RWTH Enhances ICT Capabilities with Cutting-Edge New Facility

The foundation stone for Cube 3 has now been laid on Campus Hörn of RWTH Aachen University. An ultra-modern new building with around 3000 square meters of floor space is being built here. The Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (BLB NRW) is carrying out the innovative project. The Ministry of Culture and Science is contributing around half of the construction costs; this amounts to 20 million euros. The other half is being financed by BLB NRW and RWTH. Three institutes from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and the Information & Communication Technology profile area will move into Cube3: the Institute of Hearing Technology and Acoustics (IHTA) under the direction of Professor Janina Fels, the Institute of Communication Systems (IKS) under the direction of Professor Peter Jax and the Institute of Theoretical Electrical Engineering (ITHE) under the direction of Professor Christoph Jungemann.

The aim of the Institute of Hearing Technology and Acoustics is to expand upon interdisciplinary research work in the field of perception and processing of sound in complex acoustic environments for different groups of people. These range from children right up to older people with and without auditory hearing and processing disorders. “This research is directly related to social and cognitive aspects and communication and is therefore an important part of our daily lives,” explains Professor Fels. What’s more, the Institute of Hearing Technology and Acoustics also works in the fields of sound generation and propagation. Current research topics include: What are the differences in the processing mechanisms of people with normal and impaired hearing, children and adults, people with hearing loss, or people with hearing aids and cochlear implants? How efficient is the auditory perception and communication of people who have normal hearing or hearing impairments in complex acoustic scenes such as classrooms, lecture halls, restaurants, open spaces, and outdoor areas such as in a city? With the Cube3’s equipment, it will be possible to bring reality into the laboratory. For this purpose, the IHTA has an anechoic full room, an anechoic half room, a reverberation room, a laboratory for acoustic virtual reality, various listening booths for hearing experiments and an electrical and mechanical workshop.

Research at the Institute of Communication Systems focuses on voice and audio communication as it believes this to be the most important and most natural link between humans. The research work addresses signal processing in communication systems, for example in hearing aids, hearables or immersive 3D telephony. The aim is to make digital communication systems as natural as “direct” face-to-face voice communication. This is what making telephone calls could sound like in the future! Both model-based digital signal processing methods and machine learning methods are used in innovative hybrid solutions. “We are looking forward to the new hearing laboratory in accordance with the ITU-R BS.1116 standard as well as the additional measuring rooms and the valuable proximity to the specialist institutes,” explains Professor Peter Jax.

At the Institute of Theoretical Electrical Engineering, Professor Christoph Jungemann and his team are conducting research in the field of numerical simulation of electronic components for ultra-high frequency applications such as distance radar in cars and data transmission at extremely high rates, in the field of cryogenic control electronics for quantum computers, neuromorphic circuits with low energy consumption for the use of artificial intelligence, more powerful integrated circuits and other topics. “For us, the move to Cube 3 means excellent facilities for teaching and research, direct proximity to many other electrical engineering institutes in Cubes 1 to 3, and better accessibility for students thanks to the location on Campus Mitte,” explains Professor Jungemann.