"Digital and virtual product creation" (DVPE for short) describes the end-to-end IT support of the product creation process. To this end, methods and tools are embedded in all phases of the product creation process with the aim of "smart product engineering". Virtual and augmented reality, for example, serve as tools for designing and planning the modern, complex products of tomorrow.

The research objective of the specialist group is to use digital and virtual technologies to make strategic planning, product development and production management more efficient and to align processes more effectively with the desired benefits. The focus is therefore on research into the applicability and application concepts for information technologies. Examples include direct digital production using additive manufacturing and the semantic integration of product data along the product life cycle. One current research topic relates to VR in innovation management: the benefits of visual stimuli for idea generation are being investigated.

The research continuously contributes to teaching, which is divided into two parts: "Digital tools for collaborative product creation" and "Virtual and automated product creation". The first part addresses support in the process through digital tools and associated methods (e.g. model-based systems engineering, product data management, but also VR/AR). The second part delves deeper into virtualisation (e.g. simulation, digital twin) and automation (e.g. cyber-physical production systems).