Rutronik Provides Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences with Components for the Presentation of Technology Projects on “Girls’ Day” at the German Chancellery

Vector is a robot that an interdisciplinary project group from the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences taught to recognize the emotions of the person interacting with it, and then sketch their mood based on the person’s facial expressions. The idea is to help girls come into contact with and learn more about artificial intelligence in a playful way.

Vector was programmed by female students enrolled in the Mechatronic System Engineering master’s program, who were also available to answer questions at their booth at the Chancellor’s Office and explained to the female students what a neural network is and why Vector can move around safely. The students were able to launch and run the application themselves and then take their very own AI selfie home with them. “The technology demo by the future female engineers shows just how much fun a technical degree program can be,” says Professor Mike Barth from the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences.

The components for Vector, including the Movidius stick and other industrial PC components, were manufactured by the American technology company Intel. They were provided by Rutronik – the company is a member of the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences’ Rektors Club (dean’s club). “As an innovative, international technology company from the region, we wholeheartedly support Girls’ Day. Getting young girls excited about STEM careers and fostering their creative ideas is a matter near and dear to our hearts, and we are delighted to have contributed the AI-compatible components for Vector,” says Andreas Mangler, Head of Strategic Marketing at Rutronik.