Digital Ideas for the Industries

From 21 to 24 June, the Future Tech Bootcamp 2021 was held online. The events were streamed from the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences.

During this special event format by the Industry meets Makers in partnership with the Industriellenvereinigung NÖ (Lower Austrian Federation of Industries) and the Digital Makers Hub, industrial companies presented current technical challenges.

Makers – free developers, hobbyists, students, start-ups and SMEs – developed first solutions with the companies within four days. At the same time, the St. Pölten UAS’ Creative Media Summer School was held in a hybrid form – online and on site.

Range of Innovations

The challenges given by the companies were devoted to the following topics: reduction of electronic waste, virtual reality, using semiconductors in hygiene technology, predictive and production analyses in manufacturing, smart textiles, safe bicycle infrastructure, infrastructure control elements and line technology with artificial intelligence as well as interactive room design for pupils.

The participants created new systems for the facilitated collection of electronic waste, innovative concepts for making building frontages greener, smart textiles, which, on the one hand, make riding a bicycle safer, and, on the other hand, can be steered by touching technical systems from afar, prototypes that help reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections indoors, an intelligent deep tech control cabinet, and interactive room design elements, which can be used to familiarise pupils with complex topics and future professional fields in an easy and playful manner.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much can be done within just three to four days if true innovators, highly motivated talents and committed experts join forces to work together on solutions to complex challenges”, says organiser Sandra Stromberger of Industry meets Makers.

Industry, Higher Education, Makers

This year’s first-rate briefing partners from the industry included Energie AG, Infineon, HP, TELE Haase, Microtronics, VOSS Incubator, Salzburg Research, Smart Textiles Plattform Austria, the Vienna Business Agency, SOBOS PegelAlarm, RISC Software, and MHT Instruments. For the third time, the Future Bootcamp was subsidised by the Industriellenvereinigung NÖ (IV-NÖ).

“We are glad to support the initiative because it links current problems in the industry with new perspectives of digital makers. This year, we dealt with topics such as reducing electronic waste, implementing semiconductors in textile technology, predictive and production analyses in manufacturing or smart textiles. This choice of topics clearly demonstrates that the bootcamp is at the very forefront of technology. We congratulate all participants and are already looking forward to a continuation next year”, says IV-NÖ President Thomas Salzer.

“Engaging in intensive knowledge transfer with companies, other higher education institutions, exciting initiatives and a wide range of further stakeholders has been an important mission for us for many years. In collaboration with our consortium partners, we and our partners offer a platform through the Digital Makers Hub that values collaboration over competitive thinking and establishes a digital culture of creative ideas, unconventional approaches, and new forms of cooperation. Open formats for jointly advanced innovations play a central role in this context”, says Hannes Raffaseder, Chief Research and Innovation Officer of the St. Pölten UAS.

Programme with a Hop-On Hop-Off Principle

Technology partners, local maker spaces and experts provide teams with infrastructure and in-depth know-how. This year’s bootcamp combined analogue activities, which were organised in a decentralised way at various locations in Austria and abroad, with a digital communication concept.

Live streaming, video conferences and chat tools allow for collaboration and exchange between participants at various locations in virtual space. The programme made flexible participation possible by following a hop-on hop-off principle. Next to the online programme, small analogue activities were offered (workshops, deep dive sessions, meetups, etc.), which were organised in partnership with local network and room partners at various locations.

Creative Media Summer School

The Creative Media Summer School, which took place at the same time as the bootcamp, was held in a hybrid mode – online and on site at the St. Pölten UAS. The event was aimed at students of the Department of Media and Digital Technologies. International lecturers gave presentations and hosted workshops. Within the framework of a workshop, students could also participate in the Future Tech Bootcamp.

The summer school’s programme included the topics 25 years changing media @St. Pölten UAS, Arduino Interactive: Digital Camera Hack, Recreation & Experiment, Audio Augmented Reality with Audiokinetic Wwise, Lighting for Camera, Smart Contracts: Token Creation with ERC20, and Data-Based Collage.

“The annually held Creative Media Summer School offers the students of the St. Pölten UAS high-quality further education on current topics in the field of media technology and the creative industries”, says Franz Fidler, Head of the Department of Media and Digital Technologies of the St. Pölten UAS.

The event also featured a panel discussion on the topic of “ART & TECH & POLICY“. The participants searched for creative ideas for the human-centred design of a sustainable society.

• Future Tech Bootcamp 2021
• Creative Media Summer School
• Digital Makers Hub

About the Future Tech Bootcamp 2021

The Future Tech Bootcamp is a special event format by Industry meets Makers in partnership with the St. Pölten UAS, the IV Niederösterreich, Smartup St. Pölten, Zukunftsakademie Mostviertel, DigitalCity.Wien and further partners. The Future Tech Bootcamp is a format of the Digital Makers Hub.

The Digital Makers Hub promotes a digital culture of open innovation, co-ideation, and co-creation, supports SMEs in the digital transformation, and offers a platform to people and institutions that foster digital transformation in Austria with the aim to enable interaction, efficient exchange of experience and an Austria-wide coordination of activities.

The Digital Makers Hub is subsidised by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs within the framework of the programme “Digital Innovation Hubs in Austria” and implemented by the St. Pölten UAS together with the consortium partners Zukunftsakademie Mostviertel, Tabakfabrik Linz und In2Make Industry meets Makers GmbH.