INC Innovation Updates – October 2021

Sustainability is not an option but a simple necessity to keep our earth livable and habitable. We at #teamimpact are firmly convinced that innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence will play a key role to achieve this goal. The current and the future application fields are broadly diversified. They range from production, where predictive maintenance applications ensure longer machine life, over the reduction of material waste by the means of computer vision technologies, to automated scouting and monitoring of technology and market trends in the application field of knowledge representation. Also in arts or medicine, AI is already today making processes, products and services smarter, more efficient and – simply better.

We want to walk the path into an intelligent and sustainable future together with you. For us, the key enablers for Sustainability are: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Operations, Innovation Excellence and New Products & Ventures. We have aligned our activities into five business units, dedicated to each of these fields. Look forward to get acquainted to our to AI-portfolio in this issue .

Achieving Excellence in Edge AI

When you think of AI, do you also think primarily of cloud-based solutions, of large data centers and server farms in which a central AI controls and manages processes? For applications that require short response times, decentralized Edge-AI solutions are becoming an increasingly strong trend as a supplement.

Edge-AI solutions show their advantages, for example, where data must be analyzed in real-time, such as in autonomous driving. Processing “on the edge” reduces the amount of data to be transmitted to the data center. Lower latencies, higher processing speeds, and greater data security are the advantages.

One example is applications in security or surveillance technology. By using edge AI chips, only pre-analyzed data is passed on. The data is efficiently processed directly on the spot, so there are no privacy concerns.

Sensitive data can also be kept in-house in the production environment. Edge-AI applications also offer more cost-effective and backward-compatible solutions compared to complex IoT structures, especially for older plants and machines. Likewise, the energy consumption of decentralized systems and individual sensors is significantly lower than the operation of entire data centers. Thus, Edge AI also contributes to sustainability in this way. In the course of a general digitalization, the interaction thus allows the way to intelligent, sustainable, and networked production. Nevertheless, it is important to bring the technological developments to date in line with the actual requirements of the market.

We cordially invite you to participate in our consortial benchmarking “Achieving Excellence in Edge AI”.

How to Implement AI Successfull? Understand Apply Benefit!

How do I use AI successfully in my company? Which of my applications is suitable for digitization? Have you already asked yourself these questions? Artificial intelligence is often seen as a universal solution to a wide variety of problems, yet numerous AI implementation projects fail early on or fall far short of delivering the promised added value.

AI, when used correctly, can be applied to operational processes as well as services to make them faster, more efficient or to support the development of new product functionalities. However, from our experience, overly complex problems or applications are often selected out of an exaggerated expectation for which there is currently no suitable AI solution.

The selection of suitable applications and a methodically sound, structured approach are essential to derive the maximum benefit from digitization. This includes a thorough examination of the use cases themselves as well as the maturity assessment with regard to existing AI solutions.

You have already implemented AI in your company and are thinking about which further applications you can improve? You have already identified initial use cases but don’t know how to put them into practice? You still believe, that AI is the panacea for all your problems? In the Consortium Project »Artificial Intelligence: Understand – Apply – Benefit«, which we will also conduct together with our proven partners from the Fraunhofer IIS/EAS and the InnovAItion Campus in 2022, we support you in taking your optimal path to use Artificial Intelligence. Our activities focus on the selection of promising use cases and technologies, exchange opportunities with other companies and experts, the rapid implementation of selected use cases, and the skills development of your employees. As a consortium partner, you determine the focus and priorities of your activities.

We accompany you during the project along the entire implementation process. After the ideation and individual maturity assessment of selected use cases, we work with you to develop concrete solution approaches and prototypical implementation of selected use cases. A comprehensive training program for your employees enables them to continue on the AI success path on their own, even after the project has been completed.

Further Information: Click here

Put Humans at the Focus of Artificial Intelligence

The use of Artificial Intelligence can not only save costs or increase efficiency, but rather expand the potential of individual employees by changing their areas of responsibility. To achieve this, however, it is not enough to implement AI at various points – it also requires the targeted expansion of human capabilities and a new way of thinking.

AI is already helping to make processes, products and services more efficient. Alexa, Siri and Cortana are our constant companions; in the industrial context, AI in image recognition ensures improved product quality and reduced waste; intelligent tracking methods allow detailed tracking of goods and raw materials, thus ensuring transparent supply chains within the value chain. To achieve this, however, it is not enough to implement artificial intelligence at various points – it also requires the targeted expansion of human capabilities and a new way of thinking.

At the center of this growing digitalization, however, is always the human being. The goal when using AI must be to create the freedom for employees to focus on their core activities.

Current studies assume that already today only 50% of working time can be spent on core activities. The other half of the time is taken up by organizational or other secondary processes. As a result, the productivity of the individual employee and, consequently, of the entire company suffers. Against the backdrop of a growing shortage of skilled workers, artificial intelligence can make a significant contribution in the future to freeing employees from tedious routine tasks. But there is still a long way to go before we get there. Employees must be empowered, and at the same time the acceptance must be created to have tasks taken away from them without the fear of becoming unemployed themselves.

Comprehensive Information on Artificial Intelligence

The training program of our AI Academy aims at beginners as well as experienced specialists and managers. In the three levels “Beginner”, “Intermediate” and “Advanced”, our experienced trainers offer a comprehensive training program, which on the one hand conveys the technical and technological knowledge, but on the other hand also the economic potential and opportunities of artificial intelligence.

For people who have not yet had any contact with the topic of AI, we offer our AI Insights on various current topics such as Edge AI, Responsible AI, or Cloud vs. On-premise Solutions.

We have tested and continuously refined our “Basic Concepts of AI” in countless runs by now. In this one-day seminar, participants learn not only about the basic technological understanding, but also about the economic potential that successful AI solutions can unleash in your company.

In the “AI Deep Dives“, we dive deeper into the technical aspects of AI together with the participants. Over the course of an entire week, participants are shown possible paths to successful AI implementation at the “business” level, while in the technological branch we take a comprehensive look at Data Sciences for Engineers.

To enable you to successfully pass on AI knowledge and understanding in your company, we offer a 1-2 day course in which we train you from a user to a trainer. After completing this course, participants will not only be able to use AI Navigator successfully themselves but will also be able to teach other colleagues how to use this toolset correctly.

Watch the full program

Best Practices

Imagine – your plant or machine suddenly and unexpectedly breaks down, although the due maintenance interval has not yet been reached. Or: During routine maintenance, service personnel discover that the component scheduled for replacement is still fully functional, but another component is about to fail. In the worst case, an entire production line is now at a standstill for an indefinite period. Delays in delivery, loss of orders or claims for damages in the event of a prolonged delay can be the result.

The good news here is that most plants and machines already provide precise data on their technical condition using various sensors. Artificial intelligence can support you with predictive maintenance applications to evaluate this data automatically and more efficiently. Maintenance intervals can thus be planned and carried out according to demand and thus in a resource-saving manner.

As customers, we expect high-quality products with as few errors or defects as possible. Artificial intelligence can already make an important contribution in production to reliably and quickly identify defective parts and thus prevent them from reaching further processing or the market. With the help of AI algorithms from the “Computer Vision” Building Block, camera images from the machine are automatically evaluated and the defective parts are sorted out. On the one hand, this saves raw materials and thus helps to reduce wastage and, on the other hand, lowers procurement and operating costs.

The life cycles and hype cycles of products and technologies have become increasingly shorter in recent years. Companies are dependent on monitoring technology and market trends as closely as possible and are faced with the challenge of an almost unlimited flood of information. Automated trend analysis uses AI algorithms from the Building Block “Knowledge Representation”, that monitor data sources, filter relevant content and process it in such a way that technology and innovation management always has an overview of the current status in hand and thus remains capable of making decisions with regard to strategic orientation.

Research & Development

In the nearby future, AI from the INC Invention Center will help prevent supply bottlenecks for medical protective equipment and ensure that only high-quality items reach the customer. In the research project corona.KEX.net, funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the INC, and its partners are developing an early warning system that will use a wide range of data to make forecasts about the procurement situation and enable users such as clinics or care facilities to set up correspondingly resilient procurement structures at an early stage. We can draw on a close-knit expert network of research and development partners from all over the world.

The development of practical AI solutions and algorithms is thus another important mainstay of our AI activities. On the one hand, we can draw on an extensive network of proven experts, while on the other hand, we are building up our own R&D team at our Hong Kong location, which is focusing on the development of AI algorithms, methods, and models.

Particular attention is paid to machine data analytics, i.e. the handling of machine data such as computer vision or audition.

Structured Guidance for Successful AI implementation

Have you already had to realize in your own company that an AI solution did not lead to the hoped-for result? You have certainly asked yourself afterwards why the project failed. A structured and planned approach is essential for successful implementation.
This already starts with the planning and selection of the respective processes. Is my application already ready for digitization? What are the criteria for successfully going “digital”?

Our AI Navigator provides a structured framework along the entire AI introduction process. It answers the questions and demonstrates you best practices from our previous projects.

The Navigator is a toolset that accompanies you with various methodological support tools along the four phases of ideation, assessment, technology scouting/data testing and implementation.

Learn more here.

November 23rd, 2021 – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM CET

Webinar: Intelligent Sensors and Edge AI in Production

Host: INC Invention Center & HongKong Productivity Council (HKPC)

Learn more about the latest developments and the potential of Edge AI in the production industry, e.g from our partner Pausch & Rausch.

This webinar is conducted by the INC Invention Center together with the
Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Industrial Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Centre (FLAIR).

December 7th, 2021 – 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM

Basic Concepts of AI

“Basic Concepts of AI” provides fundamental knowledge about Artificial Intelligence, ranging from the insights into best practices & use cases to basic explanation & demystifying of the technology and added value behind AI-based solutions.

January 25th, 2022
09:00 AM – 12:00 PM

This AI Insights course provides you with an introduction to the main ethical challenges and issues revolving around AI applications.

The course also provides with guidelines on how to approach AI projects ethically and gives and overview of regulatory measures that are currently underway to ensure the responsible use of AI.

Register for the events and webinars by mail to: ai@invention-center.de

You want to benefit from the various advantages and leverage the potentials of Artificial Intelligence in Your company? We offer a wide portfolio to support you within the whole implementation process. In our basic and expert trainings, benchmarking studies and consortium projects, we cover the whole bandwith of potential application fields of AI.
You want to learn more about innovation with AI or are interested in detailed information of our portfolio?

Get in contact with our team!