The annual GBSIoT Poster Connect competition returned yesterday, bringing together students from across the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT) partnership to present innovative research and engineering projects to peers, academics and industry professionals.
The event provides students with the opportunity to showcase work developed as part of their studies while gaining valuable experience presenting technical concepts to a panel of expert judges from industry.
This year’s competition featured a wide range of projects spanning digital manufacturing, engineering and sustainability, with judges recognising the high standard of work and the quality of the presentations delivered throughout the day.
Taking first place was Balsimran Aujla from Aston University for the project Developing a Digital Twin for a Festo Cyber-Physical Factory using CIROS Simulation Software. The project explored the development of a digital twin prototype for a Festo CP-Lab manufacturing system, using CIROS simulation software to create a virtual representation capable of supporting testing, monitoring and future virtual commissioning activities.
Addressing an identified gap in existing research, the project successfully demonstrated the integration of CIROS with manufacturing execution systems and programmable logic controllers, providing a foundation for future development of more sophisticated cyber-physical manufacturing environments. The work also highlighted the opportunities and limitations of simulation when compared with real-world production systems, identifying several areas for future enhancement.
Second place was awarded to Emily Bode, studying MEng Mechanical Engineering at Aston University, for Simulating and Evaluating an Event Driven Digital Twin of a Modular Distribution System. The project investigated the use of event-driven digital twin technology to model and evaluate modular distribution processes, contributing to ongoing developments in smart manufacturing and industrial automation.
Third place went to Ramy Alkhafaji from Solihull College & University Centre for Aquacycle, a Self-Powered Smart Water Hub. The project proposed an innovative solution for sustainable water management through the use of self-powered smart technologies designed to improve monitoring and efficiency.
GBSIoT would like to thank this year’s judges for giving their time and expertise to support the competition:
- Babak Jahanbani, Managing Director, Didactic Services Ltd
- Steve Jones, Connected Curriculum Lead, Siemens plc
The annual Poster Connect competition continues to showcase the breadth of talent across the GBSIoT partnership and the practical application of advanced engineering and digital technologies to real-world challenges. Congratulations to all of the students who took part and to this year’s prize winners.
