Paul Valckenaers

Paul Valckenaers

UCLL - Digital Solutions - Leuven (B)

Paul Valckenaers has a MSc in computer science and a PhD from KU Leuven (B). Currently, Paul is a senior researcher at UCLL, member of the KU Leuven Association (B), within the Digital Solutions unit.

Paul has designed and implemented research prototypes for MES (manufacturing execution systems). Subsequently, this generic research has been applied to networked manufacturing, logistic execution systems, fleet robotics, smart energy, intelligent traffic and transportation, and healthcare. Currently, Paul develops digital twins for everyday activities applied to inclusive society. His MES research has been demonstrated at TRL7 in industry. Paul has been using Erlang since 2011 and, more recently, adopted Elixir and Phoenix.LiveView.

Paul has published a book entitled “Design for the unexpected” with Elsevier, described in a review as ”Putting a theoretical framework on practical day-to-day applications”.

Talk:
Quantum Doodle: Digital Twins for Everyday Activities

This talk covers the development and implementation of a digital assistant for humans in everyday life. It is based on digital twins for resources, activities and intentions. The assistants deliver an advanced situational awareness while leaving the decision-making with the humans. The assistants continuously interact to update this shared awareness of future interaction.

Digital assistants interact through quantum doodles. Quantum doodles are not limited to organizing a meeting. Benefiting from Elixir’s expressive power, a quantum doodle may coordinate parking space, staffing a reception desk, … It also supports ‘entanglement’ where the information reflects how one doodle is affected by other doodles.

This talk provides a demonstration, which addresses concrete test cases in everyday life. To implement digital twins for everyday activities, a software tool needs expressive power that matches this. Elixir is unbeatable in this respect, which the presentation discusses.

Talk objectives:

  • Expand the range of possible applications and interesting application areas for Elixir (and the beam) in the minds of the Elixir community.
  • Show how Elixir is key to developing applications into new territories.
  • Present a starting point for innovative business as well as R&D opportunities.

Target audience:

  • Persons interested in novel applications (domains) for Elixir.
  • Businesses interested in developing their own assets, beyond providing services, by capturing and crystallizing application domain knowledge into (Elixir) software, which is precisely what digital twin development does.
  • Persons who’d like a digital assistant handling everyday activity management for them.