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Successful consortium meeting of the AMICO project at SmartFactoryOWL

Personalised inclusive assistance through adaptive user interfaces

Participants of the AMICO consortium meeting at the SmartFactoryOWL.

There was also room for dialogue and discussion between the "official agenda items" (here: Arnd Schreiner and Anja Große-Coosmann).

"In the thick of it instead of just there" - Mario Heinz-Jakobs presents current functional components of the demonstrator, which are discussed together.

The recent consortium meeting of the AMICO project was a complete success. The day provided the ideal setting to present the progress made so far and to plan future initiatives. The meeting was characterised by a productive exchange and a positive outlook for the further development of the project.

About the AMICO project

AMICO is a project of the Human-Technology Interaction working group at the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) of the Technische Hochschule OWL (TH OWL) under the direction of Prof. Dr. mult. Carsten Röcker. The two research associates Mario Heinz-Jakobs and Alexander Kuhn from his working group are primarily responsible for the project. AMICO’s is to improve occupational inclusion by developing customised assistance systems. 

Participating project partners 

The project partners came together for the meeting at the SmartFactoryOWL on the Innovation Campus Lemgo. These included Arnd Schreiner and Michael Kahnert from the Bottrop workshops, Anja Große-Coosmann and Fabian Zodrow from wertkreis Gütersloh, Jörg Rodehutskors from IMA Innovationsmanufaktur and Wolfgang Schmid from the LWL Inclusion Office Labour.

Interactive insights and lively discussions

In addition to the professional exchange, the technical presentation of progress was at the centre of the meeting. Stand-up sessions on various topics, such as the upcoming challenges in the project, enabled intensive discussions and direct feedback. One highlight was the presentation of AMICO's own project website, which will serve as a central source of information for all participants and the interested public in future and provide a comprehensive insight into the progress of the project.

Visit the new AMICO project website here: https://amico-assist.de

Demonstrator for inclusive working environments

Mario Heinz-Jakobs gave a tour of the demonstrator's current developments. He emphasised the need to translate individual requirements into generally applicable solutions. For this reason, cooperation with the Bottrop workshops and wertkreis Gütersloh will be intensified in the coming weeks in order to create a human-centred and high-quality working environment with digital components. The adaptability and user-friendliness of the assistance systems are crucial to their acceptance. "We don't want permanent instruction or even paternalism to jeopardise individual abilities and limit development. Once certain steps have been learned, the system should only help if an error is imminent," emphasises Arnd Schreiner, Division Manager and authorised signatory of the Bottrop workshops.

Experience practical research

A guided tour of the SmartFactoryOWL and the opportunity to operate some demonstrators themselves offered participants a practical insight into the modern research environment of the Innovation Campus Lemgo. In many ways, this served as a stimulating impetus for further discussions on the human-centred design of inclusive work processes.

Positive outlook

With the new impetus from the consortium meeting, the team is confident that they will successfully achieve the project goals together. The close collaboration within the consortium and the ongoing technological development are crucial to sustainably promoting professional inclusion through technical assistance systems. "It's great to see how the partners involved enter into a constructive and value-adding dialogue right from the start. Everyone is pulling in the same direction and generating a common perspective," summarised Mario Heinz-Jakobs, visibly satisfied after the event.