New chair for digital automation at the University of Magdeburg!

New chair for digital automation at the University of Magdeburg!

On March 19, 2025, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lisa Underberg was appointed to the Chair of Digital Automation Systems at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. She also takes over the management of the Institute for Automation and Communication (ifak), which was founded in 1991 and functions as an affiliated institute of the university. Her predecessor, Prof. Ulrich Jumar, relinquished leadership due to retirement.

Underberg's research interests focus on the application and integration of radio communication in industrial automation systems. While wired communication systems, which impress with physical separation and independence from environmental influences, currently dominate production, radio communication offers greater flexibility and mobility. It opens up new application possibilities, particularly in areas such as autonomous vehicles and augmented reality.

Challenges and new approaches

Nevertheless, Underberg also sees numerous challenges in the field of radio communications, including aspects such as reliability, security, robustness and efficient resource management. In order to meet these challenges, she is pursuing the development of new approaches to the collaboration of radio-controlled communication and automation systems. One such approach is the use of digital twins, which act as virtual images of physical assets and facilitate monitoring and control interventions.

These digital twins are not only important for increasing efficiency, but also for understanding the interaction between humans and machines, which is seen as increasingly central in the context of Industry 4.0. The fourth industrial revolution is characterized by digitalization and intelligent networking, with the human side of communication considered crucial for the acceptance of new technologies.

The role of IT infrastructure

The concept of digital twins encompasses various dimensions, including infrastructure, tools and processes for creating and managing these virtual images. Digital twins collect real-time data from physical assets and enable analysis, simulation and optimization to be performed. They can provide valuable insights into the control of physical processes that are essential for optimizing production processes, such as iosb.fraunhofer.de describes.

A robust IT infrastructure is of utmost importance for the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 and digital twins. Requirements include support for distributed digital twins, management of uploads and interventions, and creation of a central registry for discovery and access to digital twins. Hybrid data storage, with static data in the cloud and frequently updated data in the edge, is considered optimal to increase the flexibility and performance of systems, such as iese.fraunhofer.de clarified.

Lisa Underberg sees her new role as an opportunity to combine research, applied research and practice. She emphasizes the special importance of working with students to gain fresh ideas and perspectives. Its goal is to train the next generation of engineers and give them methodological skills and critical-analytical skills. At a time when communication between humans and machines is becoming increasingly important, the focus is on increasing acceptance of interactive collaboration with machines.