Digital Transformation
The German government's high-tech strategy aims to expand the competitive and employable economy, and this goal is encapsulated by the forward-looking project 'Industry 4.0'. This area is closely linked to digitalisation, digital transformation, and the Internet of Things, and forms the focus of the research field.
The Digital Transformation research field is registered as a test environment with four laboratories in the 'Industry 4.0 Test Environments – Mobilising SMEs for Industry 4.0' funding programme, run by the BMFTR, and is listed on the 'Industry 4.0 Map (external link, opens in a new window)'.
Ostfalia I4.0 Catalogue - Demonstrators for Industry 4.0 Technologies
To demonstrate the various technical possibilities for companies to embark on a digitalisation journey that saves time, resources and costs, the 'GrowIn 4.0' project team at Ostfalia has compiled a catalogue of Industry 4.0 technology demonstrators that is continuously being expanded. The Ostfalia I4.0 Catalogue is intended to demonstrate the potential of digitalisation measures, as well as encouraging interested companies to visit the university to see the technologies in use and discuss potential cooperation in developing them.
Projects
The following professors are active in this field of research:
Faculty of Civil and Enviromental Engineering
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Felix Friedrich Büsching (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lorenz Däubler (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Volksw. Matthias Hampe (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Ohl (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. María Dolores Pérez Guirao (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Diederich Wermser (external link, opens in a new window)
Faculty of Automotive Engineering
Faculty of Health and Health Care Sciences
Faculty of Trade and Social Work
Faculty of Computer Sciences/IT
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gert Bikker (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Tobias Dörnbach (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Reinhard Gerndt (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Claus Fühner (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Hans Grönniger (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Höppner (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Michaela Huhn (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Klages (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Frank Klawonn (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Joachim Lehman (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Carsten Meyer (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Bernd Müller (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. Ina Schiering (external link, opens in a new window)
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Brüggemann (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Tobias Frenzel (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiaobo Liu-Henke (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Ligocki (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marcus Menzel (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Rambke (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Stechert (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Strube (external link, opens in a new window)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Triltsch (external link, opens in a new window)
Faculty of Law – Brunswick European Law School (BELS)
Faculty of Social Work
Faculty of Transport-Sports-Tourism-Media
Faculty of Business
What is being researched:
The Internet of Things has the potential to improve our social lives and will shape the future of our entire society. It enables and necessitates new business models. This research field is actively promoted through a large number of interdisciplinary projects and industrial collaborations. Research results are incorporated directly into courses, with numerous students involved in research projects.
Akkordeon Research
Research is currently being conducted in these areas
Technology
- 5G Wireless Technologies
- Augmented Reality
- Big Data
- Cloud Computing
- Data Governance
- Data Mining
- Energy Management Systems
- IoT: Industrial Internet of Things (-Wireless Technologies)
- Artificial Intelligence
- M2M: Machine to Machine Communication
- Human-Machine Interactions
- Human-Robot Collaborations
- Robotics as a Service
- SDN: Software-Defined Networking
- TSN: Time-Sensitive Networking
- Virtual Reality
- Virtual Development
Society
- Digitale Transformation
- Smart City
- Smart Country
- Changes in the world of work
Economy
- Business Modells
- Managed Services
- Sharing-Economy
Use Cases
- Ambient Assisted Living
- E-Health
- Care Robots
- Robotics as a Service
- Smart Forestry
Transfer Activities
- Entrepreneurship / Intrapreneurship
- (Industrial) Internet of Things / I4.0 Start-Ups
- Know-how Transfer with the regional and supra-regional economy
- Cooperation with industry associations and other R&D organisations
Research Projects
Please use the Current Research Information System (CRIS) (external link, opens in a new window) to view the research projects in this research field.
Insight into the Research
The researchers present the research field in an interview.
‘We are doing pioneering work in digitalisation’ - Prof. Klawonn and Prof. Strube in an interview about the research field
Martin Strube specialises in the Industrial Internet of Things and the intelligent networking of sensors, devices, and machines, while mathematician Frank Klawonn specialises in statistics and machine learning. The two professors both play an important role in the field of Digital Transformation research at Ostfalia. In this interview, they explain how industry benefits from collaborating with them and how they support the field of medicine. They also discuss what makes digitalisation so fascinating for research.
Professor Strube, Professor Klawonn, why is it important for you to support companies with digitalisation and Industry 4.0?
Martin Strube: Digitalisation is not a product that companies can buy in shops. Nor is there a handbook that entrepreneurs can consult in order to establish Industry 4.0 in their production. There are countless different combinations of machines, IT systems and software solutions in mechanical and plant engineering companies. This is what makes it so difficult to digitally map the entire process chain from the delivery of raw materials to the delivery of the finished product - and that is the goal of digitalisation. In principle, every company needs its own Industry 4.0 solution.
Frank Klawonn: Then there is the human factor. Every employee has their own way of processing data. Bringing together this data from different workstations and from different specialist areas requires a lot of detailed work, energy and expertise. The digitalisation of production requires a great deal of effort and only works if companies really have the determination to collect, integrate and evaluate data.
Martin Strube: At this point, I would like to quote my colleague, Professor Diederich Wermser: ‘Digitalisation is, first and foremost, a different way of thinking, and only then the use of new technologies. If we want to network the entire company, every department must understand the goals of Industry 4.0 and how the company intends to implement digitalisation.’
What can you and your colleagues hope to achieve in your field of research?
Martin Strube: Through feasibility studies, we can show industrial partners the added value that new technologies, such as cyber-physical systems, can offer them. A simple example: If a production plant comes to an unplanned standstill, this can result in high costs. It is better to analyse their data intelligently to obtain information on machine wear in advance and avert the threat of production downtime. We show companies what steps they need to take to achieve this level of development.
Frank Klawonn: We can help companies record their data, recognise patterns in it, and make predictions about production. This is possible in the industrial environment, as with predictive maintenance, and in many other areas too.
What other areas are using digitalisation?
Frank Klawonn: In medicine, for example. I analyse data to help diagnose rare diseases earlier. This enables people to receive treatment more quickly, saving them from a potentially years-long odyssey to see various doctors.
What is the basis of your research work?
Frank Klawonn: The fact that data is almost always available in digital form these days. We can extract useful information from it using highly computationally complex mathematical processes supported by technology. Important new findings for companies always emerge from our collaboration.
Why is your field of research in a strong position?
Martin Strube: We are fortunate that the professors and their teams have a lot of practical experience, and that each of them specialises in one part of the process. This enables us to analyse the entire process within a company.
Frank Klawonn: Not even a universal genius could combine the competencies of automation, radio technology and data analysis; it takes several specialists. Our collaboration works wonderfully.
In which areas is cooperation particularly important to you?
Frank Klawonn: Data protection. How can we ensure that data is securely transmitted from the sender to the recipient? How can we ensure that the patient whose data is being shared is protected? These are important questions in the medical field. My colleague, Professor Ina Schiering, is an expert in data protection and security, and she ensures that we are on the safe side.
Why are digitalisation and Industry 4.0 ideal areas for industry and research to focus on?
Martin Strube: 'Computing technology, sensor technology and transmission technology form a fascinating combination that is powerful yet relatively inexpensive. Investments are relatively low, and companies can expect to realise added value quickly. In many cases, we are pioneering digitalisation because the technologies are very new. That's fun — for both industry and research.
If you have any questions about research at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, please contact the Knowledge and Technology Transfer team (external link, opens in a new window).