Autonomous field robot TK100 wins Saxon State Prize for Design 2025

The designer team Marek Holováč and Yichen Fan from the Chair of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Dresden have been awarded the Saxon State Prize for Design 2025 in the "Design Mission" category. The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, honors the joint project with Eidam Agrarsystem GmbH, the autonomous field robot "innoMADE TK100".

The TK100 is an innovative autonomous vehicle for arable, vegetable and row crop cultivation. Thanks to its modular design, three variably usable cultivation areas (front, rear and intermediate axle) and standardized interfaces, it can be flexibly combined with existing equipment without additional conversion. It can carry out up to three work processes in parallel and is ideal for 24-hour operation thanks to remote control and monitoring via mobile devices - even in a swarm network with other units. The 75 kW CNG engine, which runs on natural gas or biogas, enables particularly sustainable, low-emission operation. The design of the TK100 places particular emphasis on user-friendliness and easy maintenance. The intuitive user interface was developed in close cooperation with farmers. The modular architecture facilitates repairs, upgrades and flexible adaptation to different application scenarios. The external appearance emphasizes the drive module as the central design element of the machine.

Christian Zöllner, jury member and Professor of Design in Digital Contexts at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle, praised the work of the two designers as an "outstanding example of cooperation between industrial companies and designers". He emphasized that the design shows how technical understanding, serious prototyping and creative vision lead to a coherent, functional overall product.

© TUD, Professur für Technisches Design

"Winning the Saxon State Prize for Design once again means a lot to us, as this is an award for a project that shows how technology research for sustainable transformation can be successfully translated into real application. And not only in a real future field of organic agriculture, but also with EIDAM - a great partner directly from the region," emphasizes Prof. Jens Krzywinski, Chair of Industrial Design Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering at TU Dresden.

The award-winning autonomous field robot TK100 from innoMADE will be presented to trade visitors from November 9 at the world's largest agricultural trade fair, Agritechnica in Hanover.

The Saxon State Prize for Design is awarded every two years by the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection. It is considered one of the most important awards for pioneering design in Saxony and recognizes outstanding contributions to the responsible and future-oriented development of our living environment. The aim is to highlight the importance of design as an innovation and economic factor and to strengthen Saxony's design industry in the long term.

Contact:
Marek Holováč, M.Sc.
Chair of Industrial Design Engineering
Phone: +49 351 463-43743

Yichen Fan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chair of Industrial Design Engineering
Phone: +49 351 463-35750

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Krzywinski
Chair of Industrial Design Engineering
Phone: +49 351 463-35750