Research

Smart Systems as our Research Subject

At ZESS, we examine smart systems throughout their entire life cycle – from planning, development, and use to decommissioning and recycling. Our inter- and transdisciplinary research approach unites scientists from 12 different disciplines.

Our goal is to understand smart systems, their characteristics and the resulting changes in a holistic context, to translate our insights into suitable methods, technologies and systems and ,ultimately, to enable the transfer of a new engineering approach into industrial applications.

The ZESS facilities are geared towards a ‘networked production’ scenario. Core technologies include mobile robotics, additive manufacturing and intelligent building technology. At ZESS, we therefore can conduct research into innovative technologies and business models under realistic conditions.

Smart Systems

Everything changes: Digitalization, Servitization and Circular Economy

Digitalization has become a strategic imperative for industrial practice, with a significant impact on products, customer relationships, processes and the fundamental logic of value creation. Digital transformation has therefore become a popular topic in research. It can be observed that many companies are struggling to fully use the potential of digitalization and to capitalize on their investments in digital technologies. To counteract this, companies typically pursue the following strategies:

  • Commercialisation of digital solutions: bundling of individual technologies to solve complex customer problems
  • Harnessing product connectivity in service business models
  • Establishment of platform business models: Development of an application business based on data analysis algorithms

In addition to the digital transformation, companies are also affected by the trend towards servitization, i.e. the shift from traditional product providers to service providers. The offers range from product-related services to benefit-oriented business models such as subscriptions or performance contracting. Both servitization and digital transformation contribute to climate goals and circular economy strategies with their respective solution approaches.

Flugrobotik am ZESS - Drohne
Mobile Robotik am ZESS
Additive Fertigung am ZESS
Serviceroboter Plato am ZESS in nachgestelltem Krankenzimmer
Roboter zur additiven Fertigung am ZESS

Our perspective on Smart Systems

Smart systems are the answer to the change processes of our time. With the help of innovative business models, human-centred work systems and intelligent technologies, industrial companies and their associated ecosystems create responsible value through smart systems. e At ZESS, we want to understand smart systems in this context and derive design and transformation knowledge for practical application – in the spirit of the RUB mission statement "Built to Change".

Business Models

How will industrial companies earn money in the future? Selling products is no longer the only answer. Therefore, we are investigating innovative forms of value creation, such as data monetization, forms of circular economy, platform approaches, or usage-based business models, such as availability guarantees or subscription models.

Work Systems

How will our work life change when technologies such as robotics or computer algorithms are embedded in our everyday lives and behave more and more intelligently and human-like? At ZESS, we explore how work can be organized under these new circumstances, and how it affects our established approaches to work design.

Technologies

We not only monitor current technological developments, but also actively shape future technologies that we expect to bring about radical changes in work processes and business models, as well as solutions to social challenges such as energy, the environment and health.

Key areas of our research at ZESS

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AI in Organisations

The use of artificial intelligence in organisations is fundamentally changing work processes, decision-making and interactions. One of our key objectives at ZESS is to implement AI in organisations in a way that increases productivity, reduces costs and promotes innovation. To achieve this in the long run, we also research potential challenges of AI implementation, such as emerging resistance from employees and ethical issues.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Business Model Innovation

We explore new ways of creating value. In doing so, we focus on the design and emergence of innovative business models and the derivation of success factors as well as possible principles for development and action.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Circular Economy

We explore innovative technologies and business models to keep products and materials in high-quality usage cycles (R strategies). Technologies such as the Internet of Things, digital twins and additive manufacturing enable service business models, e.g. ‘product-as-a-service’, take-back systems and leasing concepts that aim to promote longevity and conserve resources. The goal is to achieve an economical and sustainable industrial cycle.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Digital Servitization

We examine how companies and their associated ecosystems are changing their processes, capabilities and offers in the context of their service transformation. In particular, we look at the influence of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Generative Engineering

We understand generative design and additive manufacturing as two directly linked areas of research. They offer an enormous potential for designing smart product-service systems by enabling highly customised, efficient and adaptable products and components. Generative engineering provides the basis for tailor-made designs that are defined and optimised by AI algorithms. Additive manufacturing makes it possible to produce these designs flexibly and on demand, which is ideal for small series, repairs or customised solutions.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Human Adaptive Work Systems

Human-adaptive work systems are work environments that dynamically adapt to the individual needs, abilities and conditions of employees. Our goal is to optimise the interaction between humans and technology in order to promote the performance and well-being of employees. In doing so, we not only take into account aspects such as cognitive load, physical demands and emotional states, but also investigate sensor and actuator technologies in order to make adjustments in real time.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Resilient Business Ecosystems

Resilient business ecosystems are characterised by their ability to respond flexibly to external and internal challenges and to adapt to changing conditions in the long term. They are based on networks of various stakeholders, which are strengthened through cooperation and common goals. Resilience in such ecosystems encompasses not only resistance to crises, but also the innovative capacity and sustainability of the actors involved. Our aim at ZESS is to create technological and data-driven foundations for cooperation, innovation and adaptability.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Service Excellence

Service excellence aims to understand and establish service as one of the most important profit-generating functions in a company. In service-oriented business models, organisations must be geared towards anticipating and fulfilling customer needs at all touchpoints throughout the entire lifecycle in order to ultimately create a high-quality customer experience. Service excellence or business excellence encompasses the topics of service innovation, service growth, service operations and management. The topic examines new technologies and opportunities for efficient and productive service delivery in organisations and value creation networks.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Smarte Systeme

This topic deals with the research and development of strategies for integrating and coordinating autonomous systems in networked environments in order to independently plan, distribute and execute complex tasks. It focuses on stable communication methods, reliable cooperation and the secure exchange of resources and information between different systems. We investigate how autonomous systems can act flexibly and adaptively in dynamic and unstructured environments in order to respond to changing requirements and conditions.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

Theory and Design of Complex Systems

Systems in economics and technology often exhibit non-linear behaviour, self-organisation and emergence. It is important to understand how networks and interactions develop within complex systems in order to derive approaches for their design. Focuses of research include modelling, problem-solving approaches, necessary skills and organisational change.

Business Models
Work Systems
Technologies

ZESS Research Projects