Innovation

——The mobility transition has long begun. But how will our infrastructure need to change to provide space for new technologies? For Kristijan Cizmar, it all starts with the topic of energy. As the head of Energy Systems Teams at TÜV SÜD, he works on finding solutions for generating, transporting and storing energy. He is optimistic about the future for mobility in achieving net-zero emissions.

——Smaller, cheaper, safer. That is what multiple projects are promising that plan to build small-scale nuclear reactors in large numbers. Are we headed for a miniature nuclear renaissance?

——The construction industry is responsible for many unrecyclable and contaminated materials that end up in landfills while raw materials such as building sand, are already becoming noticeably scarce. Architecture and design could look towards a renewable, yet still under-the-radar resource: mushrooms.

——Apple, Google and Microsoft have teamed up to get rid of passwords. With FIDO Alliance’s passkey authentication, a sensible alternative is ready for use. On the end of an era and new opportunities for cybersecurity. 

——New opportunities on the education market: microcredentials in the form of continuing education and training courses are considered the way of the future and promise specialization over the short term. However, there is still a lack of standards.

——Completely autonomous driving will fundamentally change our world, particularly in cities. We may soon be getting around with robotaxis. They’re already out on the streets in China and the US. In Germany, the provider Mobileye is now taking the next step.

——Researchers and companies are working with new technologies to create a 3D experience for televisions, headphones—and even for cars. It could change our relationship to sound forever.

——Security makes teams more innovative: specifically, psychological security. The Swiss workplace psychologist Prof. Dr. Ina Goller has studied this concept and explains how it works.

——Thanks to a new technology, cars in the future will be able to change color at the push of a button — and thus save energy on air conditioning. The tech behind this comes from e-book readers, of all things.

——The Hubble Space Telescope has been in operation for more than thirty years and has brought humanity closer to the universe, even though its mission got off to a rocky start.

——“Vegan doesn’t automatically mean natural.” Dr. Andreas Daxenberger, Food Auditor at TÜV SÜD, explains the testing of the International Food Standard.

——Lightning causes billions in damages worldwide every year. The technology company Trumpf hopes to remedy this situation using a laser cannon.

——“A world without traffic fatalities is the Vision.”

——The world's largest seed vault currently stores around 1.2 million seed samples from more than 4,000 different plant species from 249 countries around the world.

——Intelligent robots can feel and sense just like we humans do: That's what some researchers claim when it comes to "emphatic machines." AI ethicist, Joanna Bryson, considers such a statement misleading.

——There are pressing environmental problems and technologies that could solve them. Conservation X Labs wants to build this bridge.

——Fungi and trees have been forming symbiotic relationships and sharing resources with each other for millions of years. For trees, these networks are essential for survival—but the behavior of the fungi still puzzles scientists today.

——Vaccines based on mRNA are a ray of hope during the corona pandemic. In the future, the technology could be used to conquer completely different diseases.

——Paper devours almost half of the world’s wood production. What if paper could be produced in a smarter and more ecological way?

——The advent of steam engines changed everyday life in the factories and life.

——Mr. Marshall, what do you think about...self-experimentation?

——It was once believed to work like a hydraulic machine, then researchers imagined the human brain as a telephone switchboard.