See technology in action, try it out, find out how it works in real-world operations, and ask questions directly to the people who develop it or implement it in manufacturing. Perhaps even start a joint innovation project. This is the idea behind this year’s United by Innovation exhibition at the International Engineering Fair in Brno. The National Centre for Industry 4.0, RICAIP Testbeds Prague and Brno, and industry partners will create a 300 m² space within the Digital Factory 2.0, bringing together technologies, hands-on industry experience, and expert discussion about where industry is really heading.
In just one week, on 6 October, a space designed for much more than simply viewing exhibits will open in Hall F at the Brno Exhibition Centre. Visitors will be able to try out many of the solutions themselves, talk to experts, and hear first-hand experiences from companies that are already implementing digitalisation, automation, and artificial intelligence in practice.
“Our goal is not to overwhelm visitors with the sheer number of advanced technologies. We want them to see these technologies in context, talk to people who actually work with them, and perhaps leave with a concrete idea of how to address a manufacturing challenge of their own,” says Robert Keil, Director of the National Centre for Industry 4.0.
From robots to the question of whether a company needs one at all
The joint exhibition will bring researchers, technology companies, and industrial enterprises together in one place. Visitors will therefore be able to see a single technology from several different perspectives, from development and testing through integration into manufacturing to the experience of a company already using it.
Many of the demonstrations will also be genuinely hands-on. Visitors will be able to collaborate with a humanoid robot, get a massage or have their portrait drawn by a robot, encounter an autonomous inspection robot, try out AR/AI glasses, or experience new comfort features in the Škoda Peaq.
Behind these eye-catching demonstrations, however, lies a question that industrial companies are increasingly asking: where do technologies create real value, and how can they be successfully deployed in actual operations?
That is why the exhibition will represent different stages of the innovation journey. RICAIP Testbeds Prague and Brno will showcase opportunities for developing, simulating, and testing solutions. Škoda Auto will share its experience with manufacturing digitalisation and the use of AI, Siemens will focus on software-defined manufacturing and digital engineering, while T-Mobile will address connectivity and data. KUKA, Smart Informatics, and DEL will present different approaches to robotics, automation, and manufacturing modernisation, Murrelektronik will demonstrate decentralised automation, and Česká spořitelna will complement the technological perspective with the economics of innovation and its financing.
The aim is not to present ten separate worlds. Quite the opposite. Many of the demonstrations are being developed jointly, showing that manufacturing modernisation increasingly requires several different areas of expertise to work together.
DigiStage: industry without lengthy presentations
The same principle will continue just a few steps away from the exhibition at DigiStage. The United by Innovation: Industrial Show programme is built around short talks, case studies, discussions, and live demonstrations.
On Tuesday, the programme will open with the strategic discussion Technology Is Changing Industry. But Where Is It Actually Taking Us? Robert Keil (National Centre for Industry 4.0), Norbert Hovančák (Česká spořitelna), Eduard Palíšek (Siemens), David Rozenský (T-Mobile), and Pavel Burget (RICAIP Testbed Prague) will discuss strategic issues that go beyond individual technologies: the relationship between people and technology, the cost of delaying innovation, the rapid rise of AI, and the search for new opportunities for Czech industry.
Wednesday’s Industrial Show will move directly to practical experience. How does software-defined manufacturing work? What are companies actually using industrial AI for today? What benefits do digital twins bring? How can robots be used for autonomous inspection? And are humanoid robots really the future of industry, or are we still primarily witnessing technologically impressive demonstrations?
The answers will come from people who work with these topics every day. Škoda Auto will present, among other things, its Production Copilot PROCOP, Siemens will demonstrate the use of AI in engineering and manufacturing, and Smart Informatics will showcase autonomous robotic inspection and site security. Experts from KUKA, CIIRC CTU, and Škoda Auto will discuss the real-world potential of humanoid robotics. A dedicated session will also focus on industrial cybersecurity. Česká spořitelna will present stories from Czech industry.
How to move AI from presentations into the factory
Thursday’s programme will focus on a challenge faced by many companies today: they know they want to use AI, but they are not quite sure where to begin.
The session How to Bring AI into Manufacturing: From a Problem to a Solution That Works will therefore introduce the Czech ecosystem that enables companies to move from an initial idea through experimentation and technology validation to real-world deployment. It will connect the expertise of industrial university testbeds in Prague, Brno, and Ostrava with initiatives such as EDIHs, AI-MATTERS, and the Czech AI Factory.
Through case studies, the programme will also explore manufacturing modernisation, the use of digital twins, and new approaches in the energy sector.
The final part of the programme will take technology into the field. T-Mobile and Smart Informatics will first discuss technologies that can assist emergency response services during interventions. They will then move outside Hall F together with visitors for live demonstrations of these technologies in action.
One visit can be the start of a concrete project
As mentioned at the beginning, United by Innovation has another important dimension. Visitors who come not only for inspiration but with a specific problem can start looking for a way to solve it directly at the fair.
The National Centre for Industry 4.0 connects companies with technology partners, research teams, and testing infrastructures. A company can first define its problem, then validate a potential solution through simulation or in a testbed, assess its feasibility and economic benefits, and only then decide whether to invest in it and deploy it in real-world operations. The process can also include identifying suitable financing options. We can even help quantify the cost of postponing innovation.
This is the principle behind United by Innovation: visitors do not have to leave with just a vision and inspiration. They can leave with a concrete idea of what makes sense to address next in their own company.
The joint United by Innovation exhibition brings together the National Centre for Industry 4.0, technology guarantor RICAIP Testbed Prague, and partners RICAIP Testbed Brno, Siemens, KUKA, Česká spořitelna, Smart Informatics, Škoda Auto, T-Mobile, DEL, and Murrelektronik.
United by Innovation | MSV 2026
6–9 October 2026
BVV Brno, Hall F – Digital Factory 2.0, Stand 200
More information about the exhibition is available at:
https://www.ncp40.cz/udalosti/msv2026
Photo credit: National Centre for Industry 4.0, Jakub Rozboud
