Cebit 2017: Networking in a networked environment

The University of Stuttgart's HLRS and startups in Hanover

Simple, fast, and extensively networkes: this is not only a trend in the IT industry, it is also the central idea behind three Stuttgart startups presented at the university's booth at Cebit.

At the Cebit computer fair in Hanover from March 20 to 24, the startups Blickshift, DICEhub and meSchup, together with the University of Stuttgart’s High Performance Computing Center, will be proving that they are strong players in an internationally expanding field – and that they are ready to expand their own networks.

Thomas Obst, Forscher in der Abteilung Visualisierung am HLRS, erstellt einen 3D-Scan eines Motorrads. Der Bildschirm zeigt eine Strömungssimulation des gescannten Objekts.
Thomas Obst, researcher for the Visualization Department at HLRS, creating a 3D scan of a motorbike. The computer screen shows a flow simulation of the scanned object.
Dr. Uwe Wössner erläutert Bundes-Forschungsministerin Johanna Wanka den digitalen Windkanal am Beispiel des gescannten Motorrads.
Dr. Uwe Wössner explains a digital wind channel to Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister for Education and Research, using the scanned motorbike as an example.

HLRS – Networks with processing power

A streamlined motorbike on display at the university’s booth symbolizes rather unwieldy sounding topics, such as numerical simulations, augmented reality, accident reconstruction or aerodynamic simulation. The High Performance Computing Center HLRS will be giving a practical demonstration of the computing power of its supercomputer Hazel Hen.

The motor bike is not only there in reality: as a laser scan it is also digitalized and used by the computer to test streamline characteristics, or it can be blended into film footage, or even function as part of a crash test.

The HLRS has been presenting its work at Cebit for years, forging new contacts every year. “We signed a research agreement this morning”, says Dr. Uwe Wössner, Head of the Visualization Department, in answer to a question about the center’s successes.

Working together with partners from Korea, the center is now planning a collaborative software that will allow small and medium-sized companies access to processing power that can make it easier to carry out simulations.

Go to the HLRS website

Blickshift – Networking between people and cars

Eyetracking is an eye catcher – in every sense of the word. And that is why visitors pause to take a look at the Blicksift booth. This startup could score points with the automotive industry and at the Cebit event by combining eye tracking systems with data analysis.

Using this could help improve driver safety: the system can use the driver’s line of sight to recognize whether they have noticed all of the elements in the immediate environment. It can then issue a warning when a motorbike is overtaking outside of the driver’s field of vision, for example.

Dr. Michael Raschke und Dr. Michael Wörner, Gründer der Blickshift GmbH, mit Ljubow Chaikevitch von der Technologie-Transfer-Initiative GmbH
Dr. Michael Raschke and Dr. Michael Wörner, founders of Blickshift GmbH, with Ljubow Chaikevitch from Technology Transfer Initiative TTI

This project involved three doctoral theses at the University of Stuttgart. The founders also received financial support from the funding program ‘Startup Autobahn’ and have entered into negotiations with large automobile manufacturers. At the Cebit event, Dr. Michael Raschke and Dr. Michael Wörner were able to hold a number of meetings that would otherwise have required a number of single trips.

The event was also an opportunity for possible customers to express their interest. “The event was a great success. We definitely made some very positive progress”, says Wörner, referring to the meetings. One positive result was an agreement on data exchange with an interested company.

Go to the Blickshift website

Vernetzen Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler: Hasan Mashni, Rostyslav Lyulinetskyy und Hüseyin Göksu vom Startup DICEhub.
Connecting engineers and scientists: Hasan Mashni, Rostyslav Lyulinetskyy and Hüseyin Göksu from the startup DICEhub.

DICEhub – Networking software

How simple life would be if only there were an app that networked only the tasks recurrently required for research. The startup DICEhub is transforming this dream into reality. The aerospace engineers have developed a kind of Google Play or App Store for technical and scientific applications.

The user is able to connect as many apps as they wish and exchange data among themselves. Engineers or scientists can search for everything from simulation, to the documentation of the elements that they need. This creates a complex process chain made of simple building blocks.

Until the app portal opens online for the public in August, the founders of DICEhub want to continue expanding their network. They actually only attended Cebit “for the award ceremony”, says initiator Rostyslav Lyulinetskyy.         On Tuesday, the startup will receive an award for digital innovation.

For one day only, the startup presented its concept at the university’s booth. This was obviously a success, because investors from high-tech companies visited the presentation and came to talk to the founders. And at the Hanover event they also, rather surprisingly, met the Stuttgart-based representative of an association of German innovators, who was also interested in a collaboration.

Go to the DICEhub website

meSchup – Networking

Switches and sensors of all kinds are displayed on the two tables belonging to the meSchup startup. The concept is based on networking: regardless of whether the devices communicate via Wifi, Bluetooth or ZWave, a central hub can connect them. Lots of different apps are installed on the hub. So just one platform is required to dim the lights or switch on the coffee machine.

Ministerpräsident Winfried Kretschmann lässt sich von Prof. Albrecht Schmidt, Thomas Kubitza, Matthias Mögerle und Patrick Bader das Konzept ihres Startups meSchup zeigen.
Prof. Albrecht Schmidt, Thomas Kubitza, Matthias Mögerle and Patrick Bader show Minister President Winfried Kretschmann their startup concept.

The young company helped a manufacturer who has specialized in lamps for the last 60 years network his own products quickly and securely, thus transforming a living room lamp into a Smart Home element. And the lamp manufacturer does not even need to develop new software.

The young company helped a manufacturer who has specialized in lamps for the last 60 years network his own products quickly and securely, thus transforming a living room lamp into a Smart Home element. And the lamp manufacturer does not even need to develop new software.

Go to the meSchup website

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