Press Releases from Fraunhofer IAO (94 total)
Getting non-profit organizations fit for the digital transformation
Fraunhofer IAO develops and tests digital solutions for NPOs in its digital laboratory
Most non-profit organizations (NPOs), such as associations, foundations and trade unions, have limited resources and scope for innovation that would allow them to exploit the potential of the digital transformation. In the “Digital laboratory for non-profit organizations 4.0” project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Fraunhofer IAO is collaborating with additional partners to…
Catalyst for sustainable cities and regions
The Fraunhofer Morgenstadt initiative highlights strategic measures that aim to achieve broad implementation of digital and sustainable urban development
Cities are some of the biggest emitters of CO2 – and that makes them a powerful lever in the fight against global warming. The team behind the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s Morgenstadt initiative recently published a position paper that aims to help German municipalities fast-track the implementation of sustainable urban development and digitalization. The goal…
Ambient factors in workplace design: How the setting influences our work
A study conducted by Fraunhofer IAO examines how different ambient factors affect the work environment.
What does it take to design a space that allows people to work creatively, with laser-like focus and a minimum of stress? In a new meta study entitled "Environmental Psychology for a New World of Work", Fraunhofer IAO has presented a systematic synopsis of the results of various empirical studies that explore the effect and design…
Envisioning tomorrow’s transportation in Germany and the USA
2049: Zeitreise Mobilität – Fraunhofer IAO and HR bring the future to life with VR
Aug 1, 2019
Scientists, businesses, and policymakers worldwide are striving toward sustainable transportation solutions that will transform urban life. Fraunhofer IAO and Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), a German regional broadcaster, have joined forces in a cross-media project to envision the future of urban transportation in both countries. Part of Deutschlandjahr USA (an initiative to promote German-American friendship), this…
Fraunhofer IAO and TU Berlin establish “Transfer Science”, a new academic di …
In order to make research results visible and exploitable for industry, politics and society, new ways of sharing knowledge and new technologies need to be found. In the joint research project “Transfer Science”, set up in June 2019 with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Fraunhofer IAO and Technische Universität Berlin are looking at ways to organize…
Mobile innovation lab for rural regions earns OECD accolades
Fraunhofer IAO’s CeRRI provides a place to innovate and promote rural regions’ participatory development – the Social Foresight Lab.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has acknowledged the Social Foresight Lab developed by Fraunhofer IAO’s Center for Responsible Research and Innovation (CeRRI) as a public sector innovation. Born of a project called Horizonte erweitern – Perspektiven ändern, or Broadening Horizons – Changing Perspectives, the lab is funded by the…
Robocabs: The mobility of the future?
Study on user acceptance for autonomous mobility concepts
Even if the technology has as yet only been tested in prototypes on test routes, autonomous driving will apparently be possible in the near future. How exactly do potential users envision such vehicles? And how high is the level of public acceptance? The Robocab study, performed by Fraunhofer IAO and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research ISOE with the support of the German Federal…
A smart approach to using parking spaces for logistics
Fraunhofer IAO, veloCARRIER, evopark and APCOA present a solution for sustainable urban logistics in Stuttgart
The consortium behind the “Park_up” project, namely Fraunhofer IAO, veloCAR-RIER and evopark, has developed a solution for sustainable urban logistics in close cooperation with APCOA Parking Deutschland. Their concept envisages the use of publicly accessible parking spaces as transshipment hubs for cargo bikes. APCOA, Germany’s leading car park operator, is implementing the project in three of…
EarthLab: Artificial intelligence and sustainability
Fraunhofer IAO organizes artificial intelligence and sustainability Forum
The Center for Responsible Research and Innovation CeRRI at Fraunhofer IAO has been commissioned by Microsoft to organize “EarthLab,” a two-day forum dedicated to examining whether the technological potential of artificial intelligence can be harnessed in the service of a greater sustainability.
Agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, water resources – the list of challenges currently facing planet earth is long and weighty. But new technologies…
INFACT has launched first trials of innovative, non-invasive mineral exploration …
Press release I October 2018 I The EU-funded INFACT project aims at combining the development and test of innovative, non-invasive minerals exploration technologies with an assessment of their social acceptance. For this purpose, three European reference sites will be established in Germany, Finland and Spain. Stakeholder consultations took place at all sites in June and early July to pave the way for first technology trials which have started in August.…
Innovation in 2030 – open, digital, systemic?
Five hypotheses on the future of innovation in Germany and Europe
By 2030, innovation will take place outside of R&D departments. Innovation processes will be comprehensively digitalized. New products, services and business models will be brought to market as integrated solutions. Knowledge will be freely available and open to all – though the advantage will be with those who can put that knowledge to good use. Europe will have established itself…
Solutions for digital working worlds
TransWork, one of the most extensive publicly funded, collaborative initiatives to investigate work in a digitalized world, is looking at how digitalization is transforming jobs across industries. Research teams have now presented the core findings of 29 projects undertaken in this priority funding category.
How do we take advantage of new technological possibilities to make work even more effective, socially tolerable and healthier? What opportunities does digitization present for process…
Food for the city - from the city
Fraunhofer IAO publishes study on urban farming
Whereas the number of people living in cities worldwide is continually growing, the already scarce area used for growing food and resources has been steadily shrinking. This disparity, however, can be partly bridged by urban farming, the practice of growing food in cities and urban areas. Fraunhofer IAO has published a study investigating how cities could benefit from locally grown food and resources, looking…
Innovative Manufacturing CRC and Germany’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft partner to …
Framework agreement to catalyse uptake of Industry 4.0 within Australia’s manufacturing industry
A framework engagement agreement (The Agreement), signed today by the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) and Germany’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, is set to significantly increase awareness and uptake of Industry 4.0 within the Australian manufacturing industry.
The Agreement establishes a broad framework governing IMCRC and Fraunhofer projects focusing on the exchange of knowledge and the proliferation of Industry 4.0 technologies and research.
Future projects…
New inquisitive mind for digital product development
Prof. Oliver Riedel joins management team at Fraunhofer IAO
Fraunhofer IAO has expanded its management team to include Prof. Oliver Riedel. Focusing on research into digital product development, he brings 25 years of research and industry experience in digital product creation and product lifecycle management to the existing leadership trio of Prof. Wilhelm Bauer, Prof. Dieter Spath and Prof. Anette Weisbecker.
Ever since doing his doctoral studies at the University of Stuttgart,…
The car of the future – sleeper cars and travelling offices too?
International comparative study on what people want from autonomous driving technology
As part of a survey involving 2500 motorists in five major markets, management consultants Horváth & Partners worked together with the Fraunhofer IAO to determine respondents’ willingness to pay and desired interior configurations for self-driving vehicles. The results are summarized in the “Enabling the Value of Time” study.
Almost half of the motorists surveyed are looking forward to a completely new…
Germans open to the idea of 3D printed organs
Final results from BR, ARTE and Fraunhofer IAO’s “Homo Digitalis” study
Many Germans are open to the idea of 3D printed organs, permanent body scans and cell repairing nanorobots as part of healthcare in the future, says an international survey conducted by BR, ARTE and Fraunhofer IAO as part of the “Homo Digitalis” project. In all, more than 22,000 respondents from Germany and France took part in the online quiz, which…
A helping (Sens)Hand
How smart technology can help with manual load handling
Due to mechanization and automation the amount of physical load work has been progressively reduced. Yet for those working in intralogistics, the manual handling of material is still very much part of the job. Partners in the “SensHand” project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), have developed a prototype glove designed to help pickers.
As…
Virtual reality conference comes to Reutlingen
IEEE VR 2018 presents the latest research findings on virtual and augmented reality
From Los Angeles to Reutlingen: in 2018, the premier international conference on virtual reality and 3D user interfaces will be held in Germany for the second time in the conference’s 25-year history. Over 500 academic and industry experts from more than 20 countries are expected to attend the 25th IEEE VR 2018 conference in Reutlingen from March 18…
Professional coordination of civil protection
In many places, emergency services struggle to recruit volunteers for civil protection duties. However, in the event of a natural disaster or other crisis situation, there is an impressive willingness to help among those members of the general public not already involved in a voluntary capacity. While this spontaneous readiness to help is welcomed, it presents a major challenge for the emergency and rescue services, such as fire services, aid…
See, understand and experience the work of the future
Fraunhofer IAO to launch hands-on activities relating to the Science Year showcasing the “Working Life of the Future”
With events, projects, interactive experiences and a series of blog posts, Fraunhofer IAO will offer a diverse range of information, hands-on activities and support services relating to “Working Life of the Future,” the motto of Science Year 2018. Representatives of business and politics and the general public are invited to participate. The program…
Corporate coworking as a driver of innovation
Three years ago, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO released “The Fascination of Coworking - Potentials for Companies and their Employees.” This study explored in depth the topic of coworking and its potential significance for companies. The recently published “Coworking - Driver of Innovation for Companies” expands on the 2014 document by examining to what extent coworking can effectively foster a company’s innovative capacity.
The study’s authors do not regard…
Launch of the world’s first online platform for digital accessibility
“DeveloperSpace” serves as a community, exchange platform, and a source of ideas both for developers and for companies
The world’s first online platform for digital accessibility has been launched. As part of the EU’s “Prosperity4All” project, DeveloperSpace is where interested parties, developers, companies, and the scientific community come together. The aim is to develop simple, cost-effective and efficient solutions for assistive technologies.
Over one billion people have no ready access to information…
Fraunhofer IAO joins “Partnership on AI“
Working together to increase the benefits of artificial intelligence for people and the workplace
Founded by big tech companies such as Apple, IBM and Microsoft, the Partnership on AI promotes collaboration and exchange on the important topic of artificial intelligence. Through its membership, Fraunhofer IAO is playing an active part in developing AI best practices and technologies to benefit businesses and society.
“Over the next few years, applications based on artificial intelligence…
Monitoring trends in the environmental technology market
Fraunhofer IAO charts a roadmap to identify future environmental technology trends
To identify the most promising trends in the lead markets “water”, “air” and “circular economy” on behalf of the German State of Baden-Württemberg, Fraunhofer IAO has developed a roadmap for the environmental technology sector in collaboration with the State Agency for Environmental Technologies and Resource Efficiency (UTBW) and the Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC) at Pforzheim University.
Environmental technology and resource…
Sharing ideas for tomorrow's digital communities
Morgenstadt Workshop 2017 provides a creative platform for urban Innovation.
The digital transformation of communal life calls for cross-sectoral thinking and solutions. The second edition of the Morgenstadt Workshop, which is to be held in Stuttgart in November 2017 and is organized by Fraunhofer IAO and Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of the Interior, Digitisation and Migration, offers a platform with many creative formats that will enable all stakeholders involved in urban and regional…
Better practice for disaster situations
Events such as the attack at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin or the train crash near Bad Aibling have shown that it is important for aid organizations, the fire service, the police, the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief, and relief agencies to be prepared for major incidents and catastrophes. Full-scale drills of mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) enable relief forces to take set pieces previously practiced in isolation, run them together and prepare…
Smart data analysis for transport in Stuttgart
Fraunhofer IAO confirms the potential of mobile network data for transport planning
The overburdening of city transport systems is becoming an increasing challenge. But before cities can take concrete action, they need to gather precise traffic data. This is often very time consuming and expensive. A study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in cooperation with Telefónica NEXT and the data analysis specialist Teralytics found that mobile network data…
Dieter Spath is new acatech president
As of February 8, 2017, Professor Dieter Spath – director of both the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) at the University of Stuttgart – is also president of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech e.V.). At a ceremony in Berlin attended by some 150 people, Reinhard F. Hüttl handed over the reins to his successor after two…
More transparency in Engineering IT
CPO certification helps evaluate openness of IT systems
Digitalization is making openness in the linking of IT solutions increasingly important. The Code of PLM Openness (CPO), developed by the ProSTEP iViP Association, supplies a concrete approach for achieving precisely that. Fraunhofer IAO has now developed an effective certification for companies, which helps them comply with the CPO criteria.
Industrie 4.0 requires intensified collaboration between various tools and systems. Only when…
Top innovative ideas for the city of tomorrow
Three winners of the “Call for Ideas” competition at Fraunhofer’s “Urban Futures” conference
As part of the Fraunhofer “Urban Futures” conference, ten selected young entrepreneurs and start-ups took to the stage to dazzle the jury and the audience with their innovative ideas. The finalists presented their concepts for the city of the future at an “idea pitch” event on November 25, 2015 to about 250 prominent representatives from municipalities, politics, business…
In the NeuroLab, Fraunhofer IAO develops emotion-sensitive human-computer techno …
With the opening of its NeuroLab, Fraunhofer IAO now has a test environment for researching neuro- ergonomical topics. It is a place where researchers are applying neuroscientific knowledge to issues of ergonomic workplace design. The focus is on assistance systems in vehicles, in human-robot collaboration, and in knowledge work. The laboratory opened on October 27, 2015, with a symposium.
What goes on in the human brain has fascinated neuroscientists for decades.…
Envisioning the production of tomorrow
Production research by Fraunhofer IAO honored with three awards at the ICPR 2015
The 23rd International Conference for Production Research ICPR, which took place from August 2-5, 2015 in Manila, was a runaway success for Fraunhofer IAO and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Both keynote speakers, Professor Wilhelm Bauer (IAO institute director) and Professor Hans-Jörg Bullinger, received a Certificate of Appreciation, and each was part of a team that scooped an Outstanding Paper Award…
“Bank & Zukunft 2015” trend survey highlights the need for banks to reform b …
Banks and the banking business are on the edge of profound change. This is the primary finding of the newly released “Bank & Zukunft 2015” trend survey. Only a fifth of the executives and managers surveyed still anticipate business to take a positive direction in the next four years. Despite this, banks continue to drag their feet when it comes to implementing innovative business models in order to tap new…
ENTOURAGE project among the winners in the German Federal Ministry for Economic …
ENTOURAGE, an interdisciplinary project involving Fraunhofer IAO, has succeeded in attracting funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) through its Smart Service World technology competition. ENTOURAGE is one of 16 successful projects selected from among 130 entries. Over the next three years it will seek to build a bridge connecting the Internet of Things with smart assistance systems.
The Internet of Things connects things, products and…
Call for ideas: New impulses for better cities
Fraunhofer Conference offers idea platform for the city of the future
What does the city of the future look like? Start-ups, cities and students will present their best ideas to prominent representatives from communities, politics, industry and research at the Fraunhofer Urban Futures Conference in Berlin on November 25 and 26, 2015. An “idea-pitch” event will determine the top three innovators.
Global developments such as population growth, climate change, urbanization, increasing energy…
FIRST EXOSKELETON FOR INDUSTRY UNVEILED
EU Robo-Mate project presents first prototype of an exoskeleton to help production workers.
Production workers often lift up to 10 metric tons of material a day. According to the Work Foundation Alliance (Lancaster, UK), 44 million workers in the EU suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Now researchers in the EU’s Robo-Mate project have developed an exoskeleton that makes loads up to ten times lighter to lift or carry. The project partners…
Simulation for civil protection
Results of the CRISMA EU project help rescue teams prepare for catastrophes
In 2012, 40 researchers, technicians and operators from 17 European institutions joined forces in the EU’s CRISMA project to develop simulation and modeling solutions that help public authorities and rescue teams prepare for crisis situations. Now to conclude the project, the consortium will present its concepts for modeling and simulation.
Chemical spills, earthquakes or large-scale emergencies – effective crisis management…
Fraunhofer researchers and industrial partners develop user-generated operationa …
How do technological developments change the way humans and technology interact in industry? And how can companies make use of these changes? As part of the HMI 4.0 joint research project, Fraunhofer IAO is working with industrial partners to develop scenarios and solutions to address these issues.
Fraunhofer IAO conducted a trend study to identify and examine crucial fields of action for making human-technology interaction successful in future manufacturing. The…
Technology that feels good
Brain-computer interface to improve interaction with technology through emotion recognition
May 27, 2015
In the EMOIO project launched at the beginning of the year, Fraunhofer IAO is working with partners from research and industry to study how they might record and classify the emotional experiences that take place when a human being interacts with a technical product. The goal is to develop emotion-sensitive assistance systems that adapt to the mood and personal…
Cooperation between Fraunhofer IAO and SIRIM, the Malaysian research organizatio …
Fraunhofer IAO and SIRIM, a research institution in Malaysia, will work together to support small and medium-sized enterprises with their expertise in innovation and technology management in the future. In December 2014, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and SIRIM signed a declaration of intent for the cooperation. The first joint project with Fraunhofer IAO kicked off in March.
The kick-off in March 2015 signaled the official green light for the first collaborative project…
Electric vehicles for Fellbach
City council switches to e-mobility following Fraunhofer IAO analysis
With eight electric vehicles currently in operation, Fellbach City Council’s vehicle fleet is now almost completely electric. In preparation for the switchover, Fraunhofer IAO scientists working as part of the elektromobilisiert.de project simulated various scenarios for systematically electrifying the council’s fleet and provided a cost and environmental analysis.
Is it possible to switch to an all-electric vehicle fleet – and if so,…
Visualizing technology networks
“ResearchLandscaping” brings together science and industry experts
Research collaborations and related networks are becoming increasingly important in developing new technologies, particularly since more and more of these activities are interdisciplinary. Fraunhofer IAO’s new “ResearchLandscaping” method makes it easier to find suitable partners.
Developing new technologies might be the mainstay of many organizations, but that doesn’t make it any less complex. A single organization developing products entirely on its own is the exception…
Milestones in Human-Machine Cooperation
Just a little over a year has passed since BBC News ranked the Robo-Mate exoskeleton at No. 2,right after the announcement of the new iPhone, and major technical progress has been made on several fronts.
A key focus of the initial twelve months of the EU-funded Robo-Mate project was to define the various production processes of end-users from different industries (e.g. automotive, automotive components, dismantling, and scrap recycling). This has allowed…
Energy efficiency you can count on
New ENBUS! smartphone app helps home owners on the way to energy efficiency
The building sector accounts for 40 percent of primary energy consumption in Europe. Home owners seeking for energy efficiency are faced with confusing and sometimes contradictory information. Now, Fraunhofer IAO has developed a smartphone app in the EU project ENBUS! that helps home owners calculate the tangible benefits of energy efficiency measures before investing.
“I’m an energy saver” –…
Best Paper Award for IAO Researchers
Team led by Joachim Lentes recognized for new product development platform.
At the APMS 2014 International Conference, Joachim Lentes and his team at Fraunhofer IAO were awarded the Best Paper Award 2014 by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). This winning paper discusses their project to create an open platform for improving information flow during product development and production.
Initiated and led by Fraunhofer IAO, the EU’s Advanced Platform for…
Distinguished for embracing equal opportunity
Fraunhofer IAO and the University of Stuttgart IAT receive “Total E-Quality” award: For the fifth time in a row, Fraunhofer IAO and its partner IAT of the University of Stuttgart received the Total E-Quality award for equal opportunity on October 24, 2014. With this title, Total E-Quality Deutschland e.V. honors companies and organizations that foster equal opportunities and practice sustainable personnel policies. The distinction is valid for three years.
High-quality services…
City of Stuttgart becomes reality lab
Research project on new forms of knowledge transfer and civic participation
Starting in January 2015, several University of Stuttgart research institutes will be investigating new forms of knowledge transfer in the applied research project “Future City Lab_Stuttgart: Reality Lab for Sustainable Mobility Culture.” It is planned to run for at least three years. The innovative “reality lab” research format is designed to make it easier to link scientific findings with policy…
EU sponsors sustainable City Concepts
European Commission nominates Fraunhofer Smart Cities project as lighthouse project
The European Commission has nominated the Triangulum project, led by Fraunhofer IAO and with the support of the Steinbeis-Europa Zentrum (SEZ), to be the lead project for the Smart Cities and Communities initiative. This project will transform designated urban districts into smart quarters in three forerunner cities and then transfer the concepts to three further cities. 23 European partners from urban…
Book release “The fascination of coworking”
Researchers shed light on the potential of new modes of working for companies
The “coworking” and “coworking spaces” phenomenon is popping up in the media with increasing frequency. Even so, this way of organizing labor and cooperation appears to be the exclusive right of the self-employed or young start-up companies. For the first time, Fraunhofer IAO examines how companies and their teams can benefit from the new approaches in the special…
