Area 9 is led by Helsing’s Chief Scientist Antoine Bordes and is focused on turning frontier research into operational capabilities. Its debut project, Centaur, developed an AI pilot capable of performing beyond human limits in air combat.
Centaur has already been deployed on the Saab Gripen. Helsing said the system now forms the technological foundation for the CA-1 Europa, the company’s planned autonomous fighter jet.
Helsing said robotics will be Area 9’s next area of focus. RX-1 has been built for speed and robustness and is intended to offer research institutions a sovereign European alternative to systems produced outside the continent.
The company said RX-1 will be made available to academic institutions and robotics laboratories across Europe. Helsing also announced its first two academic partnerships for the platform.
The first partnership is with the robotics group led by Marco Hutter at ETH Zurich. The second is with INRIA Paris, and both partners will deploy RX-1 to accelerate research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
“RX-1 is an advanced, European-developed hardware platform enabling exciting field robotics research. We look forward to collaborating with Antoine’s team at Area 9 to push outdoor autonomy,” said Marco Hutter, Professor at ETH Zurich.
Bordes said RX-1 was developed and built in Europe, including key components designed by Helsing. “RX-1 is designed in Europe and manufactured in Europe, including crucial components as our in-house designed actuators. Our robotics team has created a platform that is exceptionally strong, can withstand the elements, and will serve as a research platform across multiple teams in Europe,” said Antoine Bordes, Chief Scientist at Helsing.
