TranSphere – Shaping the Next Sphere of Mobility
Rethinking mobility sounds great. Actually experiencing it is better. Under the motto "TranSphere – Shaping the Next Sphere of Mobility", the Institute for Driver Assistance and Connected Mobility (IFM) opens its doors for two days into a future where technology, people and movement grow into something entirely new.
What is Explore-to-Innovate?
Explore-to-Innovate is IFM's annual science and technology forum – and the opposite of your typical industry conference. For two days, research, industry and technology partners come together not to stare at slides, but to experience the latest developments in vehicle technology firsthand.
The format brings together scientific talks, live demos, technology tours, exhibitions and networking into something that defies easy categorization – hands-on, open, collaborative, and right in the heart of Innovationspark Allgäu Airport.
The goal: making innovation visible, sharing knowledge, and developing solutions for the mobility of tomorrow together. Sounds ambitious? It is – but in a refreshingly down-to-earth way.
Explore-to-Innovate 2026 – Two Days of Hands-On Future
2026 is stepping it up: for the first time, the forum spans two main stages – our familiar home at IFM and the impressive Event Shelter of the Greentech Hub. More stages, more program, more momentum.
Key Topics:
- Driver Assistance & Automated Driving
- Connected Mobility
- Virtual Vehicle Development
- Vehicle Dynamics, Driving Behavior & Full Vehicle
- Sustainable & Intelligent Mobility Concepts
- User Experience & Human Factors
Add to that live demos, simulator experiences, test drives, prototypes and a vehicle exhibition that makes the leap from theory to practice immediately tangible – from virtual development all the way to real track experiences where you feel what vehicle dynamics truly means.
Innovation not just as an idea, but as something you can see, feel and try out for yourself. And right in the middle of it all: people who genuinely want to change the way we move.
Register for Free Now!
On July 8 and 9, 2026, starting at 9:00 AM, you can look forward to Science Talks, Track Demos, technology tours, keynotes and research discussions – with good food to keep you going and plenty of room for the networking moments that make it all worthwhile.
Register now and become part of the next sphere of mobility. We look forward to welcoming you in person!
Getting here
Institute for Driver Assistance and Connected Mobility – IFM
Junkersstrasse 1A
87734 Benningen
Please use the designated parking areas indicated here:
Directions & Parking Overview
Wednesday, 8 July 2026 | 08:00 – 21:30
| 08:00 | Arrival & Registration Breakfast |
| 09:00 | Opening & Welcome Remarks |
| 09:30 | Keynote Session
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| 10:00 | Keynote Session
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| 10:30 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 | Science Talks I & Guided Tech Tours |
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 13:45 | Science Talks II & Guided Tech Tours |
| 15:15 | Coffee Break |
| 15:35 | Moderation |
| 15:45 | Keynote Session
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| 16:15 | Keynote Session
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| 16:45 | Panel Discussion - “Winning the New Global Race - How Automotive Development Must Change to Stay Competitive” |
| 17:30 | Top Secret! |
| 17:50 | Dinner |
| 19:00 | Aftershow-Party, Liveband and Networking |
| (Subject to change) |
Thursday, 9 July 2026 | 8:00 – 16:00
| 08:00 | Arrival & Registration Breakfast |
| 08:30 | Opening Day 2 - Overview |
| 08:45 | Keynote Session
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| 09:15 | Keynote Session
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| 09:45 | Coffee Break |
| 10:05 | Moderation |
| 10:15 | Pitch Session & Simulator Session |
| 11:05 | Coffee Break |
| 11:20 | Science Talks III & Guided Tech Tours |
| 12:50 | Lunch |
| 13:50 | Science Talks IV & Guided Tech Tours |
| 15:20 | Acknowledgements & Chillout |
| (Subject to change) |
Science Talk
Wednesday, July 8 | 11:00 - 15:15 Uhr (Ground Floor | Greentech Hub)
| Perception, AI & Mobility Systems | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | Dr. Bertold Huber · Dominic Huber | GeneSys Elektronik GmbH | SensorX — The Role of Visual and Acoustic Detection in Modern Development Processes: From Simulation to Vehicle Testing |
| 11:20 | Jeremias Gerner | TH Ingolstadt — AImotion Bavaria | Realistic and Scalable Floating Car Observer Detection in Microscopic Traffic Simulation Derived from Co-Simulation |
| 11:40 | Tilmann Gänsch | e:fs TechHub GmbH | From Simulation to Road: End-to-End Testing and Validation Solutions with Model-Based Systems Engineering |
| 12:00 | Magnus Liebherr | University of Applied Sciences Kempten (IFM) University of Duisburg-Essen | Environmental Factors Influencing Perceived Risk in HAD — A 6-Axis Driving Simulator Study |
| Functional Safety & Cyber Security | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:45 | Laura Hain | Langenhan Engineering Services GmbH | Functional Safety processing processes: some anecdotes |
| 14:05 | Lars Gebbeken | Volkswagen AG | Functional Safety of Steer-by-Wire – Criticality Assessments Using Virtual Methods |
| 14:25 | Dr. Bernhard Behr | AVL Software and Functions GmbH / TwoPillars GmbH | Cybersecurity-by-Design in MBSE |
| 14:45 | Dr. Julia Graefe · Matthias May | ARRK Engineering GmbH / BMW Group | KIMBA – AI for System Modeling and Requirements Management – Use Cases at BMW |
Wednesday, July 8 | 11:00 - 15:00 Uhr (Ground Floor | IFM Workshop)
| Simulation & Digital Twin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | Felix Mergner | EDAG Engineering GmbH | EDAG Digital Twin — End-to-End Process for Virtual Model Generation |
| 11:20 | Andrea Sammartino | MegaRide s.r.l. | From Physical Tire to Digital Twin — An Integrated Workflow for High-Fidelity Tire Modelling |
| 11:40 | Jan Oberst · Pascal Piecha | IPG Automotive GmbH | Continuous Test Strategies for Bridging Virtual Development and Proving Ground Validation |
| 12:00 | Patrizio Agostinelli · Roman Felder | dSPACE GmbH / AIP Automotive GmbH | Testing Parking Assistance Systems on a Wheel-Hub Dynamometer: Vehicle-in-the-Loop with Over-the-Air Sensor Stimulation for ADAS/AD Validation |
| Automated Driving & Driver Experience | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:45 | Andreas Rigling | ADAC e.V. | Challenges in ADAS Testing from 2026 |
| 14:05 | Leonard Lapis · Jonas Groetzinger | thyssenkrupp Presta AG / EDAG Engineering GmbH | Vehicle Motion Control |
| 14:25 | Shokoofeh Varzandeh | BMW Group | Topology-Constrained Scenario Generation from Natural Language for Autonomous Driving Testing |
| 14:45 | Prof. Dr. Uwe Stratmann | University of Applied Sciences Kempten | ADAS customer barometer - how to reach satisfaction, trust and acceptance? |
Thursday, July 9 | 11:20 - 15.20 Uhr (Ground Floor | Greentech Hub)
| Virtual Validation & Simulation Credibility | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:20 | Gerald Hofmann | cosin scientific software AG | From Data Chaos to Clarity in Virtual Tire Development |
| 11:40 | Thomas Guntschnig · Jonas Freyer | MORAI / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology — IPEK | From Virtual V&V to Credible Simulation: A Credibility Assessment Process for Virtual ADAS/ADS Testing |
| 12:00 | Florian Faistauer | BeamNG GmbH | An Interdisciplinary Approach to Real-Time Full-Vehicle Simulation Using BeamNG.tech |
| 12:20 | Philipp Gutermann | Volkswagen AG | The SbW–Driver Assistance Interface: Virtual Validation of the New Degrees of Freedom in Steering |
| Steering, HMI & Robotics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:50 | Jan Zempelin | thyssenkrupp Presta AG | Beyond the Wheel - Alternative HMIs for the Software-Defined Vehicle |
| 14:10 | Prof. Dr. Alexander Schiendorfer · Dr. Mehmet Emin Mumucuoglu | TH Ingolstadt — AImotion Bavaria | Agentic Robotics for Connected Mobility: Integrating Humanoid Robots into Vehicle–Infrastructure Interaction |
| 14:30 | Prof. Dr. Tobias Weiser | University of Applied Sciences Kempten (IKR) | Humanoid Robots and Humanoid Capabilities |
| 14:50 | Anton Tworek | MdynamiX AG | Real Steering. Real Braking. Real Feel. MdynamiX HiLs for Mercedes-AMG Driving Simulators |
Thursday, July 9 | 11:20- 15.20Uhr (Ground Floor | IFM Workshop)
| AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:20 | Igor Kuhlhoff | FSQ Experts (Wertefest GmbH) | Metrics for Efficiency Evaluation of AI Systems for Safety Engineering |
| 11:40 | Tobias Karl | AGCO / Fendt | Lessons Learned from Autonomous Agricultural Field Robots |
| 12:00 | Azur Causevic | BMW Group / TU Munich | Imitation-Based Approach for Learning Human-Like Behavior of Two-Wheeled VRUs |
| 12:20 | Kanak Pandit | ARENA2036 e.V. / University of Stuttgart | Reinforcement Learning-Based Motion Planning for Sequenced Multi-Tool Retrieval in Collaborative Robotic Environments |
| Engineering Process & AI Integration | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:50 | Thorsten Langenhan | Langenhan Engineering Services GmbH | Requirements Handling — Safety Noted Pitfalls |
| 14:10 | Samuel Würtz | MAHA SE & Co. KG | MODEL-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT - Development of a testbench for ADAS-testing in the PTI |
| 14:30 | Prof. Markus Krug | MdynamiX AG | Rethinking Engineer Training in the Age of AI |
| 14:50 | Seda Aydogdu | MdynamiX AG | Bridging the ADAS Perception Gap: A KPI-Based Framework for Linking Subjective Experience, Objective Measurement, and External Evaluation |
