Research

In a multitude of interdisciplinary research and development projects
IfU expands its know-how in the fields of economic and social cybernetics,
as well as mobile robotics.

Research Groups

In the research groups of economic and social cybernetics, as well as mobile robotics,
the IfU e.V. works on interdisciplinary research topics.

Economic and social cybernetics

The research group Economic and Social Cybernetics is dedicated to the holistic view of organizations and enterprises as open, socio-technical, economically and diversely networked systems. Our focus is on change management, organizational and corporate cultures, business model development, and sustainability assessment. With an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, engineers, communication scientists and business economists, we explore the interactions of technical, economic and cultural factors in science and industry. The approaches developed to optimize the triad of people – organization – technology are implemented and evaluated directly in cooperating companies. Our approach is based on cybernetic approaches and combines cybernetic methods with methods of empirical social research.

Mobile robotics

The research group Mobile Robotics deals with mobile autonomous systems in partially structured and unstructured environments. Among other things, the group deals with problems in environment mapping and navigation both indoors and outdoors, environment data acquisition, processing and state derivation under uncertainty, as well as motion path planning and generation using and further developing machine learning methods in high-dimensional state spaces, e.g. for mobile manipulators.

Currently, we apply our mobile robot systems in picking and assembly through mobile manipulators, on drone systems for environment mapping and object manipulation, and mobile robot systems in outdoor applications.

Research Projects

In a multitude of interdisciplinary research and development projects
the IfU expands its know-how in the fields of economic and social cybernetics,
as well as mobile robotics.

Ongoing projects

UrbANT

Urban, automated, user-oriented transportation platform

DemoSens

Self-learning robot systems in the dismantling of EV batteries

OecherLab

Associated partnership in Aachen’s smart co-creation center – Robotics exhibits.

VerTex 4.0

Development of a technology transfer concept for networking textile process chains – Increasing production efficiency in textile manufacturing.

Digikomp-Ambulant

Innovative work design in outpatient care through digitalization and competence development in outpatient care services.

PaiRS

Development of an innovative pairing recommendation system for peer-to-peer exchange of digital competencies between companies and between employees of the cities of the Aachen region.


Completed Projects

TORsten

Autonomous, driverless transport systems for automated material flows

RoboCup Logistics League

Mobile, autonomous robot systems in the factory of the future

MBZIRC

Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC)

AutoHD

Automated handling and draping of reinforcement textiles

InPulS

Intelligent and self-learning production processes

FasimXL

Automated large component assembly under flow conditions

AutoBraid

Economical series production of textile preforms using braiding processes

DrapeFix

Local binder application for improved draping of textile preforms

OptiDrape

Geometry-specific design of the draping process for FRP components

shopping lab AC

Idea Camps and Shopping Lab App – Digitization of the Retail Industry

Smart Emma

Establishment of a cooperation platform for small and medium-sized food retailers

How2MultiWind

Sustainable multifilament wound fiber composite pressure vessels

PRiMa-Q

Project Risk Management – A Quantitative Approach – Helping SMEs to better manage risks in complex contexts

Auto-Tow

Automatic regulation and homogenization of fiber properties of high-modulus fiber yarns

RegelTuft

Control loop to ensure a defined pole height as quality assurance in the tufting process

SimQRi

Simulative quantification of risk consequences and their impact of measures in complex supply chains

No-NIH

Recognizing and Avoiding Not-Invented-Here: A Systemic Approach to Analyzing and Overcoming the NIH Syndrome in R&D.

Auto-NCF

Continuous quality monitoring and assurance in the series production of multiaxial fabrics


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