As a part of an interdisciplinary research project funded by the state research program “IndustryNOW”, focuses on exploring Industry 4.0 potentials at the University’s existing laboratories in the direction of Networking and Digitization. This project has given a different flavor for the engineering students as they are directly involved in experiencing a new field with less or no background of I4.0. On the other hand, Design Thinking allows students to think out of the box and be highly creative in problem-solving and this approach has helped our students in developing different user stories based on application scenarios of I4.0 which of these includes an infant step towards digitalization by deploying QR-codes to provide quick access to lab along with a 360° tour of the lab.
Harshitha Venkatakumar is a Research Assistant at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and a Master’s degree in Automotive Production Engineering. She has a strong passion for Industry 4.0 which has led her to pursue a Ph.D. in the field of Internet of Things and Business Process Management. Alongside this, using a Design Thinking approach she teaches and supports student projects concerning Industry 4.0 readiness of University Laboratories.