Courses winter semester 2025/26

The following courses are offered by the Chair of Production Engineering as part of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programme in Mechatronics in the summer semester 2024.

• 850501, VO Production Engineering
• 850503, PR CNC and machining processes
• 850555, VU Materials Science 2 - Specialisation: Factory Organisation
• 850558, VU Industry 4.0
• 800773, VU INNklusion - Development of assistance solutions for people with disabilities in interdisciplinary teams

Further information on our new INNklusion course can also be found on the project's website Homepage!

Courses summer semester 2025

The following courses are offered by the Chair of Production Engineering as part of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programme in Mechatronics in the summer semester 2024.

• 850556, VU Human-Machine Systems
• 850552, VU Production Engineering 2
• 850905, PR CAD
• 800799, VU INNklusion - Development of assistance solutions for people with disabilities in interdisciplinary teams

Further information on our new INNclusion course can also be found at Homepage of the project!

INNklusion receives Inclusion Award 2024

The INNklusion initiative at the University of Innsbruck was awarded the Austrian Inclusion Prize 2024 in the Technology and Digitalisation category. The prize was accepted by Samet Ersoysal, Oliver Ott, Lennart Ralfs and Katharina Schmermbeck on behalf of the entire INNklusion team at a ceremony in the Kursalon Vienna on 26 November 2024.

INNklusion is an initiative of the Chair of Production Engineering at the Department of Mechatronics at the University of Innsbruck, which is headed by Prof. Dr Robert Weidner. It promotes co-operation between students and people with disabilities in order to jointly develop assistance technologies. The programme combines future-oriented teaching and social commitment, with a particular focus on creativity and interdisciplinary cooperation. The aim is to create solutions that enable a barrier-free future and promote the participation of people with disabilities in society.

"This initiative would not be possible without the valuable support of people with disabilities, whose experience and knowledge are indispensable to us, as well as the dedicated collaboration of our students and university staff. This award is a joint success that could only be achieved through the close cooperation of all those involved," says the INNklusion team.

The initiative shows that inclusion is an ongoing process that shapes a barrier-free future through projects and the cooperation of all those involved. Students are currently working on various projects in the winter semester 2024/25, including a tactile model for the Agnes Heller House that helps people with visual impairments to find their way around better, the design of quiet rooms for students and staff with neurodivergences and low-barrier concepts for the USI sports programme to facilitate access to sporting activities. These projects are just a few examples of how INNklusion integrates the needs of people with disabilities into the design of living spaces and everyday technologies.

Further information and videos are available on the Lebenshilfe website at the following link: https://www.lebenshilfe.at/inklusion/inklusionspreis/" and on the Lebenshilfe YouTube channel.

Lebenshilfe Inclusion AwardINCLUSION

Ars Docendi Recognition Award for INNclusion

Our Chair of Production Engineering was awarded a recognition prize as part of the Ars Docendi 2024 award presented by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research on 10 September 2024 in Vienna. Our course "INNklusion - Assistance solutions for people with disabilities" received the recognition in the category "Society- and sustainability-oriented teaching".

In the course, Master's students work together with people with disabilities on an interdisciplinary basis to develop innovative assistance solutions. Previous projects include a concept for reduced-irritation shopping and a cover-up aid for people with mobility impairments. INNklusion not only promotes the active participation of people with disabilities, but also encourages students to tackle socially relevant challenges. The award is a great honour and confirmation of our teaching approach and motivates us greatly to continue developing INNklusion.

A detailed article on the award and general information on INNklusion can be found here:

DistinctionINCLUSION

Participation in the VDI - MGA student competition 2024

This year's VDI - MGA student competition took place from 26 to 28 April at EOS - the world's largest machine manufacturer for additive manufacturing. We from the Chair of Production Engineering took part with two teams as part of the Production Engineering 2 lecture. This year, a total of 13 teams with almost 100 people from various universities gave an impressive demonstration of their skills. This year's theme was "Robotics". The teams developed new and innovative products for various applications, including a business plan and a marketing strategy.

We are very pleased with the success of our students. Our "Pro Play Analytics" team developed a sports trainer that took first place. The jury also recognised a solid business plan and marketing strategy. The jury also praised the documentation, which, according to the judges, "could compete with investor pitches worldwide". Our team "4Paws4Comfort" has developed active, modular prostheses for animals."

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the hosts (Jette Dietrich, Mariella Breinlinger, Lea Markievicz) and judges (Marc Fette, Linus Tillmann, Bianca Daiminger, Sascha Hartig & Patrick Gerhardt). It was a pleasure to take part and we will gladly return next year.

Launch event Long Night of Research 2024

The kick-off event for the Long Night of Research was held in Vienna on 23 April 2024 . The event began with a press conference attended by high-ranking personalities such as Federal Minister Polaschek (Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research), Federal Minister Gewessler (Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology) and Federal Minister Kocher (Federal Minister of Labour, Family and Youth).

An outstanding highlight of the launch event was our presentation of the INNklusion initiative by Prof. Dr Robert Weidner, Oliver Ott and Heidi Ulm, representing the team from the Chair of Production Engineering.

The INNklusion initiative is committed to an inclusive future by developing and implementing various assistance solutions together with an existing network of people with disabilities, stakeholders, experts and students. The presentation provided an insight into the project, which aims to create a barrier-free environment and actively involve people with disabilities in the research and innovation process.

Further information on the INNklusion initiative can be found at Project homepage.

Launch of the ExoExpert project

Cooperation between humans and technology, for example in the world of work, has intensified in recent years. As an approach to supporting human labour, exoskeletons have increasingly emerged as a suitable support technology in industry. Depending on the production scenario, exoskeletons are suitable for supporting workers by either facilitating or supplementing movements or stabilising postures. However, supporting methods or tools for the simulation-based selection and adaptation of exoskeletons only exist for individual aspects to date.

ExoExpert is attempting to close this gap with a novel planning method including a simulation model. Exoskeletons should be able to be better evaluated, selected and customised for industrial application scenarios. This will support the development process of occupational scientists, ergonomists and engineers.

The project is a cooperation between the Chair of Production Systems at Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Department of Production Engineering at the University of Innsbruck and is funded by the German Research Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund.

Further information on the project can be found at here.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner elected new President of the ÖWGP

At the General Assembly of the ÖWGP on 26 February 2024, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Weidner was elected as the new President of the society. Together with Vice President Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. mont. Clemens Holzer (Chair of Plastics Processing at Montanuniversität Leoben) and Prof. Dr Sebastian Schlund (Managing Director of Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH and Head of the Institute of Management Sciences at TU Wien), they will chair the organisation for the next two years.

The ÖWGP was founded on 17 June 2013 based on the model of the German "Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Produktionstechnik (WGP)" and represents the link between universities and industry. The central aim of the ÖWGP is to promote young researchers in the field of production technology.

In addition to the sustainable design of production technology, Prof Weidner also wants to focus on the networking of science and industry, as well as the promotion of young talent.

We wish him every success in his new position!

www.oewgp.at

Status meeting in the A2P project

As part of the A2P project, we welcomed our project partners to the University of Innsbruck on 22 February 2024. The main focus of the meeting was to discuss the project results to date as well as the upcoming focal points and work content. In particular, the upcoming use case for an adaptive work table at Siemens and the use of robots at Infineon were discussed. The participants were also able to try out the latest developments in the project for adaptive exoskeletons in the PfF laboratory. The project team is looking forward to the work in the coming project year.

The new interdisciplinary course"INNklusion - Development of assistance solutions for people with disabilities in interdisciplinary teams" celebrated its successful conclusion on 30 January 2024 with impressive final presentations by the students. This course, which took place for the first time in the winter semester 2023/24, enables students from various disciplines to develop assistance solutions together with people with disabilities.

We are delighted to have completed this socially significant course and would like to thank all participants. The students' intensive collaboration in interdisciplinary teams led to innovative solutions that are directly based on the needs and challenges of the people who need them. At the final event, the projects"Zudeckhilfe","Fotohilfe","Social-Buddy App" and the"Stille Stunde" were presented.

Special thanks go to our esteemed needs organisers Julia Golser, Marianne Hengl, Alina Kühnel and Claudia Mairer as well as our panel of experts, consisting of Bettina Jeschke, Ines Nagiller and Kathrin Schrebe. Their valuable insights, expertise and continuous support throughout the semester contributed significantly to the success of the course.

The course"INNklusion - Development of assistance solutions for people with disabilities in interdisciplinary teams" is not only an opportunity for students to expand their skills in project work and product development, but also an important step towards a more inclusive society. We look forward to offering the course again in the coming summer semester 2024 and working with our students to develop innovative solutions that can sustainably improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Practical CNC and machining processes: Marble run competition

During the 2023/24 winter semester, students learnt the basics and techniques of CNC and machining processes in the course"PR CNC and machining processes". To round off the course, we organised an exciting marble run competition on 29 January 2024. Six groups competed against each other with their self-milled marble runs, with group 6 securing first place thanks to their outstanding time. We would like to congratulate them on this remarkable achievement and are delighted that they have successfully completed the course. A sincere thank you to all students for their hard work and dedicated participation throughout the practical course.

Congratulations on successfully completing the Master's programme

We would like to congratulate our former student assistant and Master's student Gilbert Prokop on successfully completing his Master's degree. In his master's thesis, he focussed on the development and validation of an alternative method for recording muscle activity.

We would like to thank Gilbert for his many years of work and commitment in our working group and wish him all the best for the future.

Best Practice Award from the University of Innsbruck for the INNklusion project

We are delighted that our INNklusion project was honoured with the University of Innsbruck's Best Practice Award last week as part of the Rector's New Year's Reception, Professor Sexl. This recognition is not only an appreciation for our work over the past year, but above all for the collective efforts and initiatives of all the people and supporters involved, as well as associations and societies. Without their open and committed contributions and active participation, the project could not have been realised in its current form.

Background to INNklusion

INNklusion is more than just a project: for us, it is both a great motivation and a pleasure to promote the development of inclusive assistance solutions that can make everyday life easier for people with different disabilities. We are therefore delighted that INNklusion has now also become a permanent part of our teaching and that of the University of Innsbruck.

Focus on participation and collaboration

The success of INNklusion is based on participation and joint dialogue. In close cooperation with people with disabilities, students from a wide range of disciplines, clubs and associations, we design assistance solutions that can contribute to a more accessible and self-determined everyday life. Through creativity, innovation and, above all, empathy, we create solutions that meet the diverse needs of our users. It is therefore not only the development of solutions themselves that is special to us, but above all the platform and the network that enable a valuable exchange with kind and open-minded people and sensitise people to the discrimination and barriers faced by people with disabilities.

Solutions from INNklusion

A wide variety of solutions have already been developed as part of INNklusion. One example is the development of a communication tool that enables people with locked-in syndrome to signal their needs to a carer by minimally moving their little finger. A second example is the development of a concept for the "quiet hour" in retail, which provides measures to counteract the sensory overload in supermarkets and thus improve the shopping experience of people on the autism spectrum, for example. Both projects are the result of the work of students and experts with disabilities, who worked together for six months to collect ideas and develop concepts.

Thanks to our partners and the community

The award is not only due to us, but also to our partners and the committed community, who have enriched us with their experience and perspectives. In particular, we would like to thank the constant support and encouragement of the Rector, the Vice Rectors, the Deans of Studies, the Förderkreis 1669 and the Public Relations Office of the University of Innsbruck. We would like to thank Mrs Bettina Jeschke and our committed participants with disabilities for their sincere feedback and active participation in the project. Together, we are shaping a more inclusive future and providing impetus for the development of assistive technologies.

The Best Practice Award is not only an honour for us, but also an incentive to continue our efforts for a more inclusive future. We look forward to setting further milestones towards inclusion together with our growing community. We cordially invite you to become a part of our community Website INNklusion.

Your team

INNklusion of the Chair of Production Engineering

Autumn conference of the Austrian Scientific Society for Production Engineering (ÖWGP)

The autumn conference of the Austrian Scientific Society for Production Engineering (ÖWGP) took place this year on 10 October 2023 at the University of Innsbruck. We are delighted to have hosted the event as the Chair of Production Engineering (Prof. Robert Weidner) at the Department of Mechatronics.

The ÖWGP promotes co-operation between scientific institutes, social and political associations and industry and pursues the objective of promoting scientific research in the field of production technology through various activities. In addition, the ÖWGP provides answers to the questions of which products in which future organisational forms and with which new production processes will determine value creation in Austria and Europe in the medium and long term. It sees itself as an independent technology platform characterised by interdisciplinarity, international orientation and research-led teaching at universities.

Conference "Superpowers through exoskeletons"

On 1 July 2023, the event "Superpowers through exoskeletons" took place on the premises of the University of Innsbruck in cooperation with Standortagentur Tirol and Atlanto GmbH. In a combination of lectures and panel discussions, experts from business, industry and science informed the audience about the state of the art, areas of application and possibilities of exoskeletons.

Robert Weidner opened the symposium with the keynote speech "Individual and context-specific support through exoskeletons", in which he emphasised the great potential of exoskeletons to provide support in various areas of life. Other topics at the event included the use of exoskeletons in rehabilitation and as part of workplace design.
The event concluded with an exciting panel discussion with Robert Weidner, Margit Gföhler (Vienna University of Technology), Jasmin Plank (Sportswoman of the Year and World Cup winner in para-climbing) and Markus Knabl (transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss), in which the physical limitations and opportunities of exoskeletons were discussed.

Afterwards, the guests were able to experience the use of different models of exoskeletons up close and try them out for themselves.

Further details about the event can be found at here.

exoATwork - Start of training sessions for Austrian companies on the topic of exoskeletons for manual workstations

The Innovation Camp M Exoskeletons for Manual Workplaces (exoATwork) project, funded by the FFG, supports nine small and medium-sized enterprises and 17 large companies from various sectors in building up expertise in analysing manual work activities and in selecting and implementing support technologies in existing work processes.

The first training units will start on 10 and 11 January 2023. The project is divided into four modules and will run until September 2024. It comprises a total of 23 training units and concludes with an accompanied introduction of technical support systems in selected participating companies.
The practice-orientated training is designed to enable participants to

• better analyse their work processes and identify support requirements
• organise their workplaces more ergonomically through the use of technical support systems and
• assess the individual and operational added value of the measures.

Participating companies: ADA Möbelfabrik, AEROVISION Drone Support, awb Schraubtechnik, Durst Austria, Fleischwaren Berger, Gebrüder Weiss, Griffnerhaus, GW St. Pölten Integrative Betriebe, Haas Fertigbau, Hartl Haus Holzindustrie, Haubis, Hella Sonnen- und Wetterschutztechnik, INNIO, Julius Blum, LSA Luft-Systeme Althuber, Magna Steyr, Mahle Filtersysteme, Mark Metallwarenfabrik, Morandell, Peneder Bau-Elemente, Pöltl KG, Riedle Installationen, TB Feistritzer, TPA KKS, TÜV AUSTRIA, Weitzer Wood Solutions, Wild GmbH.

Further information can be found at Website Innovation Camp Exoskeletons for manual workstations (exoATwork).

Best Paper Award for Oliver Ott at the WG-MHI Colloquium 2023

We are pleased to announce that Oliver Ott has received the coveted Best Paper Award at the WG-MHI Technical Colloquium 2023 for his paper "Towards myoelectric control for industrial exoskeletons". This award not only honours his work, but also underlines the importance of his research contribution to the future of human-machine interaction.

Oliver Ott would like to express his sincere thanks for the great honour of receiving this prestigious award. The paper "Towards myoelectric control for industrial exoskeletons" presented an approach to myoelectric control of industrial exoskeletons. This research opens up exciting possibilities for seamless interaction between humans and machines in industrial environments.

Being recognised by the Best Paper Award encourages Oliver Ott and our research team to pursue the presented approach and make new advances in human-machine interaction. The support and appreciation within the community are of outstanding importance and spur us on to continue our efforts to design advanced human-machine interaction.

We would therefore like to thank Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics - MHI e.V. for providing a platform for the exchange of pioneering ideas and research results. This award encourages us to continue our efforts to design advanced human-machine interaction and to shape the future of the world of work.

Shaping the future: Research presentations at the WG-MHI Colloquium 2023

Our recent participation in the specialist colloquium of Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics - MHI e.V. on 22 - 23 June 2023 in Chemnitz was an inspiring experience. We are grateful for the opportunity to present our current research results at this important forum.

Two of our researchers participated in the topic of human-machine interaction and machine vision:

Samet Ersoysal presented, "Development and Testing of an Elbow Exoskeleton Prototype with Pneumatic Actuation for Industrial Tasks." His innovative approach represents an extension of our Lucy shoulder exoskeleton to include the elbow and thus provides an important basis for future research into upper limb support.

Oliver Ott presented: "Towards myoelectric control for industrial exoskeletons." His approach to integrating myoelectric control into industrial exoskeletons shows a way forward for increased human-machine interaction in challenging environments.

The discussions and exchange of knowledge at the specialist colloquium were stimulating and opened up new horizons for the design of tomorrow's technology. We would like to thank the organisers and the host, the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, for this valuable platform and look forward to continuing to explore the frontiers of innovation in human-machine interaction.

Exploring the diversity of assistive technologies: opportunities and challenges

Assistance technologies have become an indispensable part of our lives in modern society. The recently held basic module 2 of the exoATwork innovation camp on 13 and 14 June in Innsbruck and on 21 June in Vienna offered participants the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of assistance technology and get to know different forms. The focus was on motion assistance, perception assistance and decision assistance.

Motion assistance: Industrial robots, lifting aids and exoskeletons are examples of motion assistance technologies that are used in various areas. The advantages of increased efficiency and accuracy were discussed, but also the potential disadvantages such as high acquisition costs and technical dependency.

Perceptual assistance: Motion tracking, eye tracking, smart watches and smart textiles enhance our sensory perception and enable precise data collection. The participants explored the benefits of these technologies, including improved interactions and personalised experiences. At the same time, concerns about data protection and surveillance that may accompany the increased use of these technologies were discussed.

Decision support: Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality offer fascinating opportunities to augment reality and support decision-making processes. The participants explored the advantages of these technologies, such as immersive learning environments and realistic simulations. Potential disadvantages such as disorienting effects and the need for appropriate familiarisation were also addressed.

The module ended with an exciting hands-on experience where participants were able to experience different forms of virtual, augmented and mixed reality on their own bodies. This practical application helped the participants to develop a deeper understanding of the potential and challenges of assistive technologies.

Overall, the module gave the participants a comprehensive insight into the world of assistance technologies and helped them to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies.

Smarter Lives meets INNKlusion

Our new INNKlusion project was presented as part of a short technical presentation by Oliver Ott at Smarter Lives 2023 (https://www.smarter-lives.eu/) on 24 May 2023. INNKlusion is our new project, which we implemented as part of the CAD internship with bachelor students of mechatronics. The students developed new everyday technologies together with people with disabilities and other experts. We are delighted with the great interest and positive feedback from the participants from the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) environment.

Presentation at ICRA 2023

Between 29 May and 2 June, the world's experts in the field of robotics and automation gathered at the 40th IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in London to exchange the latest findings and research results. As part of the discourse, Oliver Ott presented our recently published framework for the qualification of exoskeletons as adaptive support technology (the publication can be found at here).

The research results were met with great approval and further exciting questions for further research were derived from the discourse. We are delighted about the support and encouragement for our research from the international community and are looking forward to the further results with a view to the next conferences.

Status meeting in the A2P project at Siemens Technology

As part of the A2P project, the next face-to-face meeting took place on 31 May 2023. This time, the project team met at Siemens Technology's DigiLab in Vienna. The focus of the meeting was on discussing the project results to date as well as the upcoming priorities and work content. For example, a classification approach for industrial activities and the basic structure of a framework for the industrialisation of adaptive assistance systems have been developed and several data sets have been recorded as a basis for further project work. Overall, the project team's assessment of the first year of the project was positive.

Spring Conference of the Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics (WGMHI)

The spring conference of the Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics took place from 8-10 May 2023 at the Production Technology Centre (PTZ) of TU Berlin. In addition to the professors, the member institutes also sent a senior engineer, head of department or research assistant for the first time. Robert Weidner and Lennart Ralfs represented the Chair of Production Engineering at the University of Innsbruck. The agenda for the joint discussion included strategic topics such as the future direction and key topics of the WGMHI as well as further potential for structural networking of the member institutes.

Hands-on ergonomics in the exoATwork module "Practical implementation project"

The participants of the Exoskeletons for Manual Workstations innovation camp met on 26 and 27 April and 24 and 25 May in the movement laboratory of the Chair of Production Engineering at the University of Innsbruck to learn about various ergonomics and workplace assessment methods in theory and practice in a two-day seminar.

In addition to an introduction to the most common overload injuries and an analysis of the biomechanical risk factors, various assessment and measurement methods were presented and applied in order to quantify the loads that occur. Two different work processes were simulated in the laboratory with the focus on modelling a wide range of different manual activities. While two members of our working group "worked hard", the seminar participants were able to literally look under the workers' skin and observe the stresses that occur during work using various sensor and camera-based measurement systems.

As experts for the work processes in the respective companies, the participants will be presented with a tool of assessment methods and procedures. Depending on the boundary conditions and circumstances, they will be able to decide which methods are most suitable in the respective context in order to be able to assess the stresses at the workplaces and (if necessary) carry out the optimisation based on this - which they will also deal with intensively in the following units of exoATwork.

Further information on the FFG-funded exoATwork project can be found at Website Innovation Camp Exoskeletons for manual workstations (exoATwork).

"Exo, watch my back!"

What influence do the different functional mechanisms of industrial exoskeletons have on the biomechanics of the user?

On 19 April, the scientific article Effects of back-support exoskeletons with different functional mechanisms on trunk muscle activity and kinematics was published in the journal Wearable Technologies by Cambridge University Press. The article deals with the biomechanical effects of wearing exoskeletons and analyses in particular the influence of the different active and functional mechanisms of the technical support systems. Five commercially available, back-supporting exoskeletons were tested on 12 test subjects (3 female, 9 male) during a lifting and carrying activity.

Four of the five exoskeletons tested produced significant changes in the activity of the back muscles. More detailed analyses of the force flow and functional principle of the exoskeletons provide initial explanations to better understand the different results and their effects on users.

The figures opposite summarise the results of the muscle activity analysis for lifting and putting down the weight. In some cases, movement restrictions (particularly in the hip flexion) were also observed as a result of wearing the exoskeletons during the activity.

A one-dimensional assessment of exoskeletons does not do justice to the complex problem of overexertion damage and injuries. To reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, a better understanding of the comprehensive biomechanical effects of exoskeletons and their mechanisms of action is required, and our paper is intended to provide a step in this direction.

You can find the publication under the following link:
https://doi.org/10.1017/wtc.2023.5

Status meeting in the A2P project at Infineon Technologies

On 12 December 2022, the first project meeting after the kick-off of the FFG-funded research project "A2P (Assist to Produce) - Framework for the industrialisation of adaptive assistance systems in production" took place at Infineon Technologies in Villach. The A2P (Assist to Produce) research project aims to create a scalable and application-independent implementation framework as a prerequisite for the broad industrialisation of adaptive assistance systems such as cobots, augmented reality and exoskeletons in the production context. The meeting focussed on discussing the use cases of the application partners involved in the project and approaches for creating an overarching framework.