Robot Demonstrations and Banquet

Timetable

• 14h00 Robot Demo Information (Campus Center, Conference Room)
• 14h15 Bus Transport to Farge
• 14h30 Visit of Submarine Bunker Valentin
• 16h00 Bus Transport from Frage to Bremen City
• 16h30 Guided Tour through the Ratskeller (Bremen City)
• 18h00 Sightseeing on the Bremen City Center (Bremen City)
• 19h00 Banquet in the Ratskeller (Bremen City)
• 22h00 Boat trip to Vegesack
• 23h15 Arrival in Vegesack harbor (15 min from Jacobs University)

Robot Demonstrations

Unexploded ammunition from the 2nd World War is still a major problem in many parts of Europe, especially in Northern Germany where it is regularly found during construction work. Very recently in June 2010, there was for example a severe incident with a WW-II aircraft bomb in Göttingen where 3 people died. Robots are already widely used in the securing and disarming of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in standard scenarios on land. But quite many WW-II remainders are found in the sea or in lakes and especially rivers that require constant digging to prevent the silting up of the waterways. Their handling is done by human divers under very challenging conditions where robot assistance would be tremendously helpful.

The submarine bunker Valentin as the site of the robot demo is an impressive memorial of the dark times of WW-II. It was designed as reinforced dockyard for the production of submarines. It was build from 1943 until March 1945 by forced laborers of whom many died in the process. It is by far the largest bunker build in Germany and it is only surpassed in size by a similar bunker in Brest in France, which was occupied at that time by German forces. Just shortly before the construction was finished, the Royal Airforce bombarded the bunker Valentin and hits by two 10-tons Grand Slam bombs lead to significant damages, which prevented the submarine dockyard from being used.

Banquet Location

The banquet takes place in the Ratskeller underneath the medieval town hall of Bremen, which is part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage. The Ratskeller is a large wine cellar since 1405, i.e., since the early times of the Hanse trade union. With its 600 years of age, it is the oldest wine cellar in Germany. The banquet takes place in the Kaiserzimmer, i.e. the “Emperor’s Room”, which dates back from the 16th century. The Kasiserzimmer was designed to host the most noble guest, especially for very important political and economic negotiations and decision making. The food is served by they restaurant “L'Orchidée” in the Ratskeller, which is one of the best addresses for dining in Bremen. It has since more than 15 years a star from the famous Guide Michelin.

Before the dinner, there will be a guided tour through the different parts of the wine cellar, which still hosts various barrels of wine that are several centuries old.