Successful Automation Hackathon enters second round
Solutions for the automation of tomorrow
After the successful start of last year's event, an Automation Hackathon will also take place during SPS 2019.
mesago/integr8
After the successful start of last year's event, an Automation Hackathon will also take place during SPS 2019.
In order to be able to react more agilely, the renowned market players are looking for new approaches and unconventional ideas, because the world of automation moves faster than almost any other. "As a trade fair organiser, it is our aim to create new points of contact between our exhibitors and lateral thinkers time and again. In this way, innovative starting points can be developed for the automation industry," explains Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Division Manager at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH for SPS.
The organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, in cooperation with the Vogel Communications Group, has taken this opportunity to hold an automation hackathon to accompany the previous automation trade fair.
Challenging tasks have been the order of the day for 48 hours
During the Automation Hackathon, seven start-ups had the chance to develop new business models for seven selected companies in the automation industry in just 48 hours. Among other things, possibilities were to be found to create new business models with the help of technologies such as Cloud, Machine Learning, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence or IoT. In order to do justice to this task, the programmers worked at full speed.
Among the start-ups were Othermo, Moonvision, EKS Engel Customized Solutions, Endiio, Naise, Cofaso, Record Evolution. Among the companies from the automation industry were Balluff, Bosch Rexroth, Phoenix Contact, Sick, Siemens, Turck and Wago. Although the 48 hours were very limited, exciting projects were created which were awarded prizes during the fair by a jury made up of representatives of the respective industry partners.
However, it was not only the results of the hackathon that offered added value, but also the diverse networking opportunities that made participation a success, especially for young companies. "Especially for a start-up like us, the Hackathon offers the chance to get in touch with the key players in the industry and develop innovative solutions," confirms Dennis Metz of othermo GmbH. "The automation hackathon at the SPS opens up new perspectives. Mesago provides an additional platform for learning, sharing and innovation."
Winners convince with intelligent solution for central heating systems
Start-up Othermo is the winner of the first Automation Hackathon and was awarded 8,000 euros in prize money. Wago's task was to optimize a heating system with the help of its gateway and the Wago PFC 200 and to present it in an informative user interface. The PFC 200 is a controller with integrated software engineering and Linux.
Since there was no real heating system available at the hackathon, it was represented with the help of a digital twin. The PFC 200 collects the feedback of the digital twin and controls the virtual system. At the same time, it provides the user with direct feedback in the form of Alexa, which informs the user about the status of the system via voice output and reacts to user inputs. In addition, the collected data was displayed in a clear user interface and problems at the plant were pointed out in real time. As an example, the team demonstrated sabotage of the cables, which immediately lit up in the dashboard - Alexa also warned the user via voice output.
Second place went to Moonvision, who together with Phoenix Contact brought artificial intelligence into automation. Closely followed by EKS Engel Customized Solutions together with Bosch Rexroth and Sick and the possibility to evaluate data in the cloud.
All results were a joint achievement and a great experience for all participants. Further important information around the fair is available under sps-messe.de.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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