Concentrated AI expertise in Baden-Württemberg
Europe's largest center of excellence for artificial intelligence and modern robotics, Cyber Valley, has gained a new Corporate Network partner in Festo. In the year of its 100th anniversary, one of the leading manufacturer of automation technology is taking the next step in bringing modern AI technologies into industrial practice. Cyber Valley offers a platform for scientists and companies to deepen basic research in machine learning, intelligent systems and robotics.
Festo is contributing to the partnership with its Festo IoC lab, based at one of Cyber Valley’s founding partners, the University of Tübingen. This focuses not only on research and development of artificial intelligence, but also on developing networks for start-ups in artificial intelligence. "At the Festo IoC lab, we will expand our research and collaboration with start-ups in the field of generative AI and generative design," explains Dr. Shahram Eivazi, Head of the Festo IoC Lab and Technology Expert of the Advanced Development Artificial Intelligence team at Festo in Esslingen.
In detail, the AI expert lists the following goals of the cooperation:
- Enabling AI to better understand automation systems.
- Using AI to synthesize novel solutions at different levels of automation.
- Bringing together Cyber Valley start-ups with Festo and its AI team.
AI in Festo's sights
Since 2021, Festo has been intensifying its cooperation with the University of Tübingen as part of an industry-on-campus project led by Dr. Shahram Eivazi. The initial focus was on deep reinforcement learning for robotics: In this case, the robot tries to learn how to achieve a given goal through trial and error. Based on the feedback received, the robot gradually optimizes its actions until it successfully solves the task. Generative models and interpretability are other AI fields that are being investigated in an application-oriented manner. The potential for AI-based applications to increase overall equipment effectiveness in production is enormous. The results are therefore continuously incorporated into existing and new AI applications from Festo.
Cyber Valley Community
By creating a vibrant ecosystem, facilitating smooth collaboration and rapid knowledge-exchange between science, business, and society, Cyber Valley envisions a future where the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.
The Cyber Valley Community comprises of AI researchers, companies, academic institutions, start-ups, investors, networks, platforms, foundations, and other partners from science, business, and society. One of its aims is to promote the start-up culture in science so that findings from basic research can be applied quickly. Cyber Valley creates an ideal environment for the founding of start-ups and technology transfer.
The Cyber Valley Corporate Network drives innovation in the field of AI and robotics, enabling all members to leverage AI-driven insights and diverse opportunities for collaboration between research, start-ups, and industry. Festo is now strengthening this network as a valued partner.
Festo è un attore globale e un'azienda indipendente a conduzione familiare con sede a Esslingen am Neckar, in Germania. Fin dagli inizi Festo ha stabilito degli standard nella tecnologia dell'automazione industriale e nella formazione tecnica, contribuendo così allo sviluppo sostenibile dell'ambiente, dell'economia e della società. Prodotti e servizi sono disponibili in 176 paesi del mondo. L'azienda, infatti, fornisce tecnologia di automazione pneumatica ed elettrica a 300.000 clienti di automazione di fabbrica e di processo in oltre 35 industrie. Il settore LifeTech con la tecnologia medica e l'automazione di laboratorio sta diventando sempre più importante. Con circa 20.600 dipendenti in oltre 250 filiali in circa 60 paesi in tutto il mondo, Festo ha realizzato un fatturato di circa 3,45 miliardi di euro nel 2024. Ogni anno oltre l'8% di questo fatturato viene investito in ricerca e sviluppo, mentre l'1,5 % del fatturato è investito nella formazione di base e di perfezionamento. Festo Didactic SE è un fornitore leader di formazione e formazione tecnica e offre ai suoi clienti in tutto il mondo soluzioni complete di apprendimento digitale e fisico in ambiente industriale.
