In advance of the makeathon, a five-day development and innovation workshop, apprentices and students commenced preparatory work: an excavator was disassembled, a data survey was conducted, and a base model was constructed using CAD software. Subsequently, the participants planned the conversion process and procured the necessary components.

During the makeathon in mid-February, six interdisciplinary teams applied in practice what had been developed in theory: they installed a new electric motor, revised the hydraulic system, and renewed the energy supply, including a buffer battery and hydrogen fuel cell. The first key insight: not everything that appears viable in theory proves practicable in practice. As in professional working life, plans were revised and adjustments made.

Integrating academic learning and professional practice

The fact that the excavator could be operated for demonstration purposes using the new motor and that sand was actively excavated on site, represented a gratifying outcome for the teaching staff involved, though it was of secondary importance. Their primary objective was to enable participants to experience, through teamwork, how individual strengths and diverse areas of knowledge contribute to the collective success of the group. Overall, the makeathon strengthened the collaborative relationship between industry and higher education, whilst providing apprentices and students with a deeper understanding of the differing approaches to problem-solving in research and professional practice.