BTU introduces: Prof. Dr Lin Xie, Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics

The decision to come to the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) was an easy one for Prof. Dr Lin Xie, who had already been to Cottbus as a teenager. Back then, the Chinese student completed a language course in the city where she was recently appointed Professor of Business Informatics and Business Analytics. At BTU, she will now be focussing on two questions in particular: 1) How can operations research methods, machine learning and new technologies be combined in a targeted manner? 2. what influence do robots have in different industries?

Not only teaching is important to Prof. Xie, she also has her sights firmly set on research

Prof. Xie is happy to be teaching and researching in Germany again, as she previously worked in the Netherlands, where the system is very different. Xie: "In the Netherlands, students pay fees for their studies and expect close supervision in return. However, I prefer it when students quickly learn to work independently. That's what I know from Germany, where I studied at the University of Paderborn." According to Xie, research also plays a greater role in Germany. And that makes her happy.

Part of her work involves setting up a robotics laboratory. In the "RoboX-Lab", she will further deepen her research at the interface of digital systems and operational efficiency. The focus will be on industry and sustainability. Together with doctoral students, Xie will investigate the use of robotics in warehouses, production, Computing Centres, agri-PV systems and sport, among other things. Seven Lego robots and eight robot hoovers are currently available for this purpose.

The humanoid robot "Lisa" has been costed at 30,000 euros

A humanoid robot is also to be purchased. "We'll design it ourselves and then print out some body parts with the 3D printer," says Xie. "The components are already clear. The graphic design on the robot's body is still being designed at BTU." The cost: around 30,000 euros, which is already calculated to save costs, as such a robot would cost around 100,000 euros commercially. The name of the robot has already been decided: it will be called Lisa. Named after one of her daughter's dolls. Xie rejected her son's suggestion to use her daughter's first name. Xie: "Otherwise I'd end up talking to my daughter like the robot, and I didn't want that."

Lisa will be around 1.60 to 1.70 metres tall and have fully movable arms and hands. Whether she will have feet or move on wheels has yet to be decided. According to Xie, both would have advantages and disadvantages. On flat surfaces, such as those found in large warehouses, Lisa would not only be significantly faster on castors, but also much quieter. However, she would then not be able to climb stairs. This could be a problem in practice - especially if there are no barrier-free paths.

Schools are visited with a van to get children interested in robotics

Castors would also be suboptimal for the van in which Lisa is to stock shelves for demonstration purposes. Without a ramp, she would not be able to leave the vehicle. Xie plans to use the van, which is still to be leased, primarily for school visits to get children and young people interested in robotics. The hatch will then open on site and Lisa will show what she can do. "We plan for Lisa to pick up a drinks bottle or a snack from the shelf at the voice command of children and hand it over - simple things that we want to use to playfully show children how exciting robotics can be," says Xie.

In the future, further demonstrations and more complex capabilities will be developed in the RoboX Lab, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI) methods to improve Lisa's motor skills, perception and autonomous behaviour - an area with great research potential, especially in the combination of AI and humanoid robotics for flexible, practical applications.

You can find out more about Prof. Lin Xie and her key research areas and questions here.