Professor Michael ten Hompel and Fraunhofer IML Awarded Dortmund Dialog Prize
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On 6 February, the GFS, (Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Strukturwandels in der Arbeitsgesellschaft e. V. (Society for the Promotion of Structural Change in the Working Society)) awarded the Dortmund Dialog Prize 2024 to the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and its managing director, Michael ten Hompel, Professor of Materials Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University. With this award, the GFS is especially honoring Professor ten Hompel’s active and communicative contribution to Dortmund’s urban society.
Now that artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT is available for the masses, questions about its responsible use in and by society are increasingly to the fore. The smart use of AI is also a key topic at Fraunhofer IML. One of the institute’s research priorities is self-organizing systems in logistics, and in this context it has been working with AI and machine learning (ML) for a long time.
“As one of the first and most important institutions on the Science and Technology Campus, Fraunhofer IML continues to shape Dortmund’s scientific and economic landscape. Through its long-standing experience in the expedient use of artificial intelligence, the institute makes a substantial contribution to the responsible use of this technology in science, business and society,” said Dr. Bettina Horster, CEO of the GFS, justifying the award. The Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ina Brandes, gave the laudatory speech at the award ceremony.
It is not only artificial intelligence that has to learn new things all the time. Humans also need to learn how to handle the new technology properly, which is why Professor ten Hompel explained in his talk “Learning what we don’t understand – AI and its application in logistics” during the award ceremony how AI can be put to good use. Professor ten Hompel has already played a notable role in the past in Dortmund’s further development and capacity for innovation as a location for science and technology. As a bridge builder between science, business and society, he makes a significant contribution to dialog and structural development in the City of Dortmund.
About Professor Michael ten Hompel
Professor Michael ten Hompel has held the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University since 2000 and been Managing Director of Fraunhofer IML for around 20 years. Since 2022, he has also been Director of the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, which is hosted by TU Dortmund University, the University of Bonn, Fraunhofer IML and the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS in Sankt Augustin.
Professor ten Hompel is regarded as one of the inventors of shuttle technology in intralogistics, which led to the development of several AI-based vehicles. In addition, he is considered one of the fathers of the Internet of Things (IoT) and is the initiator of the Open Logistics Foundation. This technology initiative of leading international logistics companies fosters the collaborative development and commercial use of open source logistics software and hardware. Professor Michael ten Hompel was “Ruhr Citizen of the Year 2018” and received the Innovation Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2020. In 2023, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his outstanding commitment to science.
About the Dortmund Dialog Prize
The GFS awards the Dortmund Dialog Prize every two years in recognition of outstanding contributions to dialog and structural change in the City of Dortmund. The purpose of the prize is to honor individuals and institutions that contribute to innovative and peaceful development in the City of Dortmund through exceptional ideas, initiatives and endeavors in the world of work.