Work Group (Human-centered) Cyber-Physical Systems
Our research group is engaged in research and teaching about the conception and design of (human-centered) cyber-physical systems, its technical development as well as its appropriation by users in different fields of application.
Whether production machines or 3D printers, which integrate communication possibilities directly into the hardware and thus enable an exchange of the users at the machine; augmented reality glasses, which project the inner life of everyday objects directly into the field of vision; or situated public displays, which enable the coordination of voluntary helpers in case of damage, the focus is always on the complex interplay of virtual and physical world and their utilization for humans through the use of cyber-physical systems.
Cyber-physical systems (CPS) describe the coupling of physical or biological components that can be integrated, observed and controlled via a computing unit. Essential components of cyber-physical systems are information and software technology components with mechanical or electronic components that communicate with each other via a communication infrastructure (e.g. the internet). Today, cyber-physical systems can be found wherever complex physical systems can be improved by communicating with the virtual, digital world. Examples are smart production facilities (industry 4.0) or e-health.
Since an essential aspect in the design of CPS is its applicability in complex social systems, user-centered and qualitative design methods are used above all to be able to design cyber-physical systems with practical relevance under the idea of the assistance system. Therefore, there are close connections to the discipline of Human-Computer Interaction.
Close cooperation exists with the Chair of Information Systems and New Media (WiNeMe), the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Siegen (I4.0), the School of Media and Information (iSchool), the Institute for Media Research (IfM), the Siegener Mittelstandsinstitut (SMI), and the International Institute for Socio-Informatics (IISI), Bonn.