Autonomous systems are already transforming not only the transport and logistics sectors, but also the very concept of national security. Drones, autonomous robots, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based platforms are becoming an important part of both civilian infrastructure and defense, while technological competition between the United States, China, and Europe is driving countries to invest increasingly in their own capabilities. Experts say Lithuania has real potential to become a regional leader in this field.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Viktor Skrickij, Director of the Transport and Logistics Competence Center at VILNIUS TECH, emphasizes that drones and other autonomous platforms are used not only in transport and logistics, but also in defense. The war in Ukraine has particularly highlighted the importance of autonomous systems — the role of unmanned platforms today goes far beyond civilian transport, and autonomous technologies are becoming increasingly significant in the context of national security.
“The war in Ukraine demonstrated the importance of drones and other unmanned platforms — they are used for surveillance, logistics, medical evacuation, and other dangerous tasks that would be risky for humans,” he says.
According to the researcher, autonomous technologies are becoming not only a transport issue, but also a national security issue.
“These systems help carry out tasks in the most dangerous frontline areas and protect human lives. Therefore, the experience we have accumulated enables us to develop dual-use systems and their components — from materials to control algorithms,” the expert notes.
According to him, dual-use technologies are becoming one of the key areas where transport engineering, AI, and defense needs intersect.
In his view, by properly leveraging its engineering expertise, scientific potential, and growing defense technology ecosystem, Lithuania has the opportunity to become one of the regional leaders in autonomous systems. For example, an important step forward is the €8 million funding allocated by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport for the Autonomous Systems Competence Center “ComARC,” being developed by VILNIUS TECH together with partners.
“At the center, we plan to develop world-class, application-oriented research. This is a great opportunity for Lithuania to create advanced, high value-added solutions important for both the economy and national security,” says V. Skrickij.
He stresses that Lithuania has an important advantage — due to its relatively small size, the country can more quickly unite the capabilities of academia, business, and government institutions, and more efficiently test new technologies.
“In 5–10 years, Lithuania could become a regional leader in developing and testing dual-use autonomous systems — from unmanned aerial vehicles and ground robots to autonomous logistics and control algorithm solutions,” V. Skrickij hopes.
According to him, the key is to maintain direction: consistently invest, create conditions for testing, strengthen cooperation between universities, business, and government, and rapidly apply scientific research in practice.
A technological race is underway
According to the scientist, the development of autonomous systems today is shaped not only by technology, but also by geopolitical competition. V. Skrickij says Europe is competing with the United States and China in the field of autonomous systems and AI, making technological sovereignty a strategic priority.
“Technological sovereignty means the ability to independently create, understand, manage, and control critical technologies: algorithms, communication systems, data, and software. In the case of autonomous transport systems, this is especially important because such systems make real-time decisions and operate in the physical world,” he explains.
However, Europe is still lagging behind the United States and China in many areas of autonomous systems and AI. These countries are investing heavily in the development of autonomous platforms, data infrastructure, and the commercialization of AI solutions. According to the researcher, if Europe fails to strengthen its technological competencies and independently develop critical technologies, it risks becoming merely a user rather than a creator of technology.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Viktor Skrickij
“For Lithuania, given the geopolitical situation, this is even more important, because such systems are becoming significant not only in transport and logistics, but also in defense. They can operate where it is dangerous for humans, they do not tire, and they can continuously process large streams of data and respond immediately. We must be capable not only of acquiring these technologies, but also of creating, adapting, evaluating, and safely using them,” emphasizes Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Skrickij.
AI is changing the possibilities
One of the most important factors behind the breakthrough of autonomous systems is AI. According to Dr. Eldar Šabanovič, Senior Researcher at VILNIUS TECH, AI enables more effective solutions for environmental perception, object recognition, trajectory prediction, and decision-making tasks.
“AI is also changing the approach to control: increasingly, some decisions are based not only on predefined rules, but on behavior learned from data,” he says.
However, these opportunities also bring new challenges.
“The biggest challenge is ensuring that an AI system behaves reliably, predictably, and safely in complex or rare situations. When working with autonomous transport, it is not enough for an algorithm to perform well in most cases — it must be proven that it will operate safely even in edge-case scenarios. Therefore, explainability, data quality, testing, validation, cybersecurity, and functional safety are extremely important,” the researcher notes.
He summarizes that, in addition to AI, the development of autonomous systems is strongly influenced by high-performance computing platforms, communication technologies, cybersecurity and functional safety, and reliable control algorithms.
Already operating in practice
Although fully autonomous transport is still associated with futuristic visions for many people, some autonomous solutions are already being used in everyday infrastructure and transport systems. E. Šabanovič says the most visible example of autonomous transport systems is advanced driver assistance systems in cars.
“Adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping systems, automatic braking, or parking — these are not yet fully autonomous transport systems, but these functions provide partial autonomy, where the vehicle performs certain tasks without constant driver involvement,” he explains.
Higher levels of autonomy are already being used today in robotaxi services in cities across the United States and China. Meanwhile, autonomous platforms are increasingly applied in logistics, warehouses, ports, and agriculture, where they can perform repetitive and clearly defined tasks without constant human involvement.
Dr. Eldar Šabanovič
“Autonomy is first being developed in environments that are more controlled or clearly defined — logistics, warehouses, cargo handling processes, agriculture. In such areas, it is easier to ensure system reliability and safety,” explains Dr. E. Šabanovič.
V. Skrickij says autonomous transport systems are fundamentally changing the very concept of transportation.
“Autonomous transport systems are software-defined transport platforms that, using sensors, communication systems, data processing, and AI algorithms, solve tasks related to environmental perception, decision-making, and motion control. They differ from traditional transport solutions in that humans are no longer the sole or primary decision-makers,” he says.
According to him, unlike traditional transport systems, which are mostly controlled by humans, autonomous transport is a system based on data, software, and automated decision-making.
Joining international networks
In order to strengthen its competencies in autonomous systems, Lithuania is actively engaging in international research and innovation networks. VILNIUS TECH has been working in the field of autonomous transport systems for more than a decade and today participates in both international and national projects. These include the Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 projects MOCO, ePIcenter, OWHEEL, and CLIMAFlux, as well as the national conTROLL project.
VILNIUS TECH not only adopts international best practices but also shapes research directions itself, together with partners from Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other technologically advanced countries.
“At first, we more often developed ideas proposed by other partners and were responsible for specific tasks. Later, we began leading work packages, and today we are already proposing ideas ourselves, forming international teams, and coordinating projects,” V. Skrickij says about this progress.
According to him, some solutions developed with the participation of university researchers have already reached mass-produced vehicles.
“This enables us to conduct world-class research and train highly qualified specialists. At the same time, we create value — the solutions are applied in transport, logistics, railways, and other systems,” he says.
The Specialist Profile Is Changing
The development of autonomous systems is also changing the competencies required of modern transport engineers.
E. Šabanovič says mechanical engineering knowledge alone is no longer sufficient — developing autonomous systems requires expertise in programming, automatic control, signal processing, AI, data analysis, cybersecurity, and functional safety.
“The most important thing is being able to integrate all of this into one reliable transport system,” he emphasizes.
According to the researcher, modern engineers must understand not only the mechanical aspects of vehicles, but also the electronics, software, and algorithms controlling their behavior.
The market needs specialists who understand not only the vehicle itself, but the entire ecosystem: data, infrastructure, communication, safety, user needs, and regulatory requirements.
V. Skrickij explains how the university is responding to these changes:
“For a long time, we integrated new competencies into existing transport engineering study programs, but the pace of change has become so rapid that this is no longer enough. Therefore, we are currently developing a new study program that will allow us to more purposefully prepare specialists for the transformation of modern transport — from advanced transport systems and electric drives to autonomy and control algorithms.”
