Schunk receives Hermes Award 2024 for AI project.

Hannover Fair 2024 Schunk receives the Hermes Award 2024

2024-04-22 Source: Deutsche Messe und VDMA | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

This year, the company Schunk was honored with the Hermes Award for an AI-based project at the festive opening of the Hannover Fair on April 21, 2024. Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German Federal Minister for Education and Research, handed over the prize in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

At the festive opening of the Hannover Messe on April 21, 2024, the company Schunk received the Hermes Award for an AI-based project.(Image: German Trade Fair) — At the festive opening of the Hannover Messe on April 21, 2024, the company Schunk received the Hermes Award for an AI-based project.
(Image: German Trade Fair)

A highly distinguished jury under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society, has awarded the project 2D Grasping-Kit. This application kit consists of a camera with lens, an industrial PC, an AI software as well as an application-specific gripper. The innovation lies in the generic, AI-based modeling of component variances and the transfer to a smaller training dataset, which reduces learning times for recognition. The intuitively operable user interface enables process-safe handling of various, randomly arranged parts from a conveyor belt, tray, or provisioning table - even with changing light, color, or background conditions. This makes it easy to automate recurring sorting or logistical tasks.

Mastering the challenges of tomorrow

"In automation lies the future of the supply of people and industry in our country. We can only successfully master tomorrow's economic and societal challenges with sustainable innovations, especially for production and logistics," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka. "From the jury's perspective, the decision to award the 2D Grasping-Kit was crucial due to its easy handling, but especially due to the robustness of the development for many upcoming automation solutions. On behalf of the entire jury, I warmly congratulate on the award of the Hermes Award 2024!"

VDMA congratulates Vice President Henrik Schunk

VDMA also congratulates Vice President Henrik Schunk on the Hermes Award 2024. "Congratulations to Henrik Schunk and the Schunk team. The winning project impressively demonstrates how AI and mechanical engineering can work together to make production even more intelligent, connected, and efficient," said Thilo Brodtmann, VDMA's Executive Director.

About the Hermes Award

For more than 20 years, Deutsche Messe AG has been awarding a company with the Hermes Award each year as part of the Hannover Messe. This is the most significant industrial prize internationally. A product or solution with a particularly high level of technological innovation is awarded. Market readiness is an important criterion.

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