HEIG-VD · Institute of Industrial Automation
Industrial control software
and a digital twin
I turn the requirements of an automated hydroponic lettuce installation into operator interfaces, machine integration, and software that can be tested in simulation.
- Role
- R&D Collaborator
- Period
- April 2025 – Present
- Location
- Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
Context
At HEIG-VD's Institute of Industrial Automation, I work on control software for an AI-optimized hydroponic lettuce installation with industrial partner Techponics. The software connects PLCs, cameras, and AI models and orchestrates the installation's operation through a web interface.
The work brings together application development, automation, and AI. My focus is the software architecture and full-stack implementation. I coordinate integration and technical decisions with automation engineers, AI engineers, and electronics engineers.
My contribution
- Requirements and modelling. I work with the team to define use cases and how the installation's processes should operate. I translate these decisions into requirements and specifications, domain models, and UML designs.
- Application architecture. I structure the C#/.NET software using object-oriented design and clean architecture principles.
- Web HMI. I build a modern web interface with Blazor so operators can interact with the installation.
- PLC integration. I interface with the PLCs over ADS, working with automation engineers to connect application behaviour and machine control.
- Plugin framework. I design an extension framework so installation configuration can be extended with separate DLL modules without recompiling the core application.
- Digital twin. I develop a real-time 3D simulation in WPF with time acceleration and fault simulation for testing machine behaviour.