From 17 to 21 April, ATHENA represented the University of Siegen at the Hannover Messe 2023, the largest trade fair for industry development in the world. As one of 19 co-exhibitors, the University of Siegen contributed through ATHENA to the joint stand of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Exhibits from the fields of IoT, robotics, and smart sensing
Six ATHENA partner universities came to Hanover and presented various exhibits from the fields of IoT, robotics, and smart sensing. Moreover, they also introduced ATHENA to visitors and international industry.
A group of students from the Department of Business Informatics and New Media at the University of Siegen showed a Pepper robot. It is used in old people’s homes to help the residents pass the time with games, entertainment, and activities for movement. A team from the University of Maribor replaced the robot in the second half of the fair with another Pepper robot that communicates with patients in hospitals.
Researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto presented a software for translating written language into sign language. The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Siegen was also involved in its development. The University of Orléans in France brought a new sensor technology that is used, among other things, to transmit temperature and humidity in greenhouses. Finally, a student from the Ubiquitous Computing research group at the University of Siegen presented the “IMU-Glove”, a system of sensors for tracking hand and arm movements, e.g. in VR applications.
Discussions with companies and the Minister of Economic Affairs
During a networking event at the stand, the ATHENA team talked to numerous companies from North Rhine-Westphalia and met Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs and Deputy Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia. In their conversation, the ATHENA delegation made clear the importance of close cooperation between universities and industry. The minister was enthusiastic about the university’s participation at the stand and curious to hear about the networking of the nine ATHENA universities, their cities and regions, and the associated innovation ecosystems.
Together with partners from industry, ATHENA pursues the goal of making research and teaching practice-oriented and geared to global market needs. This includes the involvement of industry representatives in courses and a further education programme for managers and companies’ employees. Intensive cooperation in research is another important cornerstone to this, e.g. in the development of innovations and the optimisation of products and services.
In various discussions at the Hannover Messe 2023, it became clear that companies have a strong need for highly qualified and internationally educated employees. In fact, as a European University, ATHENA counteracts the shortage of skilled workers and develops special study programmes and learning formats for this purpose. You can find more information about our offers for companies and graduates on the Business & Career pages.
