Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Jax, Head of the Institute of Communication Systems.  © IKS

On 14 June 2024, the Institute of Communication Systems (IKS) celebrated its 60th anniversary.

This anniversary was celebrated together with project partners, colleagues and numerous alumni in a festive colloquium and evening event. The event provided an insight into the development of digital speech and audio communication. It was also an opportunity to look back over the past six decades and to discuss future challenges and opportunities in the field of communication systems.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported the Institute over the past 60 years and look forward to many more successful years,” the IKS announced.

Professor Jax has led the Institute since 2015. He initiated a new name and a research focus on modern digital communication systems. Research continues to focus on speech and audio communication as probably the most important and natural link between us humans. The research deals with signal processing in communication systems, e.g. in hearing aids, hearables or immersive 3D telephony. The aim is to make digital communication systems as natural as “direct” face-to-face speech communication. Both model-based digital signal processing and machine learning methods are used in innovative hybrid solutions.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Moser, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marc Adrat, Research Group Manager for Software Defined Radio (SDR) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) in Wachtberg and lecturer at the IKS at RWTH Aachen University.  © IKS

One of the highlights of the event was the formal appointment of Marc Adrat as Honorary Professor. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Software Defined Radio, which involves programmable digital radio systems where essential transmission functions such as coding, error correction, modulation, and synchronization are implemented via software. His teaching activities focus on modern error-correcting channel coding in the course „Modern Channel Coding for Wireless Communications“, which is offered as part of the regular „Master’s programme in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology“.

“His expertise and commitment will undoubtedly continue to have a significant impact on the quality of our teaching and research,” stated the IKS.

The appointment will also strengthen the collaboration between the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics.

Oliver Steil, former employee of the IKS and current CEO of TeamViewer.  © IKS

Another highlight was Oliver Steil’s presentation entitled “Digital Twins, AI, Spatial Computing, et al. – How Software is Finally Driving Industrial Digitalization”. He also spoke about his personal career, which is rooted in the Institute and ultimately led Oliver Steil to his current position as CEO of TeamViewer. The guest of honour provided fascinating insights into the challenges and opportunities of leading a global technology company.

The presentation ended with a lively question and answer session, where attendees had the opportunity to speak directly to Oliver Steil. Questions ranged from specific technical aspects to strategic considerations.

© IKS

Further information can be found on the homepage of the Institute of Communication Systems.