Karlsruhe Institute for ubiquitous mobility systems: User-friendliness and technology
Personalized displays, intelligent routing, networked traffic planning – the possibilities of digitalization in mobility are limitless. At IUMS at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, the focus is on user-friendliness and technology together.
“If a user is having a problem, it’s our problem” – this Steve Jobs quote probably also describes the attitude of Thomas Schlegel at the Institute for Ubiquitous Mobility Systems (IUMS) at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences.
“When developing new concepts, you have to focus equally on technology and user-friendliness,” says the professor. Only through such a holistic approach can new systems achieve the greatest possible social acceptance.
The topic was neglected for a long time
The IUMS has expertise in distributed, “ubiquitous” and mobile systems (ubiquitous computing) and in the modeling of complex systems – but usability and human-computer interaction are just as important at the institute.
“We want to clearly focus on the users of such systems in the future,” says Schlegel. The computer scientist and transport expert came to Karlsruhe from the Technical University of Dresden in 2015 with an endowed professorship from the Karlsruhe-based transport service provider INIT. In Dresden, he had already worked intensively on linking personalized user data and internal databases of transport service providers.
Schlegel sees a great deal of potential for optimization, particularly in the area of individual mobility. “This topic has been neglected for a long time,” emphasizes Schlegel. Transport service providers have geared their timetables and services to the behavior of their passengers. However, this has not necessarily made the systems more user-friendly. “People not only want to know when their train is leaving, but also how long it will take them to get there by other means of transport and how to get from the stop to their destination,” emphasizes Schlegel. This is why the Institute for ubiquitous mobility systems also focuses on the needs of cyclists and pedestrians.
Participation in several research projects
Due to its clear focus on non-motorized private transport, the IUMS was also involved in the “Go Karlsruhe” research project, a real-world laboratory for researching the mobility behavior of pedestrians. One of the IUMS’s current research projects is Smart MMI. The project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, focuses on providing passengers with information along their mobility chain. The IUMS received an award in the “Tourism digital” ideas competition two years ago at the world’s largest public trade fair CMT in Stuttgart for an app for coordinating individualized leisure activities
“That was actually just a side project,” says Schlegel. But the positive response to such publications clearly shows how high the demand for digital solutions in transport and tourism currently is.
Graduates have the best career opportunities
According to Schlegel, the practice-oriented and interdisciplinary academic training ideally prepares students for a career with a transport service provider.
“The demand for qualified specialists is currently very high and well-trained transport planners are in demand,” emphasizes the Institute Director. Transport service providers could ultimately make an important contribution to the politically desired mobility transition through innovative and intelligent services. To achieve this, however, citizens must be shown sensible and needs-based alternatives to motorized private transport.