My story of building up an IIoT & Risk-Managment Campus from the scrath
An empty Space - how it all began
A cold call on LinkedIn, I could not say no to that challenge: In just five months, we (a team of 4 people from HDI TH!NX / PROTH!NX) had to transformed 320m² of empty space into an interactive hub for IIoT and Risk Management. In my role as Workshop & Experience Lead my responsibility was to shape the visitor experience for maximum satisfaction, synergy, topic-immersion and Business opportunities. This meant conceptual work, but also hands-on: Space design, user-centricity and lot's of Engineering & Teamwork to get things done until the opening.
Campus Opening Event - made it in time!
The campus features six areas, including a showcase of IIoT milestones, a Smart Home demo, and an interactive game illustrating Industrial IoT. The Engineering Lab highlighted IIoT device fabrication and functioned as a hands-on workshop, while another space focused on Risk Management applications with self-built product demos from industry partners. The event hub, designed for keynotes with up to 100 attendees.
Events and Workshops on the Campus
Since the opening event in May 2023, the Campus is a melting polt for experts around IIoT applications in Risk Management, with a strong focus on renewables. Events like the First German Leakage Summit and AI in Windpower bring together experts, industry leaders, and innovators to tackle real-world challenges. Through hands-on workshops, specialist conferences, and focused discussions, the campus fosters collaboration and turns ideas into practical solutions.
As Workshop and Experience Lead, I designed workshops that brought together insurance, customer and tech-solution provider to tackle actual challenges in IIoT and Risk-Management. Using Design Thinking, hands-on methods and of cause the in-house-competence, we created a space for real collaboration and problem-solving. The goal was to bridge industries, from insurance to operator with groundbraking IIoT-innovations of certain solution provider, turning risk-aware insights into actionable strategies.
My favorite task: Building Product Demos
What I like about product demos is that they turn complex services into something tangible and interactive. Building Pruduct Demos is a creative challenge with many stakeholders, balancing technical accuracy and simplicity.
Product Demo #1: Leak360
About Leak 360
Leak360 by PROTH!NX helps to prevent water damage and conserve resources. It is a real-time water management and leak detection system designed to help users monitor and optimize water consumption while providing automated leak protection. It offers real-time data visualization and alerts via a digital dashboard, enabling quick responses to potential issues.
Leak360 Demo - First Sketch
Leak 360 Demo - Pipe Prototype
Leak360 Demo on German Leackage Summit
About the Demo
This demo creates a real water leakage at the push of a button, triggering the system in real time. Two monitors display and explain the end-to-end process, making the technology accessible to a diverse audience on the Campus. A pump system was integrated that created leaks and triggered the system’s response in real-time. Together with a software developer and a video designer, the videos were created and triggered with a Raspberry Pi. The final version was housed in a rugged, transportable case, making it easy to showcase at national and potentially international exhibitions.
Product Demo #2: Safehub
About Safehub
Safehub is a real-time, building-specific earthquake damage assessment system that provides immediate damage estimates after an earthquake. Using easy-to-install sensors and advanced data analytics, it helps building owners prioritize assessments and expedite recovery efforts through a cloud-based platform.
About the Demo
Designed for international trade fairs, this rugged IoT-based damage assessment demo showcased earthquake scenarios in real time using a shake table, activated by one of three buttons. Developed in close collaboration with our U.S. partner Safehub, the demo brought seismic risk assessment to life.
My role was to facilitate the project kick-off and lead the design phase, ensuring smooth collaboration across continents. Fabricated in the U.S., the demo was shipped to the HDI TH!NX IIoT Campus, where it became a key exhibit. For European trade fairs, it could be easily transported by post, making it a truly global showcase of innovation.
Custom Event Installations
This “engagement activator” was built for the German Leakage Summit — guess the leak and win a prize! Designed to spark interaction, it turned a technical topic into a hands-on experience. What you see in the video is a self-made pipe system, sealed with hemp and connected to a water reservoir on top. Adjusting the pipes makes them leak and drip into a reservoir, which is illuminated from below and from the side to refract the light on the surface, creating a pool-like atmosphere.
Tailored Exhibition
"Fears and Opportunities around IoT"
Together with visual artist Patrick Tircher, we designed and curated an exhibition in the entrance area on the history of IIoT. Using visual techniques of “mapping”, we aligned several beamers onto objects to make them come alive. What you see in the video are objects representing milestones in the historical development of technology towards IIoT: starting with the invention of writing, the acquisition of data with camera and microphone, the first computer, and interconnectedness via the internet — all showing how life became easier by storing and sharing information. The fear has always been THE UNKNOWN, whereas new OPPORTUNITIES created acceptance in society.