From autonomous miniature vehicles to the staffing crisis at the town hall: Research Colloquium at TH Wildau showcases real-world applications

Real-time simulations for autonomous driving, interdisciplinary learning factories and concrete solutions to the shortage of skilled workers in local authorities: Research Colloquium at TH Wildau offered a varied programme on 17 September. At the Future Mobility Centre (FMC) in Building 24, Prof. Stefan Kubica, PhD student Gordon Lutz and Prof. René Geißler provided fascinating insights into their current research projects, which are situated directly at the interface between teaching, technology and society.

This time, the venue was a special one: instead of the Lecture Theatre, Senate Hall or Courtyard Hall, the research colloquium took place right amidst test set-ups, miniature vehicles and sensor technology at the Future Mobility Centre (FMC) in Building 24. Prof. Klaus-Martin Melzer, Vice-president for Research and Transfer at TH Wildau, was delighted with the well-attended event during his opening remarks.
He thanked the local hosts and emphasised the close interconnection between the venue and the programme: the FMC’s premises symbolised the first two presentations on connected mobility, whilst the third presentation, addressing the shortage of skilled workers in public administration, tackled a completely different yet highly topical core social issue.

‘Wildauer Maschinen Werke’ training factory: where students research future technologies

Prof. Stefan Kubica, Professor of Business Computing and Vice-president for Digital Affairs and Quality Management, kicked off the programme with a presentation of the Future Mobility Centre and the Wildauer Maschinen Werke (WMW).

Key points at a glance

• What is it about?
  Wildauer Maschinen Werke is a so-called ‘training factory’: the university has recreated a fictional company in which students from various degree programmes (such as Business Computing, Telematics, Industrial Engineering or Logistics) work together on real-world projects. Instead of abstract theory, they use an agile project approach to develop actual engineering for connected vehicles on a 1:14 scale. In doing so, the students take on real-world professional roles such as development engineer, software developer or project manager.
• What exactly is being researched and developed?
  In the laboratory, the mini-cars are equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology such as 3D cameras and laser scanners (LiDAR). During a live demonstration, Prof. Kubica showcased a so-called ‘follow-me’ function: the miniature vehicle automatically detected people via its camera sensors, maintained a safe distance of around 80 centimetres and followed them step by step across the room.
• Transfer to the regional economy
  Student projects often give rise to genuine innovations. In cooperation with the regional partner CTM Fahrzeugbau, for example, a 1:14 scale model vehicle was initially developed, which later led to a funded development project for an autonomous planting robot capable of independently planting and mapping young tree saplings in the forest in future.
  
  In addition, a digital 3D campus twin is being created at the FMC, allowing buildings and pathways to be explored virtually on a computer – for example, to digitally test accessible routes or traffic flows even before construction begins.

The ‘Digital Driving Twin’: How autonomous cars learn on a small scale

Gordon Lutz’s doctoral research followed on directly from his work at the FMC; he presented his collaborative PhD thesis with the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Key points at a glance

• What is it about?
  Driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles must complete countless millions of test kilometres before they are allowed on the road. However, tests on real roads are time-consuming, extremely expensive and, in risky situations (such as sudden obstacles or heavy rain), dangerous. Purely virtual computer simulations, on the other hand, often do not replicate the unpredictable real world accurately enough. Gordon Lutz bridges this gap: He connects a real, cost-effectively 3D-printed 1:14-scale test vehicle on a laboratory test track to a photorealistic virtual simulation environment in real time.
• The innovation: the LED floor as an intelligent test track
  At the heart of the test setup is a 5x5-metre LED floor at the FMC. This serves both as a road surface and as a dynamic screen. Lane markings, junctions or calibration patterns are digitally projected onto the floor in a matter of seconds.
• The PGTRS reference system and localisation
  As the mini-car drives across the floor, its exact position is digitally recorded to the nearest millimetre using various indoor localisation methods. The PGTRS (Programmable Ground Truth Reference System), developed in-house, serves as the common reference.

• Three methods are being compared: optical ceiling-mounted cameras (AprilTag), on-board stereo cameras (Visual SLAM) and radio chips (Ultra-Wideband/UWB). The aim is to exchange sensor and driving data between the real mini-car and the simulation without delay, within a maximum of 50 milliseconds. This enables the vehicle to react safely to virtual barriers in the laboratory without the need for a real obstacle to be in the way.

Skills shortages in public authorities: Why creating more jobs won’t solve the problem

Prof. René Geißler, Professor of Public Administration, then turned his attention to social and organisational issues. Based on a two-year teaching and research project with Brandenburg’s public authorities, he analysed the causes and consequences of staff shortages in the public sector.

Key points at a glance

• What is it about?
  Staff shortages are having an increasingly noticeable impact on towns, districts and state-run enterprises. The key message of the study: the shortage of skilled workers is not a temporary problem, but the new normal. Public authorities must learn to deal with staff shortages on a permanent basis.
• The iceberg phenomenon
  According to Geißler, staff shortages manifest themselves on three levels:
• Vacant posts: On average, around 15 per cent of posts in Brandenburg’s public authorities are permanently unfilled.
• Lengthy recruitment processes: Selection processes drag on for many months due to a lack of qualified applications.
• Compromises in recruitment (‘second-best staff’): Posts are formally filled, but the new staff do not fully meet the ideal job profile.
• Who bears the burden?
  Those who suffer most are, first and foremost, the remaining staff. Increased workload, rising dissatisfaction and growing rates of sick leave lead to a spiral that, in turn, triggers further departures.
• The Potsdam Case – A Paradox of Job Growth
  Using the city of Potsdam as an example, Prof. Geißler highlighted a surprising cause: whilst the post-filling rate fell from 95 per cent (2013) to, in some cases, below 80 per cent (2024), the city has by no means lost staff. The number of actual staff rose by over 500 full-time positions. However, because politicians approved significantly more posts on paper during years of budget surplus (+54 per cent), the recruitment office simply could no longer keep pace with the hiring.
• What really helps?
  Increased budgets or mere recruitment campaigns do not go far enough. Internal levers are crucial: managers must build relationships, foster a sense of appreciation and prioritise good working conditions in order to retain staff in the long term. At the same time, current budgetary crises are forcing administrations to reassess their tasks and consider which services must be prioritised in future.

Research with an impact on practice and teaching

In the ensuing discussion, the colleagues present engaged in a lively exchange of views on areas of overlap – such as the potential of artificial intelligence in standardised administrative processes and the limits of legal acceptance.

Prof. Klaus-Martin Melzer drew a positive conclusion and emphasised that the current pressure to address these issues can, in particular, drive necessary change: “During the discussion, I gained the impression that a certain pressure to act will also lead to progress. That would be my hope: that this impetus then moves in the right direction.”

With this colloquium, the TH Wildau once again demonstrated what applied sciences are all about: students conduct practice-oriented research into the key technologies of tomorrow, whilst academics carry out in-depth analyses of the region’s pressing challenges and identify constructive solutions.