A consortium of European technology companies that include Driveblocks, Apex.AI, SYSGO and STW have joined forces to provide pre-integrated software and hardware platform for off-road applications in agriculture, construction and the defence industries. This offering combines perception and autonomy software, robust middleware, a safety-critical operating system and a control unit in a modular format for the development of intelligent, connected and safe machines.
“With this collaboration, we’re enabling manufacturers to bring advanced driver assistance and autonomous functions to off-road machines faster — with proven, interoperable European technology,” said Dr Stephan Matz, COO of Driveblocks.
The platform also enables machine manufacturers to move to software-defined applications, where machines that can be upgraded through over-the-air (OTA) updates, and their diagnostics analysed remotely. OEMs will then be able to scale from assisted operation to full autonomy — all within a consistent, certifiable software framework.
For the solution Driveblocks provided its perception and autonomy software, Apex.AI’s its middleware and software framework, SYSGO its PikeOS operating system, and STW’s its rugged control unit. Built on this European-developed and safety-aligned technology, the platform supports applications of varying safety levels, from basic assistance functions to fully autonomous operations — and can be certified according to functional safety standards relevant to off-road industries.
“Our shared goal is to accelerate the safe and certifiable deployment of autonomous capabilities in industrial vehicles through modular, deterministic software and proven real-time middleware,” said Franz Walkembach, VP Marketing & Alliances, SYSGO.
The first use-case is the Driveblocks SafeZone, an environment perception system that uses camera and LiDAR perception to prevent collisions in agricultural and construction machinery. These applications enhance operational safety by detecting obstacles and automatically assisting braking in complex, dynamic off-road environments — marking a key step toward broader autonomous and connected capabilities for heavy-duty machines.
Equally, the same modular and certifiable architecture also makes the system highly relevant for defence applications, where safety, reliability and autonomy are mission-critical. Its ability to integrate perception, control and secure communications enables defense vehicle manufacturers to implement driver assistance, situational awareness, and autonomous logistics functions while maintaining full sovereignty over system design and data.
