A flagship project with nationwide impact: Following a groundbreaking approval by the Bavarian Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the town of Regenstauf, an autonomous delivery robot from Innok Robotics Group AG is now operating in public spaces between the company’s headquarters and the local REWE supermarket.
Regenstauf, November 13, 2026. While self-driving cars are being tested in Munich, the town of Regenstauf in the Regensburg district is writing an equally significant chapter in Bavarian and German technology history. Bavaria’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Tobias Gotthardt, together with the Ministry of Transportation and representatives from state politics, local government, and the business community, officially launched the first autonomous robot operating on public roads in Bavaria.
As part of a six-month pilot program, an INDUROS autonomous transport robot from Innok Robotics—a technology company that recently went public—is navigating a route of approximately one kilometer through public traffic. The route runs from the Innok company premises on Bahnweg directly to the local REWE supermarket on Regensburger Straße and back again. Since comparable earlier pilot projects in Berlin and Hamburg have since been discontinued, the practical application in Regenstauf holds a unique position nationwide in terms of integrating applied Physical AI into real-world daily life.
Pragmatic cooperation between policymakers and administrators paves the way
The fact that an autonomous system is permitted to operate regularly on public roads and streets in Bavaria for the first time is the result of close cooperation between the Bavarian State Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Transportation—represented on site by Ministerialrat Rainer Köstler—the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy; the town of Regenstauf, led by Mayor Josef Schindler; and the Regensburg District Office.
Bavaria’s Minister of Transportation, Christian Bernreiter, was unfortunately unable to attend in person due to scheduling conflicts, but he personally oversaw the approval process: “The use of delivery robots is an exciting experiment, for which, unfortunately, there is still no legal framework at the federal level. However, it was important to me that this innovative approach not fail due to bureaucracy. My ministry subsequently successfully supported the town of Regenstauf in obtaining approval for a special use permit under the Bavarian Roads and Paths Act. I am very curious to see how the six-month trial period goes and what developments we can expect in the field of autonomous delivery robots in the coming years.”
A Nationwide Pioneering Role on Par with Autonomous Vehicles
As patron of the project, State Secretary for Economic Affairs Tobias Gotthardt officially gave the go-ahead at the Innok Robotics campus and positioned the initiative within the context of international technological competition with countries such as the U.S. and China:
“With this, a true flagship project for Bavaria is entering its next phase today. The pilot operation of Bavaria’s first autonomous robot on public roads represents a milestone in the integration of autonomous robots into our everyday lives. Comparable pilot projects existed only in Berlin and Hamburg, but those are no longer running. This makes the project we are launching here in Bavaria today all the more significant. I am convinced that eyes will be on Regenstauf even beyond our state borders. In terms of its strategic importance, this project is on par with the development of autonomous vehicles.”
At the same time, State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt highlighted the economic benefits for municipalities, businesses, and consumers:
“The project demonstrates that innovation succeeds through joint action. When companies develop new applications and the relevant authorities work closely together in a spirit of trust, we can put technological progress into practice. Autonomous delivery robots can make logistics more efficient and flexible and help make delivery processes more climate-friendly. The retail and food service sectors, in particular, can benefit from this. Autonomous delivery solutions can also make an important contribution to supply chains in rural areas in the future.”
From Pilot Operation to Direct Food Delivery to Customers
Currently, the robot—equipped with Innok’s proprietary AI autonomy software, Innok Cockpit—is transporting groceries and purchases from the REWE supermarket in Regenstauf to the Innok Robotics headquarters, located about one kilometer away. The immediate proximity to the company headquarters provides optimal conditions for closely monitoring the system’s behavior in real-world traffic outside of enclosed company premises.
Together with REWE supermarket operator Tobias Mück and the municipality of Regenstauf, the strategic roadmap has already been clearly outlined: If the pilot phase is successful, the operational area will be gradually expanded to include other neighborhoods in Regenstauf. The goal is for the REWE supermarket to be able to send the autonomous robot directly to its customers in town in the future, delivering groceries and other purchases to their homes fully automatically and emission-free.
A Signal for the Industry in Cross-Plant Transportation
Beyond retail and local supply, the launch in Regenstauf marks a decisive breakthrough for industrial logistics, the core business of Innok Robotics.
Alwin Heerklotz, CEO of Innok Robotics Group AG as well as founder and CTO, emphasizes the far-reaching significance of the project for the region’s economy:
“Today in Regenstauf, we are proving that Germany is a global leader in key technologies such as autonomous outdoor robotics and can literally bring true innovation to the streets. We would like to extend our special thanks to the Bavarian Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the municipality of Regenstauf, which have impressively demonstrated how pragmatically and solution-oriented our public authorities can facilitate technological progress. In addition to the entirely new opportunities for the retail sector, this project serves above all as an enormous beacon of hope for our numerous industrial customers, whose company premises and factory buildings are in some cases connected by public roads.Until now, autonomousoutdoor logistics for us endedat the public road because we were not permitted to cross or drive on it. With this pilot project, we are now paving the way so that such cross-plant operations across public roads can become a regular possibility for our industrial customers in the future.”