The award-winning application combines an adaptive language model with generative design and conceptual expertise. According to HARTING, this allows complete product ideas for new connection solutions to be created at the touch of a button – including sketches, CAD models, and simulations. The Industrial AI Award is an initiative of publish-industry and UnternehmerTUM.

Intuitive interaction with AI

“Connectivity AI” allows product developers and designers to interact intuitively with artificial intelligence (AI) and exchange requirements and proposed solutions. Engineers can enter, document, and even reuse their technical requirements in natural language. The AI analyzes and trains these requirements and develops suitable product sketches, 3D models, and simulations in real time that meet these requirements.

Natural interaction meets generative design

“The idea arose from the challenge of meeting individual customer requirements quickly and reliably,” explains Simon Hagen, Head of Innovation Hub at the HARTING Technology Group. “Manual design processes go through numerous iterations and test loops. The process is error-prone and therefore time-consuming.” With the ever-increasing demand for customer-specific connection solutions, there was also a growing shortage of skilled workers with this domain knowledge. “Connectivity AI solves these problems and combines natural interaction with generative design,” Hagen summarizes.

External partners and universities provide support with expertise

The HARTING Technology Group developed “Connectivity AI” as part of an internal innovation program. External partners and universities provided support with their expertise. The developers followed familiar steps from the idea to implementation. They derived requirements from existing challenges, developed a prototype, integrated additional functions and tools, and reviewed the results.

Faster to a valid prototype

The highlight: Once completed, the AI can now take over routine design tasks in the development process. This not only saves engineers time, but also allows them to focus fully on strategic problem solving. The result should be a valid prototype that can be created much faster.

Clear AI vision

The platform is constantly being optimized and further developed towards higher speed, additional simulation tools, new parts, and components. In the long term, the HARTING Technology Group is pursuing a clear vision: engineers contribute their solution expertise, while “Connectivity AI” takes care of implementation from sketch to simulation. The application is thus intended to offer added value not only to individual teams, but to the entire company and, of course, its customers.

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