On tour - AI, robots and prompting
The Smart Service Competence Center at Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences joined forces with the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce to take part in the “Smart Service Tour 2025” in Villingen-Schwenningen.
The interactive exhibition presented innovative solutions for a wide range of industries with a special focus on services and industry-related services. Today more than ever, smart services are drivers for new business models, productivity, and competitiveness. At the exhibition, visitors were able to discover and try out the technologies on display and experience their potential in practice.
The presentation of the humanoid robot “Gregor” met with particular interest. It represents the further development of physical artificial intelligence beyond purely virtual systems. It serves as a versatile demonstrator for potential fields of application in the smart service sector, for example as a production or warehouse assistant, an assistance system in assembly and manufacturing processes, or in customer contact. In addition to complex tasks, Gregor can also perform everyday activities such as serving coffee or conducting laboratory tours. Besides the robot, various other demonstrators were also a focus of the event. For example, VR was used to enable visitors to visit a virtual laboratory.
The AI-focused workshops, such as “Prompting 4.0, how to prompt with AI,” and the lectures, including “AI beyond ChatGPT: From data to prediction,” were very well attended. With around 250 visitors, the service prototyping workshops, with trainees and students from Baden-Württemberg, were also a complete success. The topics ranged from identifying problems and potential in companies to service prototyping with simple means.
Another special highlight was the lecture by HFU professor Dr. Christian Van Husen on the topic of “For service providers: Taking advantage of current trends in service.”
The Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Furtwangen University were delighted with the large number of companies that took part and are already planning the “Smart Service Tour 2026.”