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Peter Fröhlich

"Smart systems shape our future. Let's be the architects, not the spectators."

Dr. Peter Fröhlich

Professor of Innovation Management and Embedded Systems

I'm an engineer at heart — I solve problems, build new things, and think in systems. With over 30 years in senior and executive roles with technology leaders, I've guided strategic direction by combining deep technical roots in automation and connected systems with sharp market insight and creative thinking. As a professor, I bring that real-world experience into the classroom — teaching technical foundations alongside the entrepreneurial mindset, and showing students what it means to be an engineer who shapes the future, not just reacts to it.

Explore My Work

University

Professor & Educator

Technische Hochschule Deggendorf – Deggendorf Institute of Technology

Professor for Embedded Systems since 2008, serving as Dean of the department for 11 years. Co-founder of the research institute ProtectIT and the spin-off ProtectEM GmbH. My research focuses on cyber security and digital transformation in industrial environments.

Dean 11 years
Co-Founder Institute ProtectIT
Co-Founder ProtectEM GmbH
Research Cyber Security & Digital Transformation
Embedded Systems Cyber Security Digital Transformation Industrial IoT
My university profile

Courses I Teach

Taught in both Bachelor Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor Mechatronics. Covers the fundamentals of electrical machines and drive systems, from DC motors to electronically controlled drives.

DC Machines Induction Motors Synchronous Machines Power Electronics Drive Control
Qualification Targets
Students know the key methods of motion generation based on the magnetic field. They are familiar with the essential characteristics of electrical drives and can assess the dynamic behavior of different electrical drive types. Students are able to design a modern single- or multi-axis actuator system electrically and to dimension it mechanically in its essential parameters.
Content
Fundamentals of electrical machines and drives | DC motor | Basics of rotating field machines | Electronically commutated motor | Asynchronous motor | Synchronous generator | Electromechanical energy conversion and power flow | Characteristic parameters of electrical machines | Drive system design and architecture | Magnetic field in the air gap – physical principles and effects | Electronically controlled drives (inverters, frequency converters)
Materials
Fischer R. (1999), Elektrische Maschinen, Hanser, München | Kremser A. (2004), Elektrische Maschinen und Antriebe, Teubner, Wiesbaden | Merz H. (2008), Elektrische Maschinen und Antriebe, 2. Aufl., VDE-Verlag, Berlin | Hagl R. (2015), Elektrische Antriebstechnik, 2. Aufl., Carl Hanser Verlag | Riefenstahl U. (2000), Elektrische Antriebstechnik, Teubner, Wiesbaden

Security Lifecycle Management for industrial and automotive systems. Covers cybersecurity frameworks, networked control systems, hacking fundamentals, and legal aspects of information security.

Security Lifecycle ICS/SCADA Automotive Security Penetration Testing Risk Analysis
Qualification Targets
Students learn Security Lifecycle Management for industry and automotive as a concept for seamless integration of all information arising during the security lifecycle of a plant, product, or automobile. They acquire competencies in cybersecurity frameworks, networked control systems, risk analysis for industrial plants, and business continuity management. Students can apply the security lifecycle to complex technical systems and evaluate methods, processes, and organizational structures based on technical standards, laws, and regulations.
Content
Cyber Security Framework | Networked control systems: fundamentals, ISO/OSI model, automotive communication systems, Ethernet-based protocols | Hacking fundamentals: malware analysis, Linux basics, penetration testing methodology, information gathering, exploitation | Programming revisited: C (stack, heap, CISC vs. RISC), vulnerability analysis with GDB, Python, exploits, secure coding | Law in the information society: compliance, criminal and civil law aspects, data protection, IT security law, copyright
Materials
ISO 2700x | Claudia Eckert: IT-Sicherheit – Konzepte, Verfahren, Protokolle, Oldenburg Verlag | IEC 62443 | ISO/SAE 21434 – Road Vehicles: Cybersecurity Engineering | SAE J3061 | Kersten/Klett: Business Continuity und IT-Notfallmanagement, Springer

Comprehensive understanding of the innovation process in technology-driven industries. Taught predominantly in English to build fluency in the professional language of innovation management.

Strategy Roadmapping Agile Methods Lean R&D Business Planning
Qualification Targets
Students gain a fundamental understanding of the innovation process in technology-driven industries (e.g. mechanical engineering, automotive, development and production of technically demanding goods). They are able to independently apply methods across all fields of the innovation process and transfer them to new problem domains, as well as to design and adapt the innovation process to organizational requirements.
Content
Strategy process, vision, mission, Hoshin Kanri | Product portfolios | Roadmapping, integrated roadmaps | Creativity techniques | Idea management, evaluation systems | Product development process, V-model | Agile development methods, SCRUM | Lean management with focus on R&D | Project management | Organizational structures with focus on R&D and product management | Creation and presentation of business plans
Materials
Lecture script (iLearn) | Schuh, G.: Innovationsmanagement – Handbuch Produktion und Management 3, VDI-Buch, 2012 | Granig et al.: Mit Innovationsmanagement zu Industrie 4.0, Springer, 2018 | Disselkamp, M.: Innovationsmanagement: Instrumente und Methoden zur Umsetzung im Unternehmen, SpringerGabler, 2012

Reflection and deepening of personal competencies in methodological, communication, and social skills through intensive block seminars with interactive group work.

Teamwork Presentation Conflict Resolution Self-Organization Scientific Writing
Qualification Targets
Students master methods for systematic, effective, and efficient teamwork. They can identify, analyze, and resolve team conflicts, reflect on interdisciplinary and intercultural aspects of collaboration, give and receive constructive feedback, make decisions based on structured argumentation, organize information efficiently, present content persuasively, document complex topics following good scientific practice, and develop strategies for self-organization and time management.
Content
Keynote lectures on methodological, communication, and social competencies with industry experts | Reflection and hands-on work in teams | Participant presentations with structured feedback | Presentation techniques training with video analysis | Methods for efficient information organization | Structured argumentation and decision-making training | Strategies for effective teamwork, role distribution, and conflict resolution | Intercultural and interdisciplinary communication training | Written paper on self-competence, personal competence, or social competence
Materials
Literature references are iteratively developed or suggested during the course.

Foundations of digital logic, microcontroller programming, and embedded systems development. Part of the Digital, Microcomputer and Control Systems module (M-21).

Digital Logic Microcontrollers Embedded Systems Real-Time OS Serial Interfaces
Qualification Targets
Students understand the fundamentals of digital logic, analysis and synthesis of logic networks, and their implementation in digital circuits. They can program and apply microcontrollers, integrate sensors, actuators, and interfaces (SPI, I²C, OneWire), master toolchains for embedded and industrial control systems, and address real-time requirements using synchronous/asynchronous programming and real-time operating systems.
Content
Boolean algebra and logic functions | Digital combinational circuits, sequential circuits, and automata | Digital technology implementations | Architecture of microcomputers and microcontrollers | Development process and toolchains for microcontrollers | Peripheral connection and serial interfaces (I²C, SPI, USB, RS 232) | Event handling: polling and interrupts | Analog-digital conversion, timers, and PWM | Power consumption and low-power modes | Real-time operating systems | Asynchronous programming and synchronization | Embedded real-time software development in high-level languages
Materials
Skript Digitaltechnik | Siemers/Sikora: Taschenbuch Digitaltechnik, 4. Aufl., Hanser, 2022 | Brandes, U.: Mikrocontroller ESP32, Rheinwerk Verlag, 2023 | Cameron, N.: ESP32 Formats and Communication, Apress, 2023 | Ritschel, P.: Embedded Systems mit RISC-V und ESP32-C3, dpunkt.verlag, 2023

Fundamental principles of electrical circuits, analysis techniques for DC and AC systems, electrical machines, drives, and measurement technology for mechanical engineers.

Circuit Analysis DC/AC Systems Electrical Machines Measurement Sensors
Qualification Targets
Students can identify and categorize practical electrical engineering problems based on fundamental laws, structure them for further analysis, and apply calculation methods for stationary DC and AC systems. They can identify and distinguish basic electrical machine types, evaluate the suitability of different electrical drives for given applications, and select and design appropriate drives. They can select measurement principles and sensors, design measurement solutions for practical tasks, and analyze the effects of stochastic errors.
Content
Electrical fundamentals: charges, current, voltage, Ohm’s law, work and power | DC circuits: reference arrow system, passive/active two-terminal networks, ideal/real sources, operating point, power matching | DC network analysis: Kirchhoff’s laws, series/parallel circuits, voltage/current measurement, superposition theorem, equivalent sources, star-delta transformation | AC fundamentals: periodic functions, sinusoidal quantities, complex AC analysis, ideal passive two-terminal networks with sinusoidal quantities, AC networks
Materials
Frohne et al. (2008), Moeller: Grundlagen der Elektrotechnik, 21. Aufl., Teubner | Merz H. (2008), Elektrische Maschinen und Antriebe, 2. Aufl., VDE-Verlag | Bernstein H. (2004), Elektrotechnik, Elektronik für Maschinenbauer, Vieweg

HEROES

HEROES Alliance semi-annual meeting
HEROES logo Member of the Steering Committee

HEROES – Higher Education for Resilience-Oriented and Empowered Societies – is a European University Alliance of nine practice-oriented universities of applied sciences dedicated to strengthening smart regional resilience. Funded by the EU Erasmus+ Programme, the alliance unites 120,000 students and 14,000 staff across 22 campuses in nine countries.

The alliance focuses on quality professional education, practice-oriented research, and transnational collaboration to help regions anticipate, adapt to, and recover from disruptions through digital innovation.

European University Alliance Erasmus+ Smart Regional Resilience Digital Innovation Practice-Oriented Research
Visit heroesuniversity.eu

Consulting

  • Move fast — with structures and processes built for speed
  • Stay close to the market — through Agile principles
  • Hit your targets — with project managers who own their results
  • Cut the waste — by making Lean part of the culture
  • Win — through teams that love what they do

I work with R&D leadership to redesign organizations, processes, and ways of working — from assessment through implementation.

References
  • • Supported a global medical technology leader in improving R&D performance across their full imaging portfolio — from CT and MRI to PET-CT and X-Ray
  • • Helped an automotive Tier 1 supplier cut through a convoluted product development process, making it simpler, cleaner, and significantly faster
  • • Designed and implemented a new cross-divisional R&D organization for a leading agricultural machinery company, enabling their transition to a digital precision farming strategy
  • Empower your people — with digital tools built for the shop floor, not the boardroom
  • See results fast — through agile iteration loops where motivation is carried by success
  • Connect strategy to execution — by linking management targets to tangible process improvements
  • Build capability, not dependency — your team learns the method and owns the solution
  • Make it stick — with sustainable systems that work without external consultants

I work with industrial leadership and their teams to digitally optimize production — bridging strategic targets with shop floor reality. Starting from the people closest to the process, I use agile methods and digital tools to deliver fast, tangible improvements that scale.

References
  • • Led the digital production optimization program for a leading packaging manufacturer — from IoT-based process data acquisition and real-time dashboards to LEAN culture change and predictive maintenance, with a standardized architecture designed for multi-site rollout
  • Secure by design — with multi-layered cyber security that protects both data and machine safety
  • Enable remote access — for monitoring, maintenance, and data exploitation — safely
  • Turn data into value — through smart processing and sharing with manufacturers, operators, and customers
  • Scale without regret — with a technical architecture that is cost efficient, sustainable, and future-proof
  • Define the next generation — by transforming standalone machines into connected, intelligent assets

Production machines are no longer standalone devices — they are connected data producers and consumers that can be remotely monitored, controlled, and maintained. I help machine manufacturers define and implement their digital machine strategy, often shaping the next machine generation.

References
  • • Defined the next-generation machine architecture with a global task force for a leader in beverage packaging machines
  • • Designed a secure machine architecture for a leader in medical packaging machines
  • • Evolved the security strategy with a well-recognized supplier of remote machine maintenance solutions

Projects

ExamEngineer

ExamEngineer

Framework for creating engineering exams with automatic solution generation, built for day-to-day use at THD. Define problems once in YAML — the system solves equations symbolically, tracks units, and produces print-ready exam and solution PDFs automatically. In production use across multiple engineering modules with a growing library of problems which are currently being migrated from legacy exams.

  • • Automatic solution generation via SymPy (symbolic) + Pint (units) — no manual calculations
  • • Exam randomization: define value ranges and result constraints, generates unique variants per student
  • • Reusable YAML problem library — mix, match, and override values across exams
  • • Composable content: text, equations, images, function plots, code listings, raw LaTeX
  • • Web-based frontend — create and edit problems and exams, schema-assisted editor, PDF preview, full library management
  • • Incremental Make-based builds with schema validation and multi-language support
Python LaTeX SymPy Higher Education THD Open Source
Kirchenklang

Kirchenklang

Digital organ music system for Protestant church services. Developed to bridge organist vacancies — plays hymns from the Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch Bayern in high-quality audio, controlled live via tablet or smartphone over Wi-Fi. In active use at Christuskirche Viechtach since 2024.

  • • Full hymn library with instant search by number
  • • Live control: verses, interludes, tempo & volume during service
  • • Transposition support (up to 4 semitones) for congregational singing
  • • Wi-Fi control from any browser — no app install required
Church Technology Audio Embedded Systems Web App
THermo

THermo

IoT heating controller developed at THD with colleagues from the Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics and Electrical Engineering and Media Technology faculties. Part of a campus-wide energy management infrastructure — THermo controls lecture hall temperatures based on room occupancy schedules, reducing energy waste without sacrificing comfort.

  • • Occupancy-based temperature control via PI controller
  • • 4-channel 24V valve actuator output per unit
  • • Sensors: temperature, humidity, CO₂
  • • Energy-efficient E-Paper display
  • • MQTT telemetry & remote configuration over Wi-Fi
  • • Object-oriented firmware: independent room controllers, master/slave topology, AI-ready
IoT Embedded Systems Energy Management ESP32 THD
THAV

THAV

Standardized lecture hall AV system developed at THD in response to the 2020 pandemic. Built on open, all-digital signal technology, THAV has been deployed as the university standard across ~80 lecture halls, enabling automated recording, hybrid teaching, and room-to-room video.

  • • Automated lecture recording with dual-stream video (lecturer + visualizer/whiteboard)
  • • Hybrid teaching via Zoom & Teams with bidirectional audio
  • • Room-to-room video broadcast with two-way communication
  • • Integration with Opencast video server, timetable system & iLearn LMS
  • • Chip-based lecturer identification with automatic metadata tagging
  • • NDI PTZ camera, digital wireless microphones, active speaker system
AV Systems Higher Education NDI Opencast THD
ProtectEM GmbH

ProtectEM GmbH

University spin-off from THD, co-founded in 2013. Specialized in embedded security consulting, engineering, and training for industrial and critical infrastructure systems. Business transferred to TG Alpha GmbH in 2025.

  • • Security audits & penetration testing for industrial systems
  • • Embedded hardware & software development (µC, FPGA, ARM TrustZone)
  • • Executive seminars & hands-on lab training
  • • Industrial network planning (PROFINET, OPC-UA, IEC 61850, TSN)
Embedded Security Industrial IoT Consulting Training

Personal

About Me

My life is determined by women, namely my wonderful wife and three daughters. Together with their great spouses, we cherish the time we get to spend together as family.

I collect ideas and projects faster than I finish them — from saxophone to leather working, from deep tech to executive boardrooms. My daughters claim I can do everything. The truth is, I just can't stop trying.

You might also meet me on a Sunday in one of our protestant churches, where I occasionally lead the service as a Prädikant.

Get In Touch

I'm always open to discussing new opportunities, collaborations, or just having a conversation about technology, innovation, or any of our shared interests.

info@pfroehlich.de LinkedIn Office THD

Interests

🎷 Saxophone 🎺 Trumpet 💃 Ballroom Dancing 🚵 Mountainbiking 🏠 Smarthome ⚡ Electronics 🔥 TIG Welding 🍞 Bread Baking 🧵 Leather Working 🚂 Model Railway ☕ Good Coffee 🎹 Digitize Analog Organs 🍳 Cooking ⛰️ Hiking 👗 Industrial Sewing Machines 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Family

Vita

  • ●
    Member of Steering Committee — HEROES Alliance, 2025 – Present

    Part-time involvement in the HEROES Alliance steering committee.

  • ●
    Professor — Deggendorf Institute of Technology / Technische Hochschule Deggendorf, 2008 – Present

    Professor for Embedded Systems, Projects and Research. Teaching: Embedded Systems, Basics of Electrical Engineering, Electrical Drives (Bachelor); Innovation Management, CyberSecurity (Master). Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics since Oct 2013. 50% leave of absence during the role at Hirschmann (2009–2013).

  • ●
    Managing Director — ProtectEM GmbH, 2013 – 2025

    Spin-off from THD, co-founded with Vice President Prof. Dr. Andreas Grzemba, alongside the THD institute ProtectIT. Consulting, product development, and joint research projects on CyberSecurity in industry and critical infrastructures. After an investor joined, operations were continued by former institute staff in TG Alpha GmbH (founded 2020).

  • ●
    Associated Partner — Axel Schröder & Partner, 2013 – 2016

    AS&P is a leading consultancy for R&D management. Freelance secondary activity. Project lead for consulting projects on performance improvement and organizational development in R&D. Key clients: Claas, Siemens Healthineers.

  • ●
    Director R&D / Director Business Development (CTO) — Belden – Hirschmann Automation & Control GmbH, 2009 – 2013

    Hirschmann is the technology and market leader in industrial Ethernet communication. Organizational development and integration of group companies in product innovation, M&A, and market development. Joint research project with THD resulting in two successful doctoral dissertations.

    M&A Strategy R&D / Engineering Product Management
  • ●
    Executive Consultant — Axel Schröder & Partner, 2007 – 2009

    R&D management consulting – strategy, organization structures, processes, project management, training. Key client: C. Rob. Hammerstein (CRH, now Johnson Controls).

  • ●
    Managing Director — BARTEC GmbH, 2002 – 2008

    Managing Director of the Gotteszell site (~150 employees), full P&L responsibility. World leader in innovative measurement, communication, and automation solutions for tank vehicles and process industry. Acquisition of a major project, conception and realization of a completely new hardware and software architecture for commercial vehicle automation. Industry award for a novel optical/electronic sensor principle. Mentor at Hochschule Deggendorf.

    Measurement Systems Safety & Security Software Electronics
  • ●
    Business Unit Director — Pilz GmbH & Co, 1998 – 2002

    Head of Industrial Computers & Operator Terminals business unit, full revenue and profit responsibility, reporting to the owner. Pilz is a leading provider of automation systems for safety-critical applications. Designed an integrated diagnostic and engineering architecture for all Pilz automation products. Built a software development department in Ireland for implementation.

    Safety Security Industrial Automation
  • ●
    Product Manager — IBM Deutschland Informationssysteme GmbH, 1996 – 1998

    Product Manager at Global Embedded & Production Solutions EMEA, reporting to the Director EMEA. Global organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Strategic development of a product family and partner network. Led the 'Open-Control' industry consortium with major German automation manufacturers to promote PC-based communication solutions in industrial automation. Contributed to the OSEK architecture for automotive embedded applications.

    Embedded Systems Industrial Automation Product Management
  • ●
    Research Assistant & Doctoral Candidate — University of Stuttgart – Institute of Automation and Software Engineering, 1993 – 1996

    Research assistant under Prof. Dr.-Ing. R. Lauber. Dissertation: 'Monitoring of process engineering systems using a qualitative modeling method' (Dr.-Ing., awarded July 1997, grade: very good). Teaching: Process Automation I/II, Software Engineering I/II, Control Engineering III. Design and implementation of a software system for process engineering modeling and a networked object-oriented control system for laundry machines with an industry partner.

  • ●
    Diploma in Electrical Engineering — University of Stuttgart, 1988 – 1993

    Diplom-Ingenieur in Electrical Engineering, specialization: Technical Electronics (grade: 1.6).