Augmented Reality and Cybersecurity (ARC)

Description of the project

The objective of the ARC project is to develop a set of flexible (i.e., online/blended) and modular courses on “Industrial Cybersecurity” (ICS) and "Augmented Reality for Industrial Systems" (ARIS), from introduction to advanced levels. We have selected those courses with the aim of strengthening Mälardalen University's (MDU) educational offer in specific sectors where industry is experiencing a skill shortage, and where the demand from industry is currently very high and expected to grow further.

Also, both areas have attracted a strong interest in Corona times where the need for remote working and telepresence have highlighted the importance of Cybersecurity and virtual working environments. Furthermore, the two areas of Cybersecurity and augmented reality (AR) are linked when considering the need for secure AR applications in critical sectors, as well as the potential adoption of AR, and more generally extended reality (XR), to teach how to analyse and respond to cyber-physical system threats. Finally, in this project the cybersecurity and augmented reality areas are linked by the opportunity of leveraging our existing Mälardalen Industrial Technology Center (MITC), Festo Cyber-Physical Factory lab facilities, including enabling remote lab access and virtual experimentation.

Goal of the project

The ICS course modules will provide both in-depth knowledge and practical skills that prepare the students for taking key roles related to Cybersecurity in the business sector, with the emphasis on manufacturing and transportation industries. An initial module will provide an overview and orientation that is specifically relevant for managers at different levels. Additional advanced modules will be suitable also for PhD education.

The same holds for the ARIS courses, where we aim to incrementally roll-out advanced and future oriented course offerings in AR for Industry 4.0. The primary goal of these new courses is to keep relatively low prerequisites for entry, thus enabling the courses to be part of program education and also have many additional learning participants.

Activities in the project

The project is partitioned into three partially overlapping sprints, each one lasting 12 months and starting respectively on September 2020, January 2021 and September 2021, with each sprint consisting of (1) evaluation and improvement of courses from previous sprint; (2) development of new courses, and (3) offering of courses (both from this and previous sprints). Based on this, we have for each semester a mix of (a) courses under development, (b) courses developed and being taught, and (c) courses being improved.