31 August 2010

Arena of Innovation Tasks Designated

Tricky tasks will be announced, which must be solved by mixed development teams live at the Motek

For the first time, there will be an Arena of Innovation (AOI) at the Motek, which takes place from 13-16 September 2010. Based on an idea submission contest, an expert jury has decided that the following should be developed for the market: door opening assistance for people in wheelchairs, solutions for automated multi-hand assembling, a reminder for easily forgotten items, and fuel-efficient alternative drive systems.

The AOI is a new form of presentation for the creative innovation process within a trade fair, which was conceived by trade fair company P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG, the Kompetenznetzwerk Mechatronik BW, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Engineering and Automation IPA.

On the trade fair ground, ideas from industry and science should be further developed into innovations. The objective is to make products and services with potential for future profitability. »Basically, it can be compared with a normal innovation process within a company,« explains Volker Schiek, head of the Kompetenznetzwerk Mechatronik. The difference, as opposed to traditional methods, is in idea engineering, in the composition of the innovation team and the degree of interaction within an innovation team that is beyond any company or institution.

Various teams will be on location for development work. These are composed of tinkerers and thinkers, experts from various fields, students and industry leaders, among others. Each team will work together to find a solution to one of the four identified tasks and then present their results. Aside from the technical aspects, patent law and financial considerations must be taken into account. Visitors and exhibitors have the opportunity to not only observe this innovation process live, but can also actively participate.

For further information:

Kompetenznetzwerk Mechatronik BW
D-73037 Göppingen
www.mechatronik-ev.de
Foyer East (in front off hall 1)