Artificial Intelligence: Have a Go

ZF, Lufthansa Industry Solutions and Schülerforschungszentrum (Student Research Center) organize action week for students / Focus on autonomous driving and image recognition project

Friedrichshafen, February 12, 2018 – How can a car drive itself? And how do algorithms recognize drawings? Fifteen students will spend a week at the ZF Forum trying to get to the bottom of these questions and others relating to artificial intelligence. ZF, Lufthansa Industry Solutions and the Schülerforschungszentrum have joined forces to stage an action week for students from February 12 to 16 with the theme “Artificial Intelligence: Have a Go”.

The students from grades 8 through 12 will be split into two groups – one dealing with autonomous driving and the other looking at advanced image recognition. They will begin by acquiring some basic knowledge of artificial intelligence and neural networks. Once they have done that, they will then have an opportunity to turn their newly acquired theory into practice. One of the groups will focus on constructing a model car, designing a track for it to run on, and implementing functions such as how to recognize stop signs and turns. The other group will concentrate on recognizing and classifying images. During the course of their work, the students will program so-called perceptrons – simplified artificial neural networks – and will also learn the differences between various types of neural networks.

The two groups will present their findings in a closing demonstration. At the end of the week all of the student-built and student-programmed model cars will then navigate their way around a specially-designed track, and computers – thanks to their smart perceptrons – will recognize what the students hold up for them to look at. “What ZF wants to achieve with the action week is to get students interested in technology, IT and artificial intelligence, and to get them excited about the opportunities that the industry offers,” explains Birgit Acker from ZF’s IT Innovation Management team. She organized the action week with the help of Dr. Marie-Luise Menzel, a consultant at Lufthansa Industry Solutions, and Wolfgang Seyboldt, the director of the Schülerforschungszentrum in Friedrichshafen at the ZF Forum. With an eye to the future Birgit muses, “And maybe one of the participants will end up working as a ZF engineer one day”.

Press contact ZF Friedrichshafen:
Torsten Fiddelke, Commercial and Financial Communications,
Tel.: +49 7541 77-7924, E-Mail: torsten.fiddelke@zf.com

ZF Friedrichshafen AG
ZF is a global leader in drive system and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. The company has a workforce of around 140,000 with approximately 230 locations in nearly 40 countries. In 2017, ZF achieved sales of approx. €36 billion (provisional figure). In order to ensure the company can continue to produce successful innovative products well into the future, ZF invests over six percent of its sales revenue in research and development every year. ZF is one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide.

ZF makes vehicles see, think and act. The company is in pursuit of Vision Zero: products that deliver mobility with zero emissions and zero accidents. ZF’s comprehensive portfolio means it can improve mobility and services not just for cars but also for commercial vehicles and industrial applications.

Further press information and image material is available at: www.zf.com.