‘I am a translator between worlds’ says Mr Fix-It of innovation and AI

Robin Lück, Innovation Manager at Siemens Energy, once brought digitalisation to construction sites and is now introducing ChatGPT and Copilot into the company’s office workflows.

As a young boy, Robin Lück sat in his room in Berlin, surrounded by the scattered parts of his cable-controlled police car. Using the motor and components from other toys, he managed to modify a self-designed Lego car into a remote-controlled vehicle.

Born and raised in an environment that put an emphasis on repairing and preserving, Robin learned early on not to throw away anything he could reuse. This cycle of invention, preservation, and tinkering became a personal code – one that continues to drive him as an engineer.

Originally, he planned to leave school aged 16-17 to become a car mechanic, but his father persuaded him to continue his education.

After completing his A-levels, Robin earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, focusing on communication systems, and embarked on a career in IT project management for the technical field service at Siemens Energy – a journey that included an unusual patent.

This article is part of the Energy Workforce in Transition series, brought to you by Siemens Energy and Power Engineering International.

Follow this series to meet the Future Energy Shapers of the energy transition.

Bridging people and technology

Today, Robin not only designs circuit boards and computer chips but also develops software applications, passing his knowledge on to students.

“I was often the ‘digital guy’ among the technicians. I’m still a kind of translator between worlds,” he says. As an Innovation Manager, this dual perspective helps him introduce recent technologies into the company.

With IT in his heart and hardware in his head, Robin is also great with people. Now a father of two himself, he believes in treating everyone with respect.

“Whether I’m speaking with an executive, a student, or a field technician, it’s all about focusing on the issue at hand and maintaining a respectful dialogue.”

From the very beginning, Robin involves everyone in his ideas.

Other future energy shapers:
Cynthia Wirth: Meet the woman who sees the energy transition in 3D
Tobias Greitemeier: How hydrogen took a trainee to the future of energy
Andre Willmann: The craftsman who carved a career in gas turbines

Bringing digitalisation to construction sites 

One of these ideas came to life in the early 2010s, when Robin introduced the first steps of digitalisation to Siemens Energy’s construction sites with his ‘One-Stop-Shop’ terminal – a solution that quickly proved successful.

By 2015, he had patented the terminal for field service. The kiosk, the size of a person, featured a screen and drawers containing tablets. These tablets provided service technicians with essential digital construction plans, instructions, and protocols for tasks like the standardised maintenance of gas turbines, while also enabling digital data recording.

Thus, Robin’s invention allowed them to digitally access all necessary services in one location without having to leave their work area.

Robin explains: “Back then, nearly everything on-site was done with paper, which could easily get dirty, damaged, or lost. Without digital records, creating client reports was a challenge. Moreover, every technician had their own methods for turbine maintenance, and there was no Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT to ask for help.

“The terminal not only brought all the necessary information and quality assurance but also introduced the first digital data capture to the construction sites.”

The system remained in use for years, until iPads and modern connectivity took over. However, the software continues to live on.

From currywurst to Cloud

This invention also marked the start of Robin’s journey into networking. Once satisfied with his Berliner Currywurst for breakfast, he travelled to other countries, training field service colleagues on the new software and hardware, while refining the system based on direct feedback from the sites.

“As a young man, I found the global experience and technical variety incredibly exciting – and I still do,” Robin reflects. “Whether it’s mechanical engineering, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, mathematical models, or 3D printing – there’s so much you can do, in just one company!”

As technology evolved, so did the challenges. Today, the goal is not just to bring data to the site but also to the cloud, where it can be analysed.

In his role as Innovation Manager, Robin has rapidly integrated generative AI (genAI) into the company. Soon after the first tools became available, Siemens Energy launched a secure internal ChatGPT, thanks to Robin and his team.

He also introduced M365 Copilot and spearheaded a comprehensive genAI campaign, collecting and validating use cases across the company.

What’s next?

The inventor sees immense efficiency potential in digital technologies like AI: “Yes, we need to get energy consumption under control, but AI can improve the maintenance and operation of systems by predicting failures and optimising service intervals. Anything is possible.”

Still very much the tinkerer he was as a child, Robin is driven by a desire to make his work contribute to sustainability.

“My kids say, ‘Dad can fix anything.’ And that’s exactly how I view digital solutions – we can integrate, repair, improve, and evolve them for a more sustainable future. I’m always learning something new.”

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