addresses the need to reduce land use in industrial production. Rather than expanding outward, the project promotes dense, efficient, and flexible production within cities through mixed-use concepts.

Based in Linz and closely aligned with the FabCity initiative, UPm supports a shift toward resilient, local, and circular production models. It focuses on small enterprises and craftspeople, groups often underserved by large-scale industrial infrastructures. The project seeks to lower barriers to advanced technologies—such as collaborative robotics, AI, and automation—by adapting them for compact, individualized urban applications.

At the heart of the project is a new research and demonstration infrastructure within the Tabakfabrik Linz. This “Urban Pilot Manufactory” will integrate high-end industrial and collaborative robots, AGVs, smart sensors, and mixed reality tools to create flexible, human-centered production environments. These setups will be optimized for space limitations, emissions control, and collaborative workflows in dense urban settings.

The Urban Pilot Manufactory will include the following areas and systems

• Modular System Platform – for reconfigurable, experimental production settings
• Collaborative & Industrial Robotic Systems – suitable for compact urban setups
• Autonomous Mobile Robotic Systems – for semi-automated system reconfiguration and support
• Planar and Linear Motion Systems – as extensions for robotic systems and experimental setups
• Capturing Technologies – for object 3D scanning, computer vision, and multi-scale motion/process capture
• Experimental XR Setups – for developing interactions between virtual and physical environments
• Interaction Interfaces – for embedding and advancing human-machine interfaces
• Development Kits – for sensing and mechatronic system prototyping
• Tools and End-Effector Systems – for hybrid multi-process production and custom tool development
• Supporting Infrastructure – including IT systems, software, and emission monitoring tools

from 2026 the infrastructure is intended to serve as an expandable base for research projects at the University of Art and Design and within the educational landscape of Upper Austria in the coming decade.

Kontaktperson: Martin Schwab und Johannes Braumann

Weblink:  creativerobotics.at