CETEM will apply Industry 5.0 Dual Technologies to Security and Defence with the ROCCA Project

The ROCCA project, part of the Cervera Excellence Programme funded by the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI), will develop advanced robotics, artificial intelligence and digital twin solutions for Industry 5.0 applied to Security and Defence. CETEM, together with six other technology centres, will contribute dual operational assistance technologies with Augmented Reality and coordinate network communication. The initiative will help to strengthen technological sovereignty in strategic sectors such as aerospace, energy and critical infrastructure in Spain. . 

ROCCA (Operational Robotics for Quality Control, Inspection and Assisted Maintenance for Defence) is an ambitious national strategic project that will mobilise nearly €6 million until 2029. The Furniture and Wood Technology Centre (CETEM) is one of the partners in the consortium, formed together with six other leading national centres (AIJU, AITIIP, INESCOP, AIN, AIR Institute and VICOMTECH), with a common goal: to place Spain at the forefront of Industry 5.0 applied to Security and Defence through the use of dual technologies.

Last February, AIJU, the project’s coordinating centre, hosted the project launch meeting at its facilities, where the objectives and lines of work were established to develop dual digital technologies that protect critical infrastructure and improve operational autonomy in strategic sectors.

ROCCA is structured around three main areas of technology to be developed:

• A digital twin with immersive simulation, which will enable operator training, intervention planning and improved decision-making in complex environments.    

• Collaborative robotics and mobile robotics systems capable of operating in the field for logistics, inspection or maintenance tasks in potentially hazardous environments.

• Intelligent robotic cells for predictive maintenance, capable of detecting faults before they occur, reducing repair times and increasing platform availability.

All of this will be validated in three real-world demonstrations: drone maintenance, logistics operations with mobile robotics, and automated repair of combat equipment. 

CETEM plays a decisive role in ROCCA in terms of the digitalisation of defence operations. The technology centre leads the development of operational assistance and teleoperation systems using augmented reality (AR) and artificial vision, enabling remote expert interventions in critical environments. In addition, its contribution includes the design of collaborative robotic cells for automated assembly and innovative multimodal AI-based sensors that adapt the behaviour of robots to the physiological state of the operator, ensuring safer and more efficient human-machine interaction. Finally, CETEM will implement thermal vision systems for the early detection of risks in infrastructure and vehicles through automatic image analysis. In addition to its technical contribution, CETEM is taking the lead in communication and visibility for the project, coordinating the dissemination of the ROCCA network’s progress to ensure that innovation effectively reaches industry and public administrations.

With the launch of this project, CETEM consolidates its commitment to cooperation as the key to innovation in order to tackle the technological challenges facing industry today.

Find out more about the ROCCA project here.