Bildungscampus Heilbronn: Making the future smart

The Bildungscampus in Heilbronn is a dynamic hub where education, science and innovation come together to collaboratively shape the future. A key method of innovation used here is the “living lab”. A living lab is defined as a designated area that is temporally, spatially, or thematically limited where new approaches are tested under real-life conditions. This is exactly what happens at the Bildungscampus. The focus is on data-driven technologies for developing smart applications. The goal is to support the work, learning and daily life of campus users, making it as simple and comfortable as possible.

The future is made where we are: In the present.

Sensor-supported technologies like robots for site operations, smart trash cans, or predictive models for the best canteen visit times are various building blocks towards a fully smart and sustainable Bildungscampus. But how do these applications become smart? The answer lies in testing various, concrete scenarios and using the high-quality data generated from them to optimize future processes for the operation and infrastructure of the campus, thereby benefitting its users. Responsible handling and critical reflection on data security and data protection are therefore among the core tasks of a living lab.

The data protection information applicable to the Bildungscampus site can be found here.

Image shows an illustration of the Bildungscampus site and the surrounding streets

Projects

Bildungscampus West – how will we live, learn, and work in ten years?

This question of the future is at the forefront of the construction and operation of sites, as the buildings, areas, and infrastructures that will be used tomorrow need to be planned today. And at the same time be able to fulfil the requirements of the day after tomorrow. How can our daily lives be meaningfully supported by technologies in the future? To ensure our assumptions are as accurate as possible, a variety of concepts are being tested on the Bildungscampus grounds in collaboration with different partners:

Facility Management Roboter - Loomi

The Facility Management (FM) of the Bildungscampus fulfills a multitude of tasks on a daily basis. The top priority is the smooth operation of the site. For routine or inspection tasks, the FM team is now supported by a small, mobile robot on two wheels.

Profile

I am Loomi
I was developed by a start-up at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
I am about 50 cm tall, 40 cm wide, and weigh about 30 kilograms.
I am powered electrically and move at a maximum speed of 5 km/h.
When we meet, I automatically stop at a distance of about 1 meter and wait until my path is clear to continue.
My cameras are my eyes – I use them to find my way and navigate. I also have an infrared camera as an additional optical sensor, which is only used for specific tasks.
I cannot hear, but I have a speaker on board through which I can speak to forward information.
I do not move freely but move autonomously on a fixed route defined by GPS coordinates.
I am exclusively used outdoors – unaffected by snow and rain. Thanks to my wheels and movable joints, I can navigate uneven terrain.
In case of disruptions, such as GPS signal failure, I automatically shut down or return to my charging station.

Task

I support the Facility Management (FM) team with small routine tasks in site operations. To know what my task scenarios are, I am trained for these situations in advance. For this purpose, I am shown (image) data of the target state, for example, of freely navigable emergency routes. On my route across the campus, I compare this target state with the actual scenarios in the environment. If my sensors detect a deviation, e.g. with emergency routes, I take an on-site picture and pass this information on to my FM team. The team assesses the need for action and initiates measures if necessary to solve the situation. On the campus, I deal with the following issues:

I detect whether emergency exits, escape routes, and driveways are clear.
I check whether the bollard systems are working properly.
I verify whether the lighting is switched on or off as planned.
I inspect, based on the building outlets, whether the air conditioning systems are running without problems.
I record the number of bicycles on the campus. This data should help make the campus bicycle-friendly and safe for traffic.

Data Protection

For navigation, I process my surroundings using cameras. Besides orientation, I use my cameras to recognize certain scenarios and inform my human colleagues if necessary. It may happen that, in addition to the environment, people are also captured in the image. Recognizing people is not my intention. Rather, I want to test specific deployment scenarios on the campus and support the site operations in particular. The video sequences for navigation are only captured live and are not stored. My thermal imaging cameras are only used in specific scenarios, for example, to perform heat measurements on air conditioning units.

I only record images or short video sequences when I inform Facility Management about malfunctions or disruptions. This image and video information is stored accordingly and transmitted to the FM team on-site. All faces are automatically pixelated beforehand, making them unrecognizable.

My FM team can control me manually if necessary and must access the live camera data to do so. This happens in exceptional cases, for example if I get stuck.

You can find my detailed privacy policy here.

Place of Deployment

I drive a fixed route over the Bildungscampus Mitte and Nord from Monday through Friday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. I drive the specified route autonomously during the day.

Project Goals

Insights into the opportunities and challenges of human-machine collaboration in semi-public spaces
Support in Facility Management tasks through autonomous robotics as well as gaining use cases and possible applications
Testing the integration of technologies into the campus system architecture
Gaining knowledge for acceptance research in human-machine interaction

Smart Waste Bin – Innovative sensor technology for effective waste disposal

Due to innovative sensors, the waste bin signals when it needs to be emptied.

The first pilot project in this context was put into operation on the Bildungscampus: a waste bin equipped with sensors that collect data on temperature, humidity, and fill level.

All sensor data are collected in a dashboard and can be viewed anytime by the Facility Management staff. They also receive a notification when the fill capacity is reached. This allows the next emptying to be planned in time, as cleaning routines were previously carried out regardless of the amount of waste.

The placement of the innovative waste bin in the busy area by the cafeteria was chosen deliberately, as this bin is used more frequently, particularly during lunch breaks, due to the nearby dining services. This leads to an efficient use of resources and more precise control of waste flows. This is because the general disposal cycles of the waste bins can also be sustainably optimized.

If the use of the Smart Waste Bin on the Bildungscampus is successful, a widespread installation is planned. It will also serve as a benchmark for the planning of the western expansion of the campus. In particular, questions regarding the number and position of the waste bins, necessary emptying frequencies, and the maintenance windows for the autonomous systems are to be answered.

What else is happening at the Bildungscampus?

Further research projects are supported on the Bildungscampus.
You can find a small selection of projects here:

Smart Campus Initivative – Data-supported development and testing of smart and innovative services and business models on campus
Track4science – Better understanding mobility behaviour on campus and developing sustainable mobility strategies