Czech Technical University in Prague - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RCMT
The National Centre of Competence ENGINEERING (NCKS, TN02000018) connects research organisations and industrial partners in applied R&D for advanced manufacturing. The Future Forces 2026 exhibition is delivered by CTU in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering / RCMT as a project participant. Under the title “Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for the Defence and Security Industry”, we present NCKS results for rapid production ramp-up, precision, digitalisation, repair and modernisation of equipment. The profile covers scalable manufacturing, virtual validation and digital twins, operational data and monitoring, machine-tool interoperability, and additive/hybrid manufacturing. The aim is expert dialogue with industry, users and integrators and transfer of project results into practice.
The project TN02000018 National Centre of Competence ENGINEERING is co-financed from the state budget by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic under the National Centres of Competence Programme.
ExcelSense Technologies designs and manufactures rugged, maintenance-free, self-cleaning optical sensors and optical shields for LiDARs and cameras operating in the world’s most extreme environments.
Our technology supports harsh-environment sensing systems—including unmanned and autonomous platforms, situational awareness systems, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications—where contamination can degrade or disable critical optical sensors.
Unlike conventional solutions, ExcelSense’s multi-patented, award-winning technology actively removes abrasive dust, mud, oil, molten asphalt, and crystallized salt without requiring water, detergents, compressed air, or manual maintenance for the lifetime of the sensor.
Our ruggedized systems feature IP69-sealed hardware designed to withstand severe Arctic and desert climates, repeated contamination, and extreme mechanical stress, including continuous vibration of 30–70 G and spikes up to 200 G.
By ensuring persistent optical clarity in harsh conditions, ExcelSense enables reliable sensing and mission-critical vision where conventional systems fail.
ExcelSense is enhancing the availability, survivability, and resilience of defence platforms by:
Uniquely Enabling Unmanned Systems (UxS)
Providing persistently clear perception for autonomous land, air, and sea assets by ensuring that cameras and LiDAR sensors remain clear through dust, mud, and salt, thereby reducing mission aborts.
Enhancing Tactical Vehicle and Personnel Survivability
Enabling continuous “closed-hatch” operations for armoured vehicles and personnel carriers in high-dust and mud environments, eliminating the need for soldiers to dismount to manually clean optical sensors.
Securing Remote Infrastructure & ISR
Supporting Arctic and border sovereignty through persistent, maintenance-free remote surveillance in extreme cold and blowing snow where standard equipment fails.
Providing Logistics-Light Deployments
Eliminating the need for support infrastructure like water/detergent tanks and compressors, resulting in lower signatures and fewer resupply trips to forward-operating positions.
Ensuring AI Data Reliability
Maintaining high-fidelity sensor input to ensure reliable sensor fusion and the consistent performance of autonomy and targeting software.