NextCycle triumphs in Siemens & Sony immersive design contest

Siemens Digital Industries Software, in collaboration with Sony, hosted its first Immersive Design Challenge, drawing participation from university students worldwide. The NextCycle team from Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg was named the winning entry.

The competition attracted more than 900 students from over 230 universities across 38 countries, focusing on integrating sustainable design principles with immersive engineering technology to solve pressing real-world challenges.

Dora Smith, Senior Director, Future Workforce and Academic Strategy, Siemens Digital Industries Software, said, "We've had an incredible global response to our first immersive design challenge. Students from around the world leveraged our microcredentials to master new domains. They brought creativity and critical thinking to develop sustainable solutions, addressing wicked challenges in food scarcity, healthcare and battery lifecycle management. The experience the teams have gained during the challenge helps prepare them to be real-world ready in the future workforce."

The contest was structured in multiple rounds. In the initial stage, participants answered questions about their product ideas and demonstrated their understanding of immersive engineering. This was followed by a shortlist of 40 teams who received mentorship from Siemens experts and utilised Siemens' NX Student Edition to develop and visualise their proposals. Every participant earned digital badges that recognised their achievements.

Three finalist teams were subsequently selected and given access to Siemens' NX Immersive Designer software, along with Sony XR head-mounted displays, to develop their concepts further with professional guidance. The finalist teams represented KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, and Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.

The final presentations covered a range of topics, including an immersive digital twin of an engineering Formula Student car, the simulation and visualisation of a horticulture-focused lunar lander, and a project aimed at increasing recycling efficiency and improving battery performance in the automotive industry.

The jury panel comprised representatives from Siemens, Hirohito Henry Kondo, General Manager of the New Contents Creation Business Unit, XR Business Division, at Sony Corporation, and Professor Dr Paloma Diaz, Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council. The panel selected NextCycle from Germany for their concept, 'BatteryTwin XR: an Integrated Digital Twin for a Sustainable EV Battery Lifecycle,' based on criteria such as innovation, the strength of their business case, the effective use of Siemens and Sony technology, and its sustainability impact.

The jury recognised the NextCycle team's 'BatteryTwin XR' project for exhibiting technical creativity and a focus on sustainability and tangible industry application.

Following the announcement, NextCycle team leader Suavi Yildirim commented, "This challenge has been an incredibly rewarding experience for our team, pushing us to think creatively and collaborate effectively. A special thanks to our Siemens mentor, Buket Kurtulus, the entire Siemens team, and our university for their unwavering support. I truly believe all three finalist teams did an excellent job, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue collaborating and refining our solutions for real-world implementation in the future."

The winning team will participate in Siemens' Realise LIVE event later in the year, and their university will receive a Sony XR head-mounted display as well as a one-year license for NX Immersive Designer.

The Immersive Design Challenge was initiated by Siemens' academic and future workforce team to provide students with digital skills and practical experience relevant to future careers.