Aarhus Municipality in Denmark joins Urban Robotics Foundation
- Aug 26
- 3 min read
Author: Lee St James
Date Published: August 26, 2025
The Urban Robotics Foundation is delighted to welcome the innovative Aarhus Municipality in Denmark as its newest member. Lee St. James, Managing Director of URF, recently visited Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, to tour their state-of-the-art Center for Innovation (CFIA). Lee states, "On behalf of the Urban Robotics Foundation, it is a pleasure to welcome Aarhus to our global network."
"As a city with a strong vision and commitment to innovation, growth and rethinking the possibilities for developing the city together, there are great opportunities for collaborative learning by adding their voices and experience to URF's network. URF's focus on expediting the understanding and adoption of public-area mobile robots to improve livability and support public works and government operations is perfectly aligned with the work being done within Aarhus' CFIA and across the region."
Martin Østergaard, CEO, City of Aarhus states: "In Aarhus, we have a curiosity about how robots can help us create a better city for the citizens. Therefore, we are also pleased with the membership of the Urban Robotics Foundation, as it gives us the opportunity for more partnerships focused on the application of robots in the city. There is a need for us to share knowledge across country and city boundaries. Together we can fulfill the potential of robots in the city."
Bo Fristed, Head of ITK (Innovation, Technology and Creativity), says: "Already now we have a number of test zones in the city, where companies can test their outdoor mobile robots in a real environment – we believe that the more we can exchange experiences between public and private actors, the better solutions we will ultimately get. Therefore, the membership in URF is something we look forward to being part of."
Bern Grush, Executive Director of the Urban Robotics Foundation comments: “The City of Aarhus has an innovative and creative governance perspective that will be of value to our members as a successful model for embracing new technologies for improving municipal services and operations while prioritizing the safety and comfort of human bystanders. We welcome them as a new member of URF and look forward to sharing their insights across our network as we continue to develop a comprehensive framework for people and mobile robots to share public spaces.”
Some of the great work being done in Aarhus includes establishing testing zones to facilitate robotics testing that will stimulate municipal curiosity with an emphasis on the city's needs while overcoming barriers for robotics companies to innovate. They also hold an annual technology festival ("Vilde Teknologier") as a platform to bring together industry and municipal stakeholders and citizens in dialogue, expo and and hands on experiences with robotics. This year's event takes place on August 29-30, 2025 - admission is free!
"The membership and collaboration with URF supports the activities we are already involved in across Europe." states Jesper Algren, Head of ITK Innovation. "It is important that we in Europe can develop a strong robotics industry and leverage the potential of robots in all sectors, including cities. Therefore, all collaborations that contribute positively to that agenda are something we in Aarhus would like to be part of."
As a non-profit, member supported organization, URF welcomes interest from new members. Please view the benefits of membership and contact us to join today!
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