DRZ Board Election: Dr. Uwe Katzky Re-Elected

At the general assembly of the German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ e.V.) on September 24 in Dortmund, the board was also re-elected. Among those confirmed: SZENARIS Managing Director Dr. Uwe Katzky, who was re-elected as a board member.

The German Rescue Robotics Center (Deutsches Rettungsrobotik-Zentrum, DRZ) is a competence center funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) for the research and development of mobile robotic systems for civil protection. The center grew out of the efforts of the non-profit association Deutsches Rettungsrobotik-Zentrum e.V. (DRZ e.V.). Since 2018, DRZ e.V. has worked to promote the development of robotic systems that can be used to rescue and protect lives and property. Its focus is on research and development in rescue robotics, the associated training, and the areas of accident prevention, fire and civil protection, and rescue from life-threatening situations.

Three of the four board members were re-elected:

  • Dirk Aschenbrenner, Chairman of the Board
  • Dr. Oskar von Stryk, Deputy Chairman of the Board
  • Uwe Katzky, Board Member

The fourth board member, Prof. Dr. Thomas Straßmann, has retired. He is succeeded by Dr. Johanna Holsten, Managing Director of flyXdrive in Aachen.

For SZENARIS, serving on the board is a natural fit: for more than ten years, we have been developing simulation and training systems for rescue and response robotics, including for tEODor, telemax, PackBot EOD, and Seaeye Falcon. In realistic mission simulations, operators practice handling, procedures, and decision-making, so they are prepared for real-world deployments. This applies to remote-controlled vehicles as much as to underwater robotics. Dr. Katzky brings this experience to his work on the DRZ board, particularly when it comes to building training and continuing education into new robotic systems from the very start.

SZENARIS congratulates everyone elected and looks forward to continuing the collaboration on the board of the DRZ.