Autonomous Mobility Steinbeis: a Platform for Success

TRANSFER THE STEINBEIS MAGAZINE 01|20

AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY STEINBEIS: A PLATFORM FOR SUCCESS

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DEAR READERS,

“A car that drives by itself” – a big dream, and a vision that could become reality in the coming years. This isn’t something that will happen overnight, more like bit by bit, as each step of the journey gradually comes true. Assistance systems, which are already practically all around us, are using the first autonomous driving functions. Algorithms, which are capable of merging different data from sensors to form pictures of vehicles and can assess their immediate environment, are becoming more and more reliable. And this makes truly autonomous forms of mobility all the more plausible.

The focus of attention is turning increasingly to communication between humans and machines: How can a self-driving vehicle express the fact that it’s safe for me to cross the street in front of it? Many of our colleagues are working with industrial partners on research and development in this fascinating field. I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say that the “auto-mobile” is about to be re-invented.

But one thing we mustn’t lose sight of is that “autonomous vehicles” are not just about automotive technology. It’s important to develop suitable operational infrastructure, including so-called Car2X communication. This will involve looking into and adapting potential business models. Will people actually want to own their own self-driving vehicles or will this all, almost in passing, somehow result in ownership scenarios based on groups of users? And last but not least, these developments raise important legal issues: Who is responsible if one of these vehicles does something wrong?

Dear readers, we’re used to driving our own cars and sitting at the steering wheel ourselves. Our cities and transportation infrastructures are set up this way; entire branches of industry depend on this for their existence. The sweeping transformation that will be made possible by self-driving vehicles and other forms of autonomous transportation cannot and should not be rushed. One thing that still needs to happen is for all sections of society as a whole to discuss and understand these new formats of technology – as well as the opportunities and threats they entail. So let’s start with a small step: In this edition, Steinbeis experts take a detailed look at the topic of autonomous mobility. They do this by presenting the projects they are working on and adopting a position on key questions of our time. I wish you a fascinating read!

With kind regards,

PROF. DR. PETER NEUGEBAUER (author) We regret to announce that Prof. Dr. Peter Neugebauer passed away shortly after writing this editorial in April 2020. We would like to express our sincere condolen- ces to his family and friends.

Prof. Dr. Peter Neugebauer was in charge of the Steinbeis Transfer Centers for Automotive Testing and Automotive Engineering at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, where he worked in a variety of fields related to vehicle diagnostics, electronics development and testing, and embedded software. He was also managing director of the Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility at the university and professor of vehicle electronics.

www.steinbeis.de/su/1457 | www.steinbeis.de/su/1893

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03 24 EDITORIAL “OUR VISION IS TO CREATE SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, AND FASCINATING MOBILITY” An interview with Dr. Andrej Heinke, Vice President of Corporate Fo- resight and Megatrends at Bosch FEATURE TOPIC

28 AUTONOMIZATION: REALITY OR (STILL) FICTION? 08 The principles behind autonomous aircraft “THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THAT ROUTINES AND CONVENIENT PRACTICES WILL NEED DISMANTLING” An interview with Professor Dr.-Ing. Jochen Baier and Professor 32 Dr.-Ing. Oliver Taminé, experts at Mobility and Logistic, the Steinbeis GRASPING TECHNOLOGY: EXPERIENCING AUTONOMOUS Transfer Center FLYING HANDS-ON Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute organizes event to promote wider public acceptance of new technology 12 IT’S ALL ABOUT NETWORKS Moving closer to autonomous driving in the Lake Constance region 36 “PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE IS IMPORTANT IN ESTABLISHING EMERGING TECHNOLOGY IN THE LONG TERM” 16 An interview for TRANSFER magazine with entrepreneur “YOU HAVE TO SET UP THE SYSTEM IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT Dr. Csaba Singer TAKES ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT” An interview with Professor Dr.-Ing. Markus Stöckner, Steinbeis 39 Entrepreneur at the Steinbeis Transfer Center Infrastructure THE DRONE ALWAYS RINGS TWICE Management in Transportation (IMV) What potential do drones offer when it comes to autonomous deliveries? 19 GREENCITYLAB: VISIONARY MOBILITY SOLUTIONS TESTED 42 IN REAL SETTINGS “IT’S IMPORTANT TO REALLY MAKE SURE EVERYONE’S ON BOARD Engineering autonomous mobility solutions requires WHEN IT COMES TO THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE” new approaches to developing urban spaces An interview for TRANSFER Magazine with Mirko Drotschmann – alias MrWissen2go (“MrKnowledge2go”) 22 “IT’S IMPORTANT TO PUT TECHNOLOGY TO THE BEST POSSIBLE 44 USE, TO SAVE TIME, MAKE THINGS MORE FLEXIBLE, AND REFUSE TO CRASH – AUTOMATION IN CIVIL AVIATION FOSTER SUSTAINABILITY” The Institute of Flight Mechanics and Controls at the University of An interview with Sven Göth, CEO & founder of the Stuttgart conducts research into the challenges faced when Digital Competence Lab programming aircraft to fly autonomously

46 NUMBER ONE PRIORITY: PROTECT THE TROOPS The opportunities and risks associated with using autonomous aircraft for military purposes

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CROSS-SECTION 68 “LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN ALLOWS US TO GIVE CITIES BACK TO THE PEOPLE” An interview with Dr. Wolfgang Seeliger (Leichtbau BW) and 50 Beate Wittkopp (TransferWorks BW, the Steinbeis Transfer Center) LOSS OF CONTROL AND ACCEPTANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY about the future potential of lightweight design The Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute investigates why technological developments often “get the cold shoulder” 72 LESS TALK, MORE ACTION! 53 RE-THINKING THE ENERGY INDUSTRY WELDED SAFE AND SOUND Steinbeis experts join forces with The Impact Farm and organize a Steinbeis experts develop non-hazardous and environmentally sprint competition on behalf of two energy agencies aimed at identi- friendly processing and machine technology for producing fying new ways to digitalize the energy industry welding powders

75 56 HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS WILL POWER THE FUTURE “IN GERMANY, PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE FAILURE OF E-MOBILITY AS BEING AT FAULT.” Steinbeis 2i supports project partners optimize automotive An interview with Bert Overlack, managing director of fuel cell systems bert.overlack GmbH

78 60 NEW RELEASES FROM STEINBEIS-EDITION ENTERPRISE COMPETENCES X.0: MASTERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION A look back at the 2019 Steinbeis Competence Day 80 PREVIEW & SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

64 81 BECOME AN INNOVATION CHAMPION! PUBLICATION DETAILS Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing offers free concept checks to SMEs and startups

66 AIRTIGHT ISN’T ALWAYS AIRTIGHT Steinbeis experts develop test rig for measuring cleanroom equipment.

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020

AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY

Like most people, you’ve probably sat in a car or bus and wondered what it will be like traveling around in several years or decades.

Getting from A TO B without actually steering a car yourself, relying on a vehicle to take on the most important aspects of driving itself … the kind of SCENARIO you see in lots of modern science fiction films. Yet the stuff of the far-off future also now seems to be almost WITHIN REACH. What OPPORTUNITIES, but also what CHALLENGES will these developments pose for us? How important will it be for society to change the way it thinks?

All Feature Topic articles of this issue can be found on the following pages.

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“THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THAT ROUTINES AND CONVENIENT PRACTICES WILL NEED DISMANTLING” AN INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR DR.-ING. JOCHEN BAIER AND PROFESSOR DR.-ING. OLIVER TAMINÉ, EXPERTS AT MOBILITY AND LOGISTIC, THE STEINBEIS TRANSFER CENTER

Mobility is undergoing a transformation. But where is the journey taking us? What should we expect the future of mobility to look like? And will the future we envisage actually be achievable? TRANSFER spoke to Professor Dr.-Ing. Jochen Baier and Professor Dr.-Ing. Oliver Taminé, both closely involved in the topic of sustainable mobility and mobility concepts. The two experts are convinced that the propensity of people to try new things and break the mold will be just as important as the actual technologies that will shape the future of mobility solutions.

Hello Professor Baier, hello Profes- Level 2 autonomy (with lane departure sor Taminé. The future of mobility warning systems or automatic parking) looks autonomous, safe, sustainable, up to Level 3 (with the vehicle driving it- gentle on the climate, efficient, and self in certain situations) and Level 4 affordable. Is this a future that is ac- (with the system driving continuously) tually achievable? and then Level 5 autonomy (with no driver input required anymore, or even a Jochen Baier: steering wheel) will still take many years. Let’s start with autonomy. Autonomous driving is not something that’s going to The second consideration is security. As happen from one day to the next, it will vehicles and the infrastructure become be an evolutionary process. Getting from increasingly connected, more risks ari-

© istockphoto.com/chombosan Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 10 FEATURE TOPIC » AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY IS NOT SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT, IT WILL BE AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS.

se, for example due to 5G and the inter- Last, but not least, there’s the question is where future mobility will go more in faces it connects up. IT security will lead of affordability. A number of factors the direction of bicycles and, first and to new challenges, so things like attacks have to be taken into account here. For foremost, efficient municipal trans- on vehicles from hackers become con- instance, electric motors are more portation. In rural areas, it’s extremely ceivable. On the other hand, sensors and straightforward to build and they involve expensive to offer municipal travel algorithms will make autonomous ve- far fewer parts than combustion engines. everywhere. Approximately half of all hicles safer than they are now. Furthermore, fossil fuels are always mo- expenses are for personnel. So auto- re difficult to source so they will beco- nomous buses offer one potential way to The other point you asked about is sus- me even more expensive in the future. reverse the trend in public sector travel tainability. The state government of So in that respect, we can expect prices in rural areas. This technology could Baden-Wuerttemberg has come up with to go down. But what we can’t predict is significantly expand mobility options. an extremely fitting definition for sus- the impact that growing demand for tainable mobility by setting a target: electricity will have on prices, or the You spend a lot of time looking at Transportation should largely shift to demand for the resources that will be the topic of mobility management. renewable energy by the midway point required, such as lithium or cobalt. What requirements are arising in of the century, and new formats of mo- this area as a result of the current bility should be promoted. This will also For transportation to operate auto- trend toward autonomous mobility? contribute to a culture of multimodal nomously and sustainably, not only transportation. does it require the right technology, Jochen Baier: it also needs a change of thinking in Mobility management can basically be Oliver Taminé: society. Where do you think the big- broken down into business and public If we think about mobility options that are gest challenges will be with all this? sector mobility management. For bus- better for the environment, there are a inesses or employers, it opens up many number of energy sources that can be Oliver Taminé: potential opportunities: Examples of this used without causing harm – water, wind, The biggest challenge will be that rou- are company-owned, autonomously ope- and sunlight. Solar energy and the wind tines and convenient practices will need rated cars and autonomously driven can be harnessed with wind turbines and dismantling. People won’t always need shuttle buses taking workers to and photovoltaic equipment in separate loca- their own car. Sharing concepts are a from work. Business mobility manage- tions, so they can be used directly for perfectly viable option, especially in in- ment is an important ingredient of com- environmentally friendly transportation. ner-city areas. There could be a lot of pany operations, so it will become an robotaxis around in the future and for increasingly important instrument in Making mobility efficient is first and fo- many, they’ll be a viable alternative to attracting and retaining workers. remost about the efficiency levels, which owning your own car. In rural areas, are much lower with combustion engines electric vehicles will replace cars with Oliver Taminé: than with electric motors. So future mo- combustion engines mainly because of The requirements that affect public bility will be much more efficient, and it personal infrastructures – garages, sector mobility management are goals, will also be more energy-efficient than carports, and/or solar panels. transportation planning, and reliability. mobility is today. Planning will also be- The goals of public sector mobility ma- come a lot more efficient thanks to cer- Jochen Baier: nagement in the future – especially if tain forms of IT, such as artificial intel- We’re already seeing more and more it’s based on autonomous technology ligence. cars being squeezed out of cities. This – will mainly revolve around travel po-

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licies, although environmental factors car sharing. For example in urban areas, will also play an increasingly important parking zones can be managed care- role. Examples of this are zero-emis- fully to limit the number of cars owned sion and, if necessary, autonomous ve- by individuals. But one aspect that it’s hicles in inner-city areas: Transportation important to consider in this is that the planning has to carefully consider the different modes of transportation de- fact that environmental planning will pend on high levels of connectivity. If also play a more central role in urban people switch to a different form of planning. The reliability of mobility con- transportation, it has to be quick and cepts will also be an extremely import- information on the ‘chains’ of transpor- ant factor in an age of autonomous dri- tation has to be transparent and acces- ving, since new concepts will only sible to passengers. This should also become established if they have been apply to rural areas. From an environ- sufficiently evaluated and are continu- mental perspective, future mobility must ally available. be 100% achievable using renewable energy. This is where politicians have The pressure to change is already par- an important role to play, because mi- ticularly noticeable at municipal trans- xing electricity sources with coal-fired portation companies due to the skills power is not enough for people who gap – especially driver shortages. Auto- want sustainability. nomous vehicles would bring improvements in this area. Oliver Taminé: Overall there are two conceivable sce- The mobility of tomorrow will be narios: a large number of privately ow- dictated by individualization, con- ned autonomous vehicles, continuing to nectivity, urbanization, and neo-en- be only used occasionally; and publicly vironmentalism. What changes will owned autonomous vehicles, or ones PROF. DR.-ING. JOCHEN BAIER mobility management need to un- on a shared basis. [email protected] (author) dergo today to be in tune with the Steinbeis Entrepreneur trends of tomorrow? Steinbeis Transfer Center Mobility and Logistic (Furtwangen)

Jochen Baier: www.steinbeis.de/su/1922 Today’s mobility is shaped by personal car ownership. Of course cars are highly versatile and ideal for individuals, but on average we only use them for one or two PROF. DR.-ING. OLIVER TAMINÉ hours a day. The autonomous mobility [email protected] (author) options of the future will have to take Steinbeis Entrepreneur this liberty into account. If people want Steinbeis Transfer Center Mobility individual solutions, in essence this need and Logistic (Furtwangen) could or already can be met by offering www.steinbeis.de/su/1922

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IT’S ALL ABOUT NETWORKS MOVING CLOSER TO AUTONOMOUS DRIVING IN THE LAKE CONSTANCE REGION

Autonomous driving is not an entirely new concept. Autonomous vehicles have already been used in farming, manufacturing, and dockland areas for quite some time. Logistics centers are increasingly turning to driverless vehicles. While these examples demonstrate the potential of autonomous driving on private property or restricted areas, preconditions are substantially different when it comes to driving on public roads and a lot of progress is still needed in technological, legal, and social terms. Steinbeis Enterprise IWT Wirtschaft und Technik is working in collaboration with the city council in Friedrichshafen and the company ZF Friedrichshafen AG on an initiative called the Friedrichshafen test bed. The project allows the city north of Lake Constance to assess, accompany, and move forward with the development towards autonomous driving in the public realm.

First route

The SAE classification system describes The region north of Lake Constance is Current Route the development towards autonomous home to industries along the entire Inner city driving on six levels. These range from transportation supply chain, from ae- Pedestrian zone fully manual vehicles driven by an ac- ronautics to the automotive industry. As tual driver, to driver assistance, semi- a result, the mobility sector is extreme- Extension automation, and fully automated sys- ly important to the region to this day. To the university campus tems. By law, cars in Germany are only As part of the Friedrichshafen test bed allowed to drive on public roads up to initiative , IWT Wirtschaft und Technik, a Infrastructure implementation in planning Level 2 – i.e. on a semi-automated basis member of the Steinbeis Network, is with the driver always being in charge. looking at ways to forge networks bet- Shifting up to full automation will require ween companies and other regional a large number of technological incre- stakeholders working in the field of climate protection, fuel economy, emis- ments entailing comprehensive testing mobility, thus making an important sions, financial, and time factors as well and simulation. Other factors such as contribution to the innovative power of as technical transformation due to in- future mobility concepts, legal frame- the wider area north of Lake Constance creased interconnectedness of humans, works, user requirements, and accep- (Bodensee-Oberschwaben). things and devices in terms of digitiza- tance also have to be taken into account. tion and automation. At the same time Any change in mobility preferences the need and demand for mobility is in- WRITING MOBILITY HISTORY brings about sweeping changes in creasing. IN THE LAKE CONSTANCE REGION technology, infrastructures, and related areas. It also entails a fundamental Mobility should always be available to Friedrichshafen is destined to become change in culture and society; in turn, everyone. This right to mobility requires a city of future mobility solutions and this creates stronger demand for new new traffic concepts, such as intermodal thus a location for testing and further mobility concepts. Changes in mobility and multimodal transportation, the “last developing automated and connected are thus not a new phenomenon. No- mile,” car sharing, carpools, etc. The driving. Ever since the first Zeppelin netheless, the entire industry has been increasing level of connectivity of peo- airship took to the skies over Friedrichs- undergoing radical change for some ple, technologies and infrastructures is hafen, companies by the lake have been years now. This is clearly reflected in an important factor. These changes pose closely involved in transportation topics. the issues that have arisen relating to both new challenges and opportunities

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Current and planned routes covered by the test bed

to industries and people. For the Lake Infrastructure (BMVI) since 2018. It in- zone (green line), and to the university Constance region, the IWT is helping cludes a federal highway running through campus Fallenbrunnen (red line). The with these changes as part of a concept the city, significant parts of downtown test bed thus covers different types of called “The Mobility of the Future”, span- Friedrichshafen, and the pedestrian zo- areas and traffic factors that are import- ning several projects, initiatives, and ne. The city council has also approved ant for testing and trying out technology measures, one of which is its open la- an extension to connect the university in public traffic – e.g. roads with different boratory – the “test bed for automated campus at Fallenbrunnen with the IWT, speed limits from walking pace in the and connected driving in public realm,” the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative pedestrian zone to 30, 50, and 80 kph or for short: the Friedrichshafen test bed. State University (DHBW), and Zeppelin zones, city roads, a federal highway, and University. a tunnel. The route running through THE FRIEDRICHSHAFEN TEST BED: Fallenbrunnen campus is also equipped CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED IN The test route measures 5.5 kilometers, with testing infrastructure provided by THE PUBLIC REALM running through the city center with a DHBW Ravensburg on the Friedrichs- link to route 31 federal highway (B31). hafen technology campus, thus offering The test bed has officially been regis- The route (see Image 1) also runs past companies, universities, and communi- tered as “digital test bed for connected a variety of industrial zones (yellow line, ties the possibility to not only to test new and automated driving” with the Fede- launched in 2018), through the city cen- types of technology, but also to accele- ral Ministry of Transport and Digital ter (blue line), through the pedestrian rate development.

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Control centre Transportation infrastructure Partner and developer network

Test bed server (cloud/edge) RSU

Safety & Security

Connectivity Users

Connected and automated driving (V2X) – schematic diagram. Source: authors

The Friedrichshafen test bed is already ted onto a DHBW vehicle. Its job as the a variety of stakeholders from small and equipped with roadside units (RSU) first application setup was to receive medium-sized enterprises to major which can be used for testing purpo- RSU signals on the Friedrichshafen test corporations, universities, public ent- ses. These RSU are part of the signa- bed. In a next step, information and sig- erprises and organizations, and others. ling equipment, sending current and nals will be presented on a display panel. Collaboration is open in terms of parti- future traffic light phases (SPaT mes- cipation and the topics covered, span- sages, i.e. Signal Phase and Time) and CREATING VALUE BY WORKING ning different sectors of industry and digital road topology data (MAP mes- TOGETHER disciplines. The priority when it comes sages). These RSU form part of the re- to (ongoing) development and innovation search and testing, as is the ETSI ITS- The complexity of future autonomous is to test, simulate, research, and deve- G5 extension. The DHBW Ravensburg driving – and thus the complexity of the lop concepts for vehicles to communica- unit based on the Friedrichshafen tech- current test bed – lies in the number of te with each other, as well as focusing on nology campus also has a lab vehicle interfaces between individual systems, the technical infrastructure. with its own RSU and onboard unit (OBU). sets of equipment, and stakeholders. These play an important role in vehicle This “system of systems” requires close To identify further topics, IWT organizes communication when it comes to data coordination between individual nodes meet-ups of the “connected car” wor- exchange between vehicles moving within the network. Road users, infras- king group on a regular basis, to which around within the network, and they tructures and vehicles continuously ex- regional and other interested compa- are also used as part of projects con- change data and information. Allowing nies, researchers, developers, and scien- ducted with DHBW students and pro- vehicles to drive autonomously in the tists are invited. The research focuses fessors. The aim of these joint projects future requires real-time exchange of on communication between different ve- is to develop new concepts, to come up authenticated and reliable data. hicles and the technical infrastructure with innovations, and to research and (vehicle-to-X communication, or V2X). try out emerging technology. A demons- To implement projects in practical terms, Issues or topics subsequently discussed tration module for OBUs has been fit- the IWT is focusing on collaboration with and adopted in projects include appli-

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» FRIEDRICHSHAFEN WAS ALMOST DESTINED TO BECOME A CITY OF FUTURE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS AND A LOCATION FOR TESTING AND INTRODUCING AUTONOMOUS DRIVING.

cations and/or specific use cases in the ready technology is applied within the panies, industry, and the community context of smart infrastructure (IoT, IoE), context of transportation, with topics plays a decisive role in innovations that control centers for autonomous driving, such as artificial intelligence, machine will one day be part and parcel of how digital applications aimed at improving learning, AR and VR, and secure and we will get from A to B. mobility systems, developing new mo- authenticated data transfer. bility formats, concepts, and services, the testing and development of new The Friedrichshafen test bed has delibe- technologies, cross-sector collabora- rately been set up as an open initiative tion on mobility topics, and issues rela- to ensure it remains accessible to busi- ting to user requirements and user ac- ness enterprises, universities, and com- ceptance. Other research topics include munities. As a result, it represents an data models, big data analysis and linked open opportunity to test, simulate, and data, and specific technological develop- collaborate on technology, especially for ments carried out on sensors, actuators, small and medium-sized enterprises. and microprocessors. Another import- Openly exchanging ideas and sharing ant factor is how established future- technology between universities, com-

CELINA HERBERS DAVID PIETSCH [email protected] (author) [email protected] (author) Companies and universities are welcome to take part in this pro- Business unit manager, Innovation, Innovation manager for mobility Knowledge and Technology Transfer IWT Wirtschaft und Technik GmbH ject. For further information, visit IWT Wirtschaft und Technik GmbH (Friedrichshafen) testfeld-friedrichshafen.de. (Friedrichshafen) www.steinbeis.de/su/1790 www.steinbeis.de/su/1790 www.iwt-bodensee.de www.iwt-bodensee.de

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“YOU HAVE TO SET UP THE SYSTEM IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT TAKES ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT” AN INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR DR.-ING. MARKUS STÖCKNER, STEINBEIS ENTREPRENEUR AT THE STEINBEIS TRANSFER CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT IN TRANSPORTATION (IMV)

Autonomous driving is about a lot more networks. The road space must be cle- driving vehicles? Will “analog” ro- than just vehicles that operate autono- arly defined and recognizable. This can adside equipment be replaced by ot- mously. The transportation infrastruc- be achieved for example with road mar- her systems for autonomous driving? ture also has to meet new requirements. kings, which already provide important Professor Dr.-Ing. Markus Stöckner, an orientation when finding your way around It will also be impossible to imagine dri- expert at the Steinbeis Transfer Center during conventional driving. You’ve pro- ving in the future without such equip- for Infrastructure Management in Trans- bably been driving along a section of ment. For the moment, the existing portation, spoke to TRANSFER about highway yourself when the lines sud- equipment is enough for the more tasks that have to be taken on and the denly disappeared. Depending on how straightforward systems. Vehicles with challenges that have to be overcome. fast you’re traveling, it doesn’t take long so-called driver assistance systems are to lose your bearings. It’s different with already able to read signs and speed Hello Professor Stöckner. What de- autonomous driving because the visibi- limits or help passengers maintain the mands does autonomous driving lity requirements regarding road mar- right distance from vehicles in front of place on transportation infrastruc- kings are even higher. The same ap- them. But if you think beyond the hori- ture? plies to recognizing and locating traffic zon, you realize that it makes sense to signs. Vehicles also need digital models get things like traffic light systems to I think first you have to determine what of road spaces to gain their bearings. interact with vehicles. For example, it the term autonomous driving actually For example, they’re fitted with rotating would make sense for switching sequen- means. Do we mean semi-autonomous lasers to generate high-precision mo- ces or traffic information to be shared so driving, or do we really mean fully au- dels for comparison and orientation pur- autonomous vehicles can react them- tomated driving in complex project si- poses. But the problem comes with selves. But if you look at the investment tuations and/or complex driving scena- costs, not just in terms of initial outlays costs this would entail, in financial terms rios? On a fundamental level, the more but also for maintenance so they conti- this is a gargantuan task. demands placed on automatic driving, nue to function over time. The inevita- the more demands are placed on the ble consequence of this is that asset Self-driving cars pose new challen- infrastructure. There are three import- management systems will need to be ges in terms of road safety. How im- ant aspects to this: the road space with developed. portant will it be to develop road its particular geometry, “roadside equip- networks strategically? ment” – things like signs and light sig- It would be impossible to imagine nals – and then the technology for driving without traffic lights or road Public debate regarding road safety will transmitting information using mobile signs. What will it be like for self- already be a big challenge. You just need

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 18 FEATURE TOPIC » ON A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, THE MORE DEMANDS PLACED ON AUTOMATIC DRIVING, THE MORE DEMANDS ARE PLACED ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE.

to look at the current accident statis- les, but also make things sustaina- tructure by optimizing traffic flows, tics. In recent years, there have been ble and environmentally friendly. while at the same time we do what we around 3,300 deaths per annum on the What’s the best way to achieve this? can to reduce the number of accidents. roads in Germany. Justifiably, public That will solve some, although not all scrutiny focuses on accidents involving That’s a complex question, and there’s of our problems. But we’ll need to have people riding bikes when vehicles turn no straightforward answer to it. A col- all these problems fully solved for the right, people driving too fast in down- league of mine at Karlsruhe University transportation infrastructure to func- town areas, or the occasional accident of Applied Sciences, Christoph Hupfer, tion properly in the future. So in those that’s already happened with semi-au- once said in an interview that “it’s no terms, self-driving vehicles do make tonomous vehicles. But that doesn’t use if we’re standing in traffic being an important contribution, even if we change the task we face of making the energy-efficient.” It’s a short statement, still have many challenges to solve – roads safe, which will mean signifi- but there’s many a truth in it. Just look but we will solve them. cantly reducing the number of deaths at the traffic in a city like Stuttgart in and injuries – although actually they the morning or evening rush hour. The should be avoided altogether. These roads are bursting at the seams and the are fundamental ethical issues we face public transportation network is also in society, and with self-driving vehic- approaching breaking point. But you’re les we will need to discuss them again. no better off sitting in traffic in a self- What will happen if we have mixed traf- driving vehicle. So we need to go one fic on the roads – non-autonomous ve- step further and see infrastructure as hicles alongside autonomous vehicles? a complex system that can be optimized Are we willing to accept self-driving ve- with different subsystems. We’re alrea- hicles having accidents? Sure, one could dy achieving this by dovetailing diffe- do something like reserving certain rent municipal mobility options – using road sections for autonomous vehicles bicycles and pedestrian routes, or dif- in the strategic planning of road net- ferent sharing projects like car sharing. works. But I think we have to look at You have to set up the system to take highly complex systems not just from economic, environmental, and social the standpoint of technology, but also factors into account. That’s our task, from a societal perspective before we and beyond the usual kind of partisan PROF. DR.-ING. MARKUS STÖCKNER make the answers too simple for our- thinking, there’s still some room to find [email protected] (author) selves. a happy medium because we’re going Steinbeis Entrepreneur to have keep on this journey to work up Steinbeis Transfer Center In the future, the transport infras- new mobility concepts. Self-driving ve- Infrastructure Management in Transportation (IMV) (Bruchsal) tructure should not just make it hicles can contribute to the overall sys- possible to use autonomous vehic- tem within the transportation infras- www.steinbeis.de/su/1284

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 19 © Wideshot GmbH, Wien

GREENCITYLAB: VISIONARY MOBILITY SOLUTIONS TESTED IN REAL SETTINGS ENGINEERING AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY SOLUTIONS REQUIRES NEW APPROACHES TO DEVELOPING URBAN SPACES

Even if it is unclear how much time it will Green City Experience, and a variety of would no longer be considered a bad take to introduce transportation options municipal stakeholders. Together, they thing. But whether it’s a regenerative that are genuinely autonomous, under want to explore the opportunities crea- or a hypermobile city, whenever a new some scenarios progressive autonomi- ted by automated vehicles in the area vision comes along it creates insecurity zation will result in the introduction of of parking, loading vehicles, sharing and leaves plenty to the imagination in completely new driving systems. How vehicles, and logistics – while also mi- terms of what might happen next. will this change usage behavior and the nimizing the potential risks posed density and design of urban spaces, as when experimenting in a public space. Municipal stakeholders working in trans- autonomous cars enter more and more portation and urban planning currently areas of modern life? To look more clo- Imagine no longer having to focus on lack important information to make a sely into this complex area, the Stein- tasks associated with driving while tra- move or take decisions regarding the beis Consulting Center for Technology veling in a vehicle – time takes on a types of autonomous vehicles that will Promotion & Project Financing has joi- completely new meaning. It could even catch on, both in the medium and long ned forces with the Ferdinand-Stein- cause people to re-evaluate where they term. For the municipal and regional beis-Institute, urban planners from choose to live, since long commutes stakeholders of politics, public adminis-

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 20 FEATURE TOPIC

GREATER ACCEPTANCE THANKS TO A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Development of the GreenCityLab is based on a method called co-creation. This involves both stakeholders and decision- makers, spanning three phases: co-design, co-production and co-evaluation. For the first phase, the GreenCityLab is developed based on stakeholder participation (co-design). Working with local residents, different scenarios are developed, which can then be brought to life using innovative methods from the field of VR. This gives a good impression of what each scenario could look like in reality. To decide which potential option should be implemented, a working group © Wideshot GmbH, of experts is involved and it is especially Wien important to talk to affected stakeholders to allow their needs, wishes, and expectations to flow directly into the implementation phase. By involving different parties in concept development and discussing issues using detailed models tration, transportation, and the real es- expectations of the future to be used as of future scenarios based on images, the tate industry, certainty is a crucial in- a basis for planning. The process makes debate regarding urban development gredient when it comes to planning. This it possible to ensure that product de- and transportation planning shifts away is especially the case when adapting velopment and testing of the product in from planning based on ideologies, transportation infrastructures and plan- the GreenCityLab focuses more closely theories, and abstractions. Instead con- ning housing, which involves a long-term on key issues. It also makes estimating cept planning becomes an integrated approach, also taking regulations and the market potential of innovative mobi- approach aimed at finding solutions ba- funding into account. lity solutions much more specific, be- sed on open outcomes, citizen partici- cause a real-world laboratory is a test pation, fairness, democracy, transpa- The experts from Steinbeis are planning site and test market in one. rency, and sustainability – driven by a real-world laboratory called Green- innovative thinking in a business-friendly CityLab in collaboration with their pro- This gives municipal stakeholders a re- manner. ject partners. The idea is to try out highly liable foundation for assessing the na- automated and autonomous concepts in ture and timing of any influences autono- Once different scenarios have been the fields of mobility and logistics in an mous driving may have on the planning programmed into the system, these can actual downtown area of a city. Ideally, of parking lots, cycle tracks, crossroads, be “experienced” directly on location they will use the Schwanthalerhöhe dis- sidewalks, interchanges, etc., and this using a VR headset. For example, users trict of Munich for the GreenCityLab. enables them to be better prepared. can simply walk around the district. The Roughly 30,000 people live in the area. system can be used in any location and Two key instruments in securing the thanks to VR technology, the process is What’s innovative about the approach success of the GreenCityLab initiative both mobile and scalable. The VR simu- with this experimental area is that be- are gaining higher acceptance for the lation opens the door to a new approach fore testing the highly automated and new solutions (based on an interdisci- to information sharing. Actively expe- autonomous system as a finished solu- plinary process using virtual reality) and riencing something in a digital space tion, the experts conduct a participation setting up an open platform for a multit- makes it possible to look at things from and feedback program using virtual re- hematic, inter- and multimodular mo- a whole variety of perspectives, and this ality. This allows stakeholders’ explicit bility system. creates a better understanding not just

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 21

DOMAIN 1 DOMAIN 2

Partner and Partner 1 Partner 3 Business Partner 4 Viewpoint Partner 2Partner 5

Usage Viewpoint

...

Functional Viewpoint OPEN PLATTFORM

Implementation Viewpoint

FSTI, Based on IIRA (IIC18) © Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI)

Levels of the cross-domain ecosystem

of the project itself but also of other options themselves on an app. This functionalities offered through plat- stakeholders. opens the door to new fields of applica- forms operated by stakeholder compa- tion and business potential, and it’s im- nies and state bodies, it becomes pos- After the VR simulation, users are sur- portant to ensure that these are trans- sible to develop further solutions, veyed and probed for ideas and further lated into economically viable concepts. resulting in an integrated ecosystem questions. This creates an increasingly based on open internet technology. detailed picture of future expectations Laying down open standards as a fun- and wishes. The project team can then damental requirement not only ensu- pull all feedback together, process it, res that opportunities can be exploited use these insights to set priorities and, with respect to connected mobility so- ultimately, implement specific scenari- lutions and urban development, but al- os in the GreenCityLab. so allows any other stakeholders in the HELMUT HAIMERL [email protected] (author) ecosystem to exchange ideas and use AN OPEN PLATFORM FOR USE AS data provided for their services, in all Steinbeis Entrepreneur Steinbeis Consulting Center A MULTI-THEMATIC, INTER- AND areas of the system. “This enhances Technology & Project Funding MULTIMODULAR MOBILITY SYSTEM interoperability, enables new business (Munich)

models, and raises the competitiveness www.steinbeis.de/su/1535 Thanks to emerging ICT (AI, 5G, block- of all companies involved,” explains chain), it is now possible to integrate Steinbeis expert Oliver Damnik. innovative transportation technology in- OLIVER DAMNIK to actual infrastructure on location. To Data-driven services aimed at new va- [email protected] (author) do this, an end-to-end connected eco- lue creation scenarios can be develo- Associated Expert system is set up and put through its ped on all levels of the automation pyr- Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute paces, involving not only key partners amid, also making it possible to control (FSTI) (Stuttgart) www.steinbeis-fsti.de from industry and research but also a physical objects used in the urban trans- broad selection of pooled services, de- portation infrastructure – with proces- www.steinbeis.de/su/1212 www.steinbeis-fsti.de livering benefit under different appli- ses and IT systems consistently focused cation scenarios. Users can then be all- on this infrastructure. By using existing owed to try out different urban mobility platforms and combining these with RAUNO ANDREAS FUCHS [email protected] (author)

Managing director Green City Experience GmbH References (München)

M. Maurer et al. (Hrsg.), Autonomes Fahren, DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-45854-9_11, ag.greencity.de/experience © The Editors and the Authors 2015

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“IT’S IMPORTANT TO PUT TECHNOLOGY TO THE BEST POSSIBLE USE, TO SAVE TIME, MAKE THINGS MORE FLEXIBLE, AND FOSTER SUSTAINABILITY” AN INTERVIEW WITH SVEN GÖTH, CEO & FOUNDER OF THE DIGITAL COMPETENCE LAB

Sven Göth, an expert in the future worlds of work and living, believes that for companies to remain successful in the future, they have to think about the future now. Göth took a look at the future of mobility for TRANSFER. He feels certain that it will be shaped by a whole variety of new mobility options, even if a difficult journey lies ahead not just for companies but also for consumers. The ideal blend of mobility options will boil down to the right infrastructure, people, and their mobility requirements at each specific location.

Hello Mr Göth. You spend a lot of time and – depending on what this looks like cities that are highly digitalized, but looking at the issues that affect the – will I still need my own car? Owner- there are others where people won’t future. What do you think the future ship will drop significantly compared to travel around without their cars. of mobility holds for us? How auto- usership in this area. We’re already se- nomous will mobility be? eing signs of this happening today, but Are German businesses prepared things are still not positioned properly for these developments? And what I imagine the future of mobility, thinking when it comes to efficient or user-op- about consumers? specifically 10 to 15 years from now, to timized implementation. Similarly, we be a question of location and perspecti- need clear statements regarding mo- Prepared? Yes and no. On the one hand, ve. Rural areas will be totally different bility – on a political and public level – the carmakers, the cities, and the poli- from urban centers with respect to the such as what will happen in the cities. ticians are making moves to establish mobility options on offer. IT infrastruc- The reason I say this is that there are the right conditions for the mobility op- tures and the volume of people wanting certain issues that still need to be ad- tions of tomorrow. But on the other, peo- to travel will dictate the availability of dif- dressed to plan the infrastructure for a ple are still quite confused about the ferent options. Everyone seems to be tal- high volume of users, especially if we change that’s coming and the conse- king about Mobility as a Service at the want to meet expectations when it co- quences it will bring in terms of credible moment, but it’s a one-off idea and you mes to service, sustainability, and con- implementation. I see the same thing can’t promise to deliver something like venience. So mobility will become ex- happening with consumers. The adop- that across the board in a country the si- tremely diverse in the next decade. tion rate is still quite manageable in the ze of Germany. We’re most likely to have We’re already seeing some big diffe- cities, where there’s a good offering of access to a new selection of mobility rences in the mobility options offered alternative solutions, although some alternatives in the big cities, and this within states and certain cities. In so- services like e-scooters and ride-sha- raises a question: What will the blend me areas there are autonomous bu- ring (like MOIA) can have limited capa- of travel options be like in the future ses, trains, and cars driving around, or cities, so this weakens the user benefit

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 23

and ultimately reduces usage levels. Japan. Drones also offer tremendous system if they deliver the best possible There’s not yet the right mixture of mo- potential, in a number of areas. For in- benefit for all stakeholders in a given bility options, which you need in an urban stance, they can improve the flow of traf- location. This is where doing things like setting to make proper use of the sys- fic going from downtown locations to the integrating Hyperloop into the railroad tem, just as you do in rural areas. And airport. Drones can also be useful in ef- network becomes conceivable. I don’t this situation will be different in every ficiently moving certain objects around. think we’ll be lacking in alternatives city since the infrastructure, populati- The boss of EHang, the drone producer, when it comes to mobility options, even on, and mobility requirements are also flies to the office in Shenzhen every day. autonomous mobility. I envisage an ex- different. What we need to do now is But to do this, you need the right regu- ponential leap forward in developments start testing and trying out different al- latory framework. It’s also important in over the next ten years, because the ternatives in suitable settings to plan such areas to define how these soluti- most important technologies have all mobility for the future based on expe- ons should be used in terms of certain reached a level of sophistication for us rience. I think ultimately, there’ll be a criteria such as sustainability, the be- to work on leveraging their potential variety of public transportation options, nefits, and planning horizons. In some together, or enhancing their potential. especially in the cities, since this is whe- areas, I see the progress that’s being Quantum computing will also have a big re you can achieve the most synergies made as extremely positive, although it impact on mobility, because it will make and the most important data you need won’t be that expedient if everyone’s it possible to simulate and improve traf- for public transport is already coming flying around in their own private dro- fic flows in parallel. together there. nes in the future. That’s not my vision of the future. Mobility is a fundamental What do you see as the biggest chal- Most people think about autonomous aspect of our day-to-day lives. It’s im- lenges in making autonomous mo- cars when you ask them about auto- portant to put technology to the best bility a reality? nomous vehicles, but there are also possible use, to save time, make things autonomous trains and autonomous more flexible, and foster sustainability. That’s an easy one: networks, security, aircraft. What role will these modes Ultimately, alternatives enrich the eco- and our faith in technology! of transport play in the transportation ecosystems of the future?

From a general perspective, aside from SVEN GÖTH [email protected] | [email protected] (author) airborne vehicles, autonomous trains are probably the field autonomous mo- Futurist I Keynote Speaker I Expert | CEO & Founder Digital Competence Lab bility can be achieved the most quickly in. They already have fully autonomous www.digitalcompetencelab.de www.svengoeth.com trains running in the railway network in

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“OUR VISION IS TO CREATE SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, AND FASCINATING MOBILITY” AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. ANDREJ HEINKE, VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE FORESIGHT AND MEGATRENDS AT BOSCH

Dr. Andrej Heinke’s job at Bosch is to make the seemingly impossible possible. He makes plausible assumptions about the future and travels the world investigating them. As a result, he is highly familiar with the topic of modern travel solutions – mobility – in both theoretical and practical terms. Heinke talked to TRANSFER about the road safety aspects of autonomous and automatic driving, the changes these will necessitate when it comes to infrastructure, and autonomous flying. Despite many risks and challenges, he strongly believes that autonomous mobility will be safe and efficient in the future.

Hello Dr. Heinke. How important are “autonomous” factors for the mobility been, cars are becoming a new kind of concepts of the future, especially given Bosch’s slogan: Invented for Life? fully connected assistant. Bosch’s port- folio means that it’s prepared for diffe- Bosch’s aim with automated driving is to make the roads safer. Nine out of every rent types of developments like no other ten accidents are caused by human error. Providing drivers with specific help in technology and service company. unclear situations or completely taking on the task of driving for them can save lives. Also, existing resources like space, time, and energy can be used more effi- The first step toward autonomous dri- ciently because if you get high enough market penetration of automated vehicles ving has already been taken at Bosch. they can be synchronized more. Since 2019, cars have been able to find their way without being driven to par- The population is growing so there’s more traffic on the roads. By 2050, there king spaces in the garage at the Mer- could be three times more cars on urban roads. According to an international cedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, and survey conducted by Capgemini, the management consulting company, one in two then park themselves. This makes it consumers would like to drive an autonomous vehicle that takes the task of driving possible to fit up to 20 percent more off their hands and steers them through traffic. Bosch is currently developing a vehicles into the same area. This form variety of solutions for personal travel and goods transportation. Our vision is to of automated valet parking has been create safe, sustainable, and fascinating mobility. To do this, we need solutions to made possible by intelligent parking ga- be personalized, automated, electric, and connected. rage infrastructure supplied by Bosch. The system revolves around communi- The CEO of Bosch, Volkmar Denner, defined the strategic direction when he said ty-based parking: Bosch takes on the that Bosch is more than cars. We’re leveraging the entire technical scope of the search for a parking space by allowing corporation to introduce innovative mobility solutions – things like connected parking, cars to automatically notify the cloud automated driving, or apps for multimodal transportation and electric vehicles. that their ultrasound sensors have de- Not only do we make driving easier, safer, and more comfortable than it’s ever tected empty parking spaces as they

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 25

Practical test in California © Bosch

drive past. Drivers are then shown the nearest empty parking space on their navigation devices and they’re guided straight there – which saves time, fuel, and frustration. At the same time, this helps reduce air pollution and traffic jams in urban areas.

What do you see as the biggest challenge in turning motor vehicles into actual “auto-mobiles”?

Understanding the opportunities and threats involves a lot of factors. Let me give you an example. Bosch and Mer- cedes-Benz have been working together on the development of automated driving solutions for cities and have started a pilot project in San José in Si- licon Valley looking at hitch-a-ride services using apps. This involves an automatically driven S-Class Mercedes-Benz. Under the supervision of a safety driver, autonomous cars travel back and forth A flying taxi © Bosch

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Open technology: affordable and minimized-emission mobility using mixed propulsion from Bosch © Bosch

between the district of West San José As more and more autonomous driving autonomous cars. This is because to and the center of the Californian city, is introduced, human failings will be cen- transfer the responsibility for driving along the main travel artery of San tral to how quickly new technologies gain back to the driver after traveling on a Carlos Street and Stevens Creek Bou- traction, especially during the transition highway, for instance, a car needs to be levard. The test should provide Bosch phase – things like people nodding off sure that the driver isn’t sleeping, rea- and Mercedes-Benz with further inva- at the wheel, getting distracted, or not ding the news, or writing emails on a luable insights for developing their au- using their seat belts. To avoid hazar- smartphone. If you fall asleep for just tomated driving systems in keeping with dous driving and, if possible, accidents, three seconds at 30 kph or look at your SAE Level 4/5. The business partners cars will therefore no longer just moni- smartphone instead of the road, you’ll also expect to gain an understanding of tor the roads, but also the driver, the have traveled 42 meters in the meanti- how to integrate autonomous cars into front-seat passenger, and others in the me – running blind. Many people unde- intermodal transportation systems, dra- vehicle. Bosch has developed a new sys- restimate how dangerous that is. A wing on the example of public trans- tem for monitoring car interiors with ca- study by DA Direkt and infas quo found portation resources and car sharing. meras, plus artificial intelligence (AI), that roughly ten percent of accidents which should be ready for mass produc- are caused by distractions or fatigue, Autonomous cars can potentially impro- tion in 2022. That’s when safety tech- and the number one distraction overall ve safety with their permanent 360-de- nology will become standard in new ve- is the smartphone. The Bosch system gree monitoring systems, especially in hicles in the European Union, doing things for monitoring car interiors uses an in- heavy inner-city traffic, and because like warning drivers if they’re tired or built camera in the steering wheel to they travel in a uniform manner they getting distracted. The EU commission detect if the driver’s eyelids are start- can improve traffic flow. For automatic expects its new safety requirements to ing to drop, or he’s distracted, or his driving to become everyday technology, save more than 25,000 lives by 2038 and head is turned to the front-seat pass- it has to be reliable and function safely. avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries. enger or someone on the back seat. It’s not just about the automated vehicle Thanks to AI, the system uses this in- itself winning people over, but also how Looking inside the vehicle will also solve formation to work out what’s happe- it dovetails with urban transportation. a fundamental problem experienced with ning. Depending on the preferences of

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 27

the car manufacturer or statutory re- better at reading taxiing signs and iden- process data on the immediate surroun- quirements, it warns the driver if he’s tifying obstacles on the ground, day or dings of cars and airplanes. This will not paying attention, recommends he night. To do this, Airbus is testing a la- include sensors monitoring the sur- take a break, or even slows down the ser system based on lidar. The taxiing, roundings of vehicles, lidar or radar vehicle. The new Bosch system also take-off, and landing stages will pro- sensors, and microprocessors for pro- thinks about driver comfort. The inter- bably be automated first. cessing information. The electronics ior camera detects who is sitting in the will convert recorded data into control driver’s seat and adjusts the rear-view But there are also risks involved when commands for downstream components. mirror, seat position, steering wheel you automate things. Pilots have alrea- These could be car brakes or steering height, and infotainment settings to in- dy become so dependent on autopilots systems, or units controlling the en- dividually stored preferences. The ca- that they’re beginning to forget funda- gine of a flying taxi. mera can also be used to control the mental procedures, ignore them, or infotainment system with hand gestu- even unlearn them because too much Bosch is also taking steps to address res or the eyes. responsibility is being delegated to au- another requirement that affects new tomatic systems. You just need to think mobility concepts: the use of high-re- Automatic mobility is not just res- about how dependent you become on solution maps. To do this, shares have tricted to certain vehicles – it’s al- the navigation system in your car. Who been bought in the maps company HE- ready been introduced to some ve- still uses a map these days, or simply RE Technologies in order to work toge- hicles on tracks. Airplanes are also drives an unfamiliar route based on in- ther on a manufacturer-independent starting to go autonomous. How long tuition? solution. The idea is that vehicles should do you think it will take for this to share traffic information gathered by become a reality? New mobility concepts require chan- their sensors so that maps can be up- ges in the infrastructure. What do dated in real time. There are also po- Most airline passengers don’t realize you think the most important mile tential fields of application for such so- how little of the time the pilots are ac- stone will be for this? lutions beyond the transportation space tually still flying the aircraft themsel- – such as connected factories, where ves. In a survey quoted in the New York Transportation options will always be accurate maps of indoor areas can help Times, airline captains flying Boeing more varied in cities. People walk, ride automate and coordinate material flows. 777s were recorded as saying that on bicycles or electric bikes, travel by bus the average flight they only control the or train, or use their own cars – and in airplane for seven minutes – and that the future they’ll also ride in autono- was in 2015. With Airbus aircraft, it was mous vehicles. In urban areas, autono- even only three minutes. Pilots do the mous flying taxis or drones could be take-off and landing, and the rest of used to transport people or urgent pro- the time they’re monitoring the autopi- ducts and medicines. All of these ap- lot. Some of the very latest combat air- plications need powerful sensors and craft and all drones can either be flown control systems, and these also need automatically or allow themselves to to conserve as much energy as possible. be controlled remotely. Airbus is tes- This is precisely where the publicly ba- ting commercial aircraft in research cked OCEAN12* project comes in, which simulators with just one pilot in the involves 27 partners from all around cockpit. It’s still not known whether Europe from the fields of semiconduc- this idea will enter airline operation – tor technology, electronics, aeronauti- and if so, when. But if things can be cal technology, and automotive engi- made safer versus flying with two pi- neering. Together, the aim is to develop lots in the cockpit, it will be introduced sensor systems to use in autonomous quickly. Human error is the main cause driving and flying. Bosch heads up the DR. ANDREJ HEINKE [email protected] (author) of air accidents. AI systems will trans- 14 organizations that make up the Ger- late instructions issued by air traffic man consortium. Together, the project Vice President Corporate Foresight and Megatrends control into text, without misunders- partners will develop different types of Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart) tanding anything, and multispectral energy-efficient components by the www.bosch.de on-board camera systems will be even end of 2021. These will capture and

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 28 FEATURE TOPIC

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 © istockphoto.com/narvikk FEATURE TOPIC 29

AUTONOMIZATION: REALITY OR (STILL) FICTION? THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND AUTONOMOUS AIRCRAFT

“We know what you want” – the tagline used by author Marc-Uwe Kling in his novel, QualityLand, for an online e-commerce platform called TheShop. Data evaluations predict what customers actually want – consciously or subconsciously. Products are then sent to them by drones, without even needing to place an order. And as they open the package, the “unboxing” is filmed. This video is then immediately posted online through a platform called Everybody. Finally, customers rate their experience on a touchscreen held up by the drone. [1] We’re not a million miles away from this sci-fi scenario, especially given current rates of technological development. Companies like Amazon and DHL are already working on a reliable system that will make it possible for drones to make deliveries.

The term for the underlying principle From a holistic standpoint, systems are business information systems is the im- that will make such concepts possible driven by macro-level goals of self-op- plementation of (sub-)processes in busi- is autonomization. According to Kant, timization and self-preservation. There ness according to these three features. autonomy was tantamount to “sensible are three features of an autonomous For this to work, different types of digi- self-determination,” whereby the free- system that can be derived from this. tal technology and information systems dom to make decisions is subject to The system’s actions are self-determi- can be used, and these facilitate sys- certain rules. Autonomy is measured ned and self-organized, and it has the tems comprising agents whose role is according to a specific environment – power to take action; to achieve this, a to make use of autonomous processes. the place in which individuals define system gives itself an identity or is pro- This is the case if, for example, an auto- themselves or act with self-determina- vided with one by a system designer; and nomous smart home system orders tion in order to fulfil their sense of pur- it interacts within a trusted network something by itself, books medical ap- pose. It thereby revolves around indivi- according to global governance dicta- pointments, or adjusts the air-condi- duals’ norms and rules. [2] When ting system interactions. [3] tioning in a house to make things com- systems interact with their environ- fortable for occupants. The system ments, they organize themselves wit- The Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute’s de- organizes things itself to achieve this hout relinquishing self-determination. finition of autonomization in the area of and interacts with stakeholders in a Systems use interactions with their environment to expand their sphere of influence and they exploit potential through multi-dimensional interactions. They attempt to achieve self-defined goals by deciding which data to use, by processing and evaluating un- » structured data, and by adapting deci- “ACCORDING TO KANT, AUTONOMY sion-making structures. They strive to safeguard their own power to act and, IS TANTAMOUNT TO ‘SENSIBLE if possible, extend it. According to scientific definitions, autonomy can be SELF-DETERMINATION,’ WHEREBY THE extended to include the ability to re- FREEDOM TO MAKE DECISIONS IS main functional in unknown environ- ments. This ability is referred to as ro- SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RULES” bustness and it necessitates a certain ability to self-organize.

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trusted space at home using its own self-learning identity. It carries out valuable trans- actions itself and reacts flexibly to unknown situations according to consis- (AUTONOMOUS) tent system behaviors. PROCESS LEVEL

Introducing autonomous processes requires a large volume of data which then needs to be analyzed. With data-driven approaches, models are developed DIGITAL LEVEL based on heterogeneous, multi-dimensional data records. These are required to make the information available that is needed to make decisions and thus carry out processes autonomously. PHYSICAL LEVEL Compared to mathematical methods, data-driven methods make it possible to assess larger volumes of data spanning multiple factors – the type of in- Autonomization: model showing different levels formation generated by the advent of the internet of things. In comparison to automation, with autonomous (sub-)processes, unstructured decisions have to processing and evaluating large vol- In the future, collaborative drones could be made. Systems decide for themselves umes of multi-dimensional data, and become components within systems which factors and information sources adapting the system’s own decision- that will take on a variety of tasks ac- should be included to make a decision. making structures (= self-learning). cording to the principles of self-deter- A bility to take action: This refers to how mination and self-organization. As un- These may differ depending on the con- systems implement decisions while manned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones text and time factors and different out- interacting with their environment and offer an important complement to comes may be achieved for different safeguard their robustness. manned aircraft because they can be clients despite similar maximization used for dangerous missions, but also premises. This contrasts to structured People want to come up with systems monotonous tasks. Examples include decisions, whereby the same outcomes for introducing autonomous processes using UAVs to access remote locations may be achieved for different clients in many areas. But it is difficult to work in disaster areas, carry out inspections, despite similar maximization premises. out whether they mean autonomous, au- or transport goods in bad weather. [5] Technologies such as deep learning and tomated, or digital systems when they The aim in the future will be to raise distributed ledger offer potential ways say this, because there are so many dif- the automation levels of manned air- to achieve the principle of autonomiza- ferent definitions. craft to provide pilots with support, or tion. The FSTI is looking into these tech- even take on tasks as autonomous UAVs. nologies in order to develop concepts DRONES – AUTONOMOUS AND Accordingly, airspace will be a mixture aimed at autonomization. Accordingly, AUTOMATED of manned aircraft and UAVs. This will experts at the FSTI interpret the three require coordination mechanisms, and features of autonomization thus: According to Nicholas Horbaczewski, progress will be dictated by the matu- the founder of Drone Racing League, rity levels of emerging technology. S elf-determination: Systems define drones will have the same ability to their own goals and (sub-)processes cause disruption as smartphones. They The system architecture of a UAV com- for achieving goals in keeping with can transport objects short distances prises one or several on-board comput- their own rules and standards. into areas that are difficult to access. ers containing software for controlling S elf-organization: This comprises the From delivering packages to helping with flight electronics. The number of on- selection of factors and data sources medical emergencies, there are a vari- board computers depends on the re- for unstructured decision-making, ety of ways to use drone technology. [4] quired level of modularity and partition-

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ing. There are also sensors and actuators on board to allow drones to self-learning be steered and propelled. Then there is a special unit for interpreting sensor (AUTONOMOUS) Unboxing Order Delivery video is data. Defined actions are then carried PROCESS LEVEL captured out by actuators. Drones also contain communication systems so they can interact with other objects or units on the ground. They have special systems for carrying out controlled landings in DIGITAL LEVEL an emergency. [6] In his novel, Marc- Uwe Kling expands this physical level of drones by adding a digital level so they can immediately make complex decisions based on data models. On PHYSICAL LEVEL the digital level, the flight system in QualityLand uses different types of digital drones and other data sources to carry out autonomous processes – Autonomous flying (schematic representation) including weather data, a shopping da- tabase, and a platform called Every- body. Each step of the process, from ordering to shooting the unboxing vid- Uber’s aim with Uber Elevate is to op- ther development. Nonetheless, the sit- eo, is self-selected, self-organized, and erate flights between fixed points using uation is less complicated with autono- carried out by the system itself, which autonomous and electric technology. mous aircraft compared to developing has the power to act as it needs to. Uber Air is an on-demand service offer- autonomous road vehicles, because air- Events within this process are not fixed ing flights on adaptable routes. [7] Such space is highly regulated – there are according to a rigid timeline; the sys- projects require further development fewer unknown variables to take into tem plans steps itself to adapt to the when it comes to autonomization, how- consideration (like pedestrians). [8] One changing situation – it’s a self-learning ever, in order to provide suitable auton- thing we can be sure of, however, is that system. omous aircraft. some things will never change: “Could you possibly look after these two pack- Projects like Uber Elevate and Uber Air Technological concepts such as the in- ages for your neighbors?” [1] will allow Uber to experiment with air ternet of things, artificial intelligence, transportation for the next five years. and data processing will also need fur-

References

[1] Cf. Marc-Uwe Kling, QualityLand, Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, 2018, Seite 18

[2] Cf. Kant 1968, BA 87, Buss 2011

[3] Cf. Littlewood 1996, Froese, Virgo and Izquierdo 2007

[4] Cf. https://medium.com/foursquare-direct/in-ten-years-the-future-of-ai-and-ml-fa68a527f378 DANIEL BURKHARDT [5] Cf. https://www.dlr.de/ft/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1377/1905_read-3360/ [email protected] (author)

[6] Cf. https://www.dglr.de/publikationen/2018/480238.pdf Research Assistant Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) [7] Cf. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/uber-elevate-ambitions-flight-sharing (Stuttgart) [8] Cf . https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/5-trends-emerge-in-gartner-hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies-2018/, https://www.itworldcanada.com/blog/5-trends-on-gartners-hype-cycle-for- www.steinbeis.de/su/1212 emerging-technologies/423379 steinbeis-fsti.de

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GRASPING TECHNOLOGY: EXPERIENCING AUTONOMOUS FLYING HANDS-ON FERDINAND-STEINBEIS-INSTITUTE ORGANIZES EVENT TO PROMOTE WIDER PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

Let’s Talk Technology* – this was the invitation sent by the Ferdinand-Steinbeis- Institute (FSTI) to readers of the 2/2019 edition of Steinbeis TRANSFER magazine. Going by the motto #techourfuture, since November 2018 experts from Steinbeis have been working on a project called Technologie*Begreifen (Grasp Technology) backed by the Baden-Wuert- temberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing. The aim of the initiative is to foster more openness to future technological developments. Just The aim of the #techourfuture initiative gies and the products they lead to are how, was tried out on November 16, is to foster an understanding of technol- good per se, but instead encourage 2019, when the FSTI organized its first ogy among the general public to allow everyone to think more about and be- #techourfuture event on “The Future people to make informed decisions re- come more involved in new technolo- of Autonomous Flying – Over the Coun- garding future developments. The ex- gies, before they jump to conclusions try and People” at the Technik Museum perts at Steinbeis are not attempting to or are swayed by one-sided reporting in Sinsheim. convince others that all new technolo- the media, for example.

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WHY “TECHNOLOGY*”?

Most emerging technology is not just based on an individual form of technology, instead it results from different technologies merging into one. For example, with autonomous aircraft that may be a combination of lightweight materials, AI control mechanisms, and energy-efficient technology. The word Technologie* in the German title of the initiative is about combining any number of technologies to come up with new applications – resulting in different societal and business models.

The #techourfuture initiative is about vious research findings have shown nological developments, such as a he- sharing knowledge beyond the realms of that reservations about new technolo- lium-filled aircraft called h-aero® and technological know-how and encourag- gy – especially the increasing preva- the Emqopter delivery drone. The event ing people to make their own minds up lence of digital solutions and autono- location was set up with a series of about the nature and use of new technol- mous systems – can be explained by a “tech stops.” These allowed visitors to ogy – and thus play an active role in concern that people perceive a “loss of find out more about the current and fu- helping to shape the future. The experts control.” (For further information, see ture application areas for unmanned at the FSTI are setting up panel sessions also page 50) aircraft and talk to experts from differ- to discuss certain topics, providing an ent specialist fields about the fundamen- experimental forum to introduce mem- Around 50 people of different ages and tals, opportunities, and risks of flying bers of the public to recent technologi- professional backgrounds responded objects. In the afternoon, the visitors cal developments, not only in ways that to the invitation to come to Technik Mu- were invited to take part in workshops are understandable to laypersons, but seum Sinsheim and “talk technology.” and “get creative” by going through their also in an objective and factual manner. The forum on November 16, 2019 was own application scenarios and visions the first #techourfuture event, this time of the future of autonomous flying. One important priority for the FSTI as a looking at The Future of Autonomous research institution is not just to share Flying – Over the Country and People. Their findings were demonstrated after- knowledge, experience emerging tech- wards in short video presentations and nology, or shape visions of the future, Over the course of the day, the partici- discussed by the experts at the event. but also to evaluate technology accept- pants watched live demonstrations and The event was moderated by Mirko ance from a scientific perspective. Pre- even got to try out the very latest tech- Drotschmann, alias MrWissen2go

26 06 20

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(“MrKnowledge2go”), who also intro- The majority of respondents also con- duced the audience to interesting ex- firmed that they now have a better amples and discussed intriguing issues grasp and overview of the technology relating to autonomous flying. looked at during the day. Some participants suggested that more time should DR. MARLENE GOTTWALD [email protected] (author) The FSTI received positive feedback be set aside for the interactive ses- about the event. The participants com- sions with the #techourfuture experts, Senior Research Fellow Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) pleted a post-event survey and gave and FSTI will ensure this is the case at (Stuttgart) particularly high scores to the way the the next event on June 26, 2020 on the www.steinbeis.de/su/1212 technology topics were presented, the Pforzheim University campus. The www.steinbeis-fsti.de interaction with experts, and the possi- next #techourfuture day will deal with bility visitors were given to add their the future of medical technology, ex- PROF. DR.-ING. DR. H.C. NORBERT HÖPTNER own ideas and visions. Around 80 per- plore the impact Technology* has on [email protected] (author) cent of the participants said that the our health, and discuss any changes Research Fellow event had improved their understand- that are likely to happen when it comes Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) ing of the application opportunities for to healthcare systems. (Stuttgart) the technology. www.steinbeis.de/su/1212 www.steinbeis-fsti.de

TO REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE SECOND #TECHOURFUTURE EVENT AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE INITIATIVE, GO TO WWW.TECHOURFUTURE.DE

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#TECHOURFUTURE NOV 16, 2019 | TECHNIK MUSEUM SINSHEIM AUTONOMOUS FLYING TECH TOUR

Tech Stop: People Transportation | Prof. Dr. Michael Decker, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) What if we could simply fly to work? Flying cars are no longer the stuff of science fiction movies – they could also solve our traffic problems! But is the technology ready yet? And what impact would this have on life in the city or people in rural areas? What are the possible application scenarios? Maybe private flying cars? Or perhaps flying taxis? Answers to these questions and many more were provided at the People Transportation tech stop.

Tech Stop: Delivery | Marvin Bihl, Emqopter The Delivery tech stop was presented by Emqopter, a young company that deals with the production and development of autonomous technology used in unmanned flying robots. These include the delivery drones made by Emqopter itself – the first of their kind in German airspace. These drones are capable of transporting small parts autonomously, flexibly, and efficiently. The Delivery tech stop allowed visitors to find out more about the complex collision avoidance technology surrounding delivery drones and techniques used to identify suitable landing areas. It was also an opportunity to experience a delivery drone at close quarters.

Tech Stop: Safety and Regulation | Simon Kennert, Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Transport Who is actually responsible for controlling autonomous drone traffic, and where should autonomous aircraft be allowed to fly? To understand these issues, one has to look closely at the fundamentals of legislation and understand risk assessment. These were the topics looked at by the Security and Regulation tech stop, including the legal framework for operating unmanned aircraft.

Tech Stop: Earth Observation | Dr. Csaba Singer, Hybrid-Airplane Technologies Can autonomous aircraft help protect the climate and the environment? Visitors to the Earth Observation tech stop were shown how environmental issues can be dealt with by using flying technology (which is also sustainable in itself). Dr. Csaba Singer explained how h-aero® devices combine the advantages of a helicopter with those of an airplane and a balloon. Not only can they take off vertically (unlike an airplane), they can also turn mid-air “on the spot” and hover. Experts from h-aero® were also on hand to answer questions on the many different usage scenarios of sustainable weather monitoring and explain how the technology can even be used for the early detection of forest fires.

Tech Stop: General Aviation | Vincenz Frenzel, Institute of Flight Mechanics and Controls, University of Stuttgart From Stuttgart to Atlanta – without a pilot? The General Aviation tech stop allowed visitors to find out everything to do with current developments in the field of automation with a bearing on general aviation. Firstly, the reasons for automating certain processes were explained, including the possibilities this creates. Then Vincenz Frenzel explained the difference between autonomous flying and highly automated flying. To explain current developments more vividly, a short video was shown on landing aircraft automatically in general aviation.

Tech Stop: Military Use | Dr. Olaf Theiler, Bundeswehr Planning Office A “third eye” for the troops – the military use of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): Introducing drones to military operations instills fear among many people, but it is also misunderstood. This is partly due to the complexity of the topic and the myriad potential usage scenarios. For the German Federal Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, drones are crucial for defense purposes, but others with a disregard for international law and the constitution see completely new potential in drones as an offensive weapon. The Military Use tech stop dealt with three topics. Olaf Theiler illustrated the complexity of the topic, from reconnaissance drones steered by humans to “automated” attacks from swarms of drones. He then showed how the Bundes- wehr and other military forces currently use drones for reconnaissance purposes, early warning systems, and air support, also providing an overview of anticipated developments. And finally, the tech stop was a good opportunity to show video sequences demonstrating the concerted use of autonomous aircraft.

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“PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE IS IMPORTANT IN ESTABLISHING EMERGING TECHNOLOGY IN THE LONG TERM” AN INTERVIEW FOR TRANSFER MAGAZINE WITH ENTREPRENEUR DR. CSABA SINGER

Image you could analyze any location on Earth from the stratosphere, or closer, using a device that works on wind and solar energy. Imagine internet access and communication throughout the whole world at a much lower cost, creating much less space junk than is possible with current satellites. Imagine economical, unmanned aircraft completing the kinds of extended missions that currently have to be undertaken by manned helicopters and airplanes. To do this, the solution would need to be adapted – and adaptable. This was the challenge taken on by Dr. Csaba Singer with an unmanned aerospace system called h- aero®. Singer was invited to the #techourfuture event in Sinsheim as an expert guest. We met up with him for an interview for TRANSFER magazine.

Hello Dr. Singer. You’re already useful for every individual – and that fu- feeling that people are being watched achieving some visionary things with els acceptance. But to do that, you also or spied on. Then there were the ques- your aerospace system. Why do you have to explain things to people because tions we were asked at #techourfuture believe it’s important to inform so- new technology often comes hand in in Sinsheim: Why are you even allowed ciety about future technologies in hand with even more complexity, so it to fly over people? And what’s the dif- parallel to your work, and make sure isn’t necessarily understandable to ference between your flying device and others are on board? some people. a drone? You could see this as a kind of prejudice, but that’s precisely why we Similar to becoming disenchanted with What kinds of concerns do you en- always take demonstration materials politics, people can become disenchant- counter in your work regarding with us so we can explain things to ed with technology, and this can hamper emerging technology? people and try to allay their fears. emerging technology achieving widespread adoption. People have a tendency Reservations about our technology Do you also encounter the same to be skeptical about change – unless, aren’t so much the problem. If any- fears people have with drones, that that is, something new results in something, the problem we have relates to your carriers could be misused? thing becoming much easier. That’s ex- people’s reservations about the drone actly what I believe you have to show technology of our competitors. There’s Not yet, no. But of course this is an im- people … that “something new” also does something threatening about their tech- portant issue for us: How can we ar- something valuable for society and is nology; drones are loud and there’s a range our sales model so that we know

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where our carriers are being used and between people, and in times of the cant added value when it comes to earth what they’re being used for? One thing COVID-19 pandemic it can issue warn- observation. For example, it can watch we have been asked is if the carrier can ings via loudspeakers. Another appli- bush fires, predict harvests, or be used be shot down, and what would happen cation scenario is carrying out inspec- for pest control purposes in forests. then. Interestingly, the issues are more tions on tankers. Until now people have These examples also point to one of the about how the carrier functions and not had to climb down into the inside of dilemmas we face. We have so many ap- really what it might end up doing. What vessels through hatches and despite plication options that we keep getting this shows is that the technology isn’t poisonous gases, inspect welding seals questions from all kinds of people. But well-known enough. I could even im- after oil has been let out. we need to focus. At the moment we’re agine the majority of people comparing concentrating on events and the media. our technology to a children’s balloon One thing we can’t do with the h-aero®, We also want to do this to promote pub- or something like that – rather than a and we’ll probably never do, is use it to lic acceptance for our technology. When satellite or carrier system operating in rescue people after avalanches. Drones an h-aero® flies over a city, ideally that the space between satellites and un- are much more weatherproof for doing already generates a certain degree of manned aircraft. that, so they’re also much more univer- awareness among the population. sal. For example they can carry thermal Which requirements are already met cameras to spot heat traces and zoom You can then kill two birds with one by your h-aero®, and what are your in on areas where someone’s buried un- stone. You have a use case, and at the visions for the future? der snow. same time you generate awareness and this creates acceptance among the gen- The h-aero® is an all-rounder; it can But if you think more about future ap- eral public. carry different kinds of loads and be plication scenarios, you could even move used in a wide variety of regions and into satellite systems, just at a lower We’re consciously doing it this way, conditions. At the moment, we’re focus- altitude. The ESA has been releasing even if we can’t always get this message ing on industrial inspection indoors. Sentinel satellite data via the Coperni- across to investors. Ultimately, we’d like We’re joining forces with other part- cus program. It’s open data and some to highlight how important public ac- ners to work on concepts. The system of it goes down to a pixel resolution of ceptance is in establishing emerging is in a position to work out distances five meters. Our system offers signifi- technology in the long term. A good ex-

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® ample of this at the moment is nuclear sources, and social acceptance. But an- THE H-AERO energy. Public acceptance hasn’t played other thing that makes this important FLYING SYSTEM a role in establishing this technology un- has to be that the specific technology til now. And now we’re seeing what hap- we’re dealing with here is of a more gen- h-aero® is an unmanned aero- pens as a result. At the same time we’re eral nature – we’re plucking technology space system that pulls together seeing how important a lack of public from different fields to develop a new the traditional concepts of air- acceptance is compared to the actual flying concept. planes, helicopters, and balloons potential of a technology. For example, to eliminate the drawbacks of wind farms also offer huge potential in If resources were no object, what such systems. The aerospace cities. But if the urban population doesn’t invention would mean the most to system is made from hi-tech accept this technology, at the end of the you on a personal level? materials (fiber composites, can- vas, and high-density foil). The day no wind farms will be built. Political aircraft has solar cells mounted attention is clearly focusing on the next Wow, that’s a great question. The spon- above and below the large hull, elections. taneous answer would have to be a and it can be flown on autono- beaming device, and the ITER fusion mous missions around the clock. It’s interesting that you’re focusing spe- reactor – that wouldn’t be bad. In terms In an emergency, the structure cifically on acceptance. There are lots of time scales, given the lifespan of the functions like a parachute. CEO of recent examples that show public human species, I wouldn’t expect to ben- Dr. Csaba Singer already broke attitudes aren’t seen as a priority. efit from this much myself though. As a even with his hybrid airplane – young business founder, I’d like to get still a fledgling, yet already the ® This also has something to do with the h-aero technology to the point whereby winner of multiple prices – in the fact that I wrote my PhD at the German our carriers can be used for a tenth of second quarter of 2019, despite Aerospace Center, at the Institute of En- the cost of satellite technology and make his company, Hybrid-Airplane gineering Thermodynamics (ITT), and earth observation and industrial pro- Technologies GmbH, only ope- later at the Institute of Solar Research cesses much more straightforward and rating in civilian markets. The in Stuttgart. The ITT has been awarded less expensive. This is our area of focus firm is part of an initiative called lots of contracts by the Federal Govern- at the moment. I’ll keep all the other pat- #1000Solutions, which was laun- ment to look more closely into the top- ents I’ve got going around in my head to ched by the aviation pioneer Prof. ics of sustainability, renewable energy myself for the time being! Bertrand Piccard as part of the Solar Impulse Foundation. The Solar Impulse Foundation pur- sues the Global Goals of the UN with the aim of solving key international problems sustainably. Solar Thermal Energy Systems, the Steinbeis Transfer Center run by Csaba Singer, also offers solar thermal plant development, holistic energetic consulting, computer-aided component development, business coaching, seminars, and lectures on so- larthermics.

DR.-ING. CSABA SINGER [email protected] (author)

Steinbeis Entrepreneur Steinbeis Transfer Center Solar Thermal Energy Systems (Baden-Baden)

www.steinbeis.de/su/1898

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tic, at the earliest, by 2015. In the meantime, Amazon – the world’s big- THE DRONE ALWAYS gest public company – is estimated to have invested several billion American RINGS TWICE dollars in researching and developing delivery drone technology. It has al- WHAT POTENTIAL DO DRONES OFFER WHEN IT ready presented its fourth generation COMES TO AUTONOMOUS DELIVERIES? of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS’s) for transporting goods. This has made Amazon one of the first companies to How will parcels be delivered to us in the future – by robots or maybe drones? actively look into this area, but it is now Emqopter from Würzburg is already looking into the technology of tomorrow and by no means the only one. For example, investigating a variety of individual and made-to-measure drone technologies. firms like Alphabet, Alibaba, DPDHL, Marvin Bihl, Managing Director of Emqopter, talked to TRANSFER about the reg- JD.com, and a slew of other corporations ulatory hurdles that will need to be overcome and different ways to gain broader are involved in delivery drone projects. acceptance among the general public. As an expert in this field, he was also at This is also a reflection of the potential the first #techourfuture event looking at “The Future of Autonomous Flying – offered by this technology, especially Over the Country and People”. when it comes to the “last mile” of the logistical process.

REGULATORY RESTRICTIONS

Considering the regulatory hurdles that currently affect UAS’s in outdoor areas, this technology could become even more important in the future. For example, until now it has only been permissible to use delivery drones adhering to certain specifications in terms of size, weight and technical features, and only on predefined routes approved by the relevant state aviation authority. The amount of time it takes to gain approval for such flights varies, depending on previous experience with this topic with the aviation authorities, and also on current capac- ities. This makes it virtually impossible to imagine achieving adaptable and sensible route planning in real time, espe- © Emqopter cially in the way it is required for delivering parcels to private households. Things become even more difficult if a In December 2013, founder and CEO of sented a report on a device called an UAS needs to operate on a cross-border Amazon Jeff Bezos was taking part in Oktokopter, which would be automati- basis and thus falls under the jurisdic- 60 Minutes, a TV show on CBS, when cally loaded with a package in a ware- tion of different aviation authorities. Ac- he announced that Amazon was plan- house, would leave the warehouse au- cordingly, using a delivery drone for the ning to deliver parcels using fully autonomously, fly to the customer, land in last mile in Germany is only possible on tonomous drones in the future, even the front yard, deposit the package by direct routes between two fixed points. though he was fully aware that there itself, and then return to base again. At This makes the technology interesting was no regulatory framework for such the time, he said fully operational de- for regular and urgent deliveries going an undertaking at that time. Bezos pre- liveries using drones would be realis- from A to B.

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EMQOPTER DRONE DELIVERS CON- consignment by car. On top of that, de- tems to share flying routes. Drones SIGNMENTS IN BUILT-UP AREAS livery drones are fully electric, so they can be located anywhere within the Eu- don’t produce emissions. At the same ropean cellphone network simply by This was the use case for which Em- time, they lighten the load on transpor- inserting a SIM card. By merging this qopter developed the first fully autono- tation infrastructures, especially in information with the radar data on mous delivery drone, operating regu- metropolitan areas. manned aircraft, shared airspace can larly in open skies over Germany in be coordinated. UAS’s will also be as- urban areas. The system is based on The full commercial potential offered signed a remote ID so that they can be the principle of full redundancy: If any- by using drones for the last mile re- clearly identified at any time. The idea thing goes wrong or a component fails, mains unexploited until now. Compa- is also to grant take-off permission there is another component that can nies like Amazon believe there is po- through a traffic management system click into operation seamlessly to re- tential in versatile, needs-based in real time by introducing uniform place it, or at least ensure the system deliveries – typically found in B2C mar- rules for required specifications af- “fails safely” – for example by breaking kets. To exploit this potential, the EU fecting the approval protocols of indi- off the mission, returning to base, or has agreed uniform regulations for vidual missions. The first phase of carrying out an emergency landing in a UAS’s in commercial areas. U-space implementation started in safe place. 2019 once operational principles for Collaborative airspace has been set the service were established. U-space The average drone cuts delivery times up, going by the name U-space, the aim should be fully operational and enter by two thirds and saves 20% on run- of which is to make it possible for service in 2035. ning costs compared to transporting a manned and unmanned aircraft sys-

“RAISING PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF AUTONOMOUS FLYING OBJECTS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US” AN INTERVIEW WITH MARVIN BIHL

Hello Mr. Bihl. Why do you believe it human for people to reject things they tection, and possible criminal action. is important to inform society about don’t know yet. That’s why I believe that With data protection, the main concern future technologies? the information you provide society with is that a system might be able to gather has an influence on the technologies personal information or it might ask for On the one hand in order to create that are adopted. If you think this one data that could be used against unin- knowledge, and on the other hand to through, you realize that to a certain volved parties, either to cause them gain acceptance. Knowledge is impor- extent providing information is also tan- harm or to make money out of them. tant to ensure that the best technology tamount to enabling people to decide That could be things like pictures or is adopted by society as desired. There which directions things should go in. video data gathered while flying along are a number of examples of inferior roads, over private property, or indus- technologies gaining the upper hand in What kinds of concerns do you en- trial land. Another concern is whether the past, mainly because the public were counter in your work, not just from autonomous flying objects could be used virtually misinformed. On the other hand, business clients but also from con- by terrorists. When we hear these con- particularly with a disruptive form of sumers? cerns, we explain that compared to cars technology like unmanned aircraft sys- on regular roads, the system performs tems, it’s important to gain acceptance There are three main concerns that keep better in noise emissions testing and it among the general population. It’s only coming up: noise emissions, data pro- adheres to data protection requirements.

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 41

What that means is that on-board cam- a big role because they’re lower than space pretty quickly. If he starts out eras are only used to capture images of those of cars in normal traffic. It’s a collaboratively and then does something the location in the air. This is for safety question of what you’re used to. People hostile contrary to his original intentions, reasons and no data is recorded or have grown up with cars on the roads. he can be tracked. That’s not possible gathered on people on the ground. The I’ve probably been seeing drones taking with a car. recordings made by the system don’t off and landing in the back yard down capture anything of a personal nature the road for five years now. It won’t be What are you and your company do- anyway. For most people it stands to an issue for the next generation. Accept- ing to gain broader public accept- reason that a system like this needs to ance will be on a sliding scale, from the ance for your technology? capture camera images so it can see less common transportation of medi- what’s happening in the air around it. You cal items to Amazon parcel deliveries, The techourfuture event is an example can compare this to a pilot sitting in the so things will develop step by step – of our activities in this area. We’re also cockpit using the window to look around. even if some people don’t accept it yet. gaining more acceptance from local res- That doesn’t mean he’s watching what idents through our projects with cus- people are doing underneath him in In terms of universal use, I think it should tomers. For example, we organize a kind their gardens. Of course there’s always be possible to have a regulatory frame- of integration workshop. It’s broken a danger that drones could be used for work in place relatively quickly. I wouldn’t down into two phases. The first phase criminal activities, but the chances of like to predict timings as far as achieving is about informing residents or bring- that happening are much less likely economic efficiency and public accept- ing them up to speed. To do this, we than they are with a car. ance are concerned, but we can be cer- invite all local residents to a presenta- tain that it will involve smaller deliveries tion of the project and the system or If it were up to you, where and how at first. I personally think multicopter technology. For the second step, we or- would you use autonomous flying systems are likely to be used in urban ganize a design thinking workshop which objects? And in which situations areas as they’re more efficient. They’re allows us to address the specific ques- would you not use them? reliable, extremely versatile, they can tions and concerns of residents and pro- take off and land extremely precisely, vide them with insights into techno- I’d actually use them in all situations and they don’t need much space. logical developments. Raising public where it makes economic sense, or acceptance of autonomous flying ob- makes sense for societal reasons – or Do we need special laws for UAS’s jects, especially delivery drones, is both. I wouldn’t use them in situations used in air transportation? extremely important to us. where there’s a “disadvantage” for the majority of people. A specific example Yes, and there are moves underway on of this would be transporting medical a European level to introduce uniform goods. If you’re transporting urgent rules. It will be important to control how blood samples for analysis or for pro- airspace is used collaboratively between viding a patient with quick treatment, manned and unmanned aviation sys- the advantages certainly outweigh the tems. If I have a drone and want to fly disadvantages seen by some people with it from A to B, I’ll be given a flight because of the noise and traffic caused corridor and flight altitude by air traffic by objects flying around in the sky. By control, as well as take-off and landing the way, this was an example provided times, just like you do now with manned by the participants at the #techourfu- aircraft. The airspace will be subject to ture event in Sinsheim. For example it uniform controls and the systems will became clear there that such applica- be able to communicate through a cen- tions would be accepted for medical tral setup. logistics but if a standard DHL parcel is delivered in the middle of the yard, that Of course there’s a danger that drones wouldn’t be so well accepted at the will be used for malicious purposes, but MARVIN BIHL moment. Of course you have to remem- there’s less risk of that happening than [email protected] (author) ber that the last mile is also important with something like a car. That’s where Managing Director for transporting medicines. Acceptance using collaborative airspace will be help- Emqopter GmbH (Würzburg) will grow step by step and at the end of ful. If somebody’s up there non-collab- www.qopter.de the day, noise emissions do really play oratively, they’ll be detected in the air-

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 42 FEATURE TOPIC

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO REALLY MAKE SURE EVERYONE’S ON BOARD WHEN IT COMES TO THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE” AN INTERVIEW FOR TRANSFER MAGAZINE WITH MIRKO DROTSCHMANN – ALIAS MRWISSEN2GO (“MRKNOWLEDGE2GO”)

Have you ever wondered which technology will have an impact on our lives in the future? Do you feel skeptical about future technology? Or do you not think about it because you simply don’t know enough about it? Knowledge is important when you want to make your mind up about something – as Mirko Drotsch mann, alias MrWissen2go can tell you. It’s a topic he thinks about every day on his YouTube channel. In November 2019, Drotschmann moderated the first #techourfuture event on the future of autonomous flying for the Ferdinand- Steinbeis-Institute. The event took place at Technik Museum Sinsheim. TRANS- FER talked to Drotschmann about the importance of future technology.

Hello Mr. Drotschmann. Why do you What kinds of concerns do you en- eat. But as a rule – and I don’t think this believe it is important to inform so- counter in your work regarding emer- is surprising to anyone – younger peo- ciety about future technologies? ging technology? ple are much more open to things than older people. When you’re informed and know the It depends which technology you’re deal- facts about future technology, you’re ing with and especially which area it in- Where and how would you perso- fundamentally more open to it. In Ger- volves. If it’s about mobility, most people nally use autonomous aircraft, and many we tend to be more conservative are open to topics – things like autono- in which situations would you not when it comes to technological advance- mous driving and even autonomous use them? ment. So important and comprehensive flying. But it’s different with a topic like information is essential to open people medicine – lots of people tend to be That’s a really tricky question. I’ve often up to technology so they don’t immedi- skeptical when they hear this topic and thought about that. If I had an autono- ately dismiss it or feel opposed to it, but they find it hard to believe that internal mous car, I’m pretty sure I’d get into it see things optimistically. That’s why it’s organs coming off a 3D printer could re- and travel from Berlin to Munich. But if important to really make sure every- ally become part of everyday life one day. I had an autonomous airplane, I’d prob- one’s on board when it comes to the People are more cautious when it’s ably think twice. Sure, you can also belt technology of the future. about their own bodies or what they along in an autonomous car at 180kph.

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But the way I see it, something’s less salt water into drinking water, although There must be ways to come up with a likely to go seriously wrong traveling in even this could benefit from an improve- modern technology that can provide help an autonomous car than in an autono- ment or two to raise general living in this area without costing too much. mous aircraft. So I’d only use that kind standards in the world. I think this is a What people should concentrate ener- of technology if I had an emergency pi- technology that’s really necessary and gy on when it comes to technological lot on board who’d jump in if something it’s on a higher level than things like advancement is thinking about the poor- went wrong. I think that’s also the solu- transportation and maybe even medi- est people and bringing them on board. tion that will be needed for the transition cine. Although advanced and afforda- I’m not trying to lecture people on mor- period in the coming years – before we ble medicine would really help a lot of als; I just find it important. This isn’t start depending on airplanes that aren’t people, especially in poorer countries. about coming up with amazing science even steered by people. They’ve already I’m thinking of people who have eyesight fiction scenarios, but helping people, got those sorts of things in other areas, problems and can’t afford glasses. especially those who really need it. like vehicles traveling on tracks, but there are fewer risks in that kind of area if something happens.

If you were given a free choice, which technology would you like to see introduced in the future? MIRKO DROTSCHMANN [email protected] (author) I’d go for a technology that reduces suf- MrWissen2go: fering and misery in the world – I mean www.youtube.com/user/MrWissen2go material suffering and misery, which is Managing Director usually caused by a lack of food or not objektiv Media GmbH (Nierstein) enough water. For example, I’ve spent www.objektiv-media.de time in Kenya and I’ve seen with my own eyes how people have to walk miles and miles to fetch water for their village. So if there’s a technology that would make Mirko Drotschmann is one of the most successful YouTubers in Germany. Nicknamed it possible to obtain water at a low cost, MrWissen2go (“MrKnowledge2go”), he uses his YouTube channel to discuss current or nutritional meals, that would be awe- political issues and share knowledge from history. His channel has just under 1.2 some. million followers and each of his videos gets hundreds of thousands of clicks. Drotschmann is also the managing director of a company called Media GmbH, The absolute ideal would be a technol- which produces media content for broadcasters, federal authorities, business ogy that could turn trash into usable enterprises, and NGOs. food. Technology already exists to turn

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REFUSE TO CRASH – AUTOMATION IN CIVIL AVIATION THE INSTITUTE OF FLIGHT MECHANICS AND CONTROLS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART CONDUCTS RESEARCH INTO THE CHALLENGES FACED WHEN PROGRAMMING AIRCRAFT TO FLY AUTONOMOUSLY

Under current arrangements, pilots have full responsibility for aircraft while flying, operating all systems by taking in information, planning actions and carrying them out. Actually steering the airplane is usually carried out by electrical and mechanical systems operated by the pilot. The next step in this process is fairly obvious: It would be advantageous if an aircraft could monitor and steer itself by designing systems that can communicate with one another directly. The aircraft would then refuse to go beyond its safe operating range, and in critical situations it would withdraw control back from pilots to protect itself. For many years, the University of Stuttgart has been researching in the field of automation of aeronautic devices used in civil aviation. Vincenz Frenzel, scientific assistant at the Institute of Flight Mechanics and Control at the University of Stuttgart explains which ideas remain a vision, and which have already become reality. Frenzel was also a guest speaker at the first #techourfuture event.

According to one definition, autonomy themselves from crashing. Drone pilots pilots and for pilot training. This can im- is a “state of self-determination […] and merely issue commands or set way- prove aircraft sales and enhance the the freedom to make decisions.” In the points, and drones fly from point to point safety of private aviation. case of aeronautics, it is especially im- without getting themselves into danger. portant that this is not the case. Noth- Airline traffic today has a high degree ing unforeseen should happen, system WHY DEVICES ARE AUTOMATED of automation since pilots already have must not act independently, and artifi- a large number of support systems at cial intelligence does not have to get There are a number of different moti- their disposal. But because the main involved. A more fitting definition for vations for automation depending on the cause of airline accidents is still human such a device would be “highly auto- aircraft type. People want to automate error, there are developments to further mated,” since the actions of aeronautic air taxis to cut the cost of travel. By re- reduce the number of pilots on board air- devices should be based on predefined placing the pilot with an additional pas- craft – for reasons of safety, pilot shortag- rules and algorithms, that should be senger, payment of crew salaries can es, and economy. The first area in which entirely reliable and carried out by cer- be avoided. Depending on the aircraft this will be tried out is air cargo, to avoid tified systems. configuration, almost twice the payload posing threats to airline passengers. can be transported (freight or passen- With airplanes, such systems are de- gers) at a lower cost. Often, it is actually Automated flying moved beyond mere scribed as “refuse to crash” – or “sys- not even possible to steer an air taxi technological issues some time ago. tems in command” rather than the “pilot manually if it has a large number of en- This was made possible by the increas- in command.” The idea of such systems gines or control panels, so that a control ing use of fly-by-wire systems, where is to compensate for certain human weak- system is required anyway. signals are transmitted in cables wires nesses: distractions, fatigue, illness, to control aircraft electronically. This emotions, insufficient accuracy or opti- In General Aviation, i.e. private and com- technology has been in use in the air- mization, or poor decision-making. In mercial flying not including airlines and line industry for decades. To achieve essence, many of-the-shelf drones al- charter flights, the aim of automation is even higher levels of automation and ready fly by themselves and prevent to reduce the requirements placed on extend to new areas of application, the

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technology will need expanding, how- as part of a project called Fly Smart, and its aim is to prove and demon- ever, and certification will be required. itself part of LuFo IV, the federal aero- strate new technologies and con- By that point, legislators can also address nautics research program. The mission cepts. the legal questions that are still open. of the aircraft, which was classified under EASA class CS-23, was also to The researchers are not without their THE REQUIREMENTS FOR complete a fully autonomous take-off visions: “Within decades, you might be AUTOMATED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS and landing without the support of con- sitting happily in the front row, where ventional ground-based navigation. the cockpit used to be, soaking in the Before introducing newly developed au- view. Until that point, you’ll simply rely tomation systems, it has to be ensured Specialists at the University of Stutt- on updates from the flight deck,” pre- that they are reliable. If necessary, safety gart are also coordinating test sites dicts Vincenz Frenzel. requirements have to be revised and for energy-efficient, electric, and au- then certified. In addition, the right in- tonomous aircraft in Baden-Wuert- frastructure has to be put in place for temberg. The first test flights took communicating with air-traffic con- place in 2019 and further comprehen- trollers. In uncontrolled airspace, new sive research is planned for 2020. The monitoring systems – such as Detect project is being spearheaded by the And Avoid systems – will identify ob- Institute of Flight Mechanics and stacles and prevent aircraft from en- Control. The Institutes of Aircraft De- dangering one another. In an emergen- sign, Aircraft Systems, and Naviga- cy, it must be possible to steer these tion at the Faculty of Aerospace Engi- airplanes from the ground, which in it- neering and Geodesy at the University self poses new challenges. of Stuttgart are also involved in the project, as are a number of other VINCENZ FRENZEL [email protected] (author) WORK ON AIRCRAFT AUTOMATION partners from industry, such as Volo- AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART copter and Thales. The test site is re- Research assistant Institute of Flight Mechanics and ceiving €1.3 million of funding from Controls University of Stuttgart In 2015, a fully automated aircraft was the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of (Stuttgart) showcased at the University of Stuttgart Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing www.ifr.uni-stuttgart.de

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 46 FEATURE TOPIC

NUMBER ONE PRIORITY: PROTECT THE TROOPS THE OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH USING AUTONOMOUS AIRCRAFT FOR MILITARY PURPOSES

Drones are now being used by the majority of armies in the world, especially in the West where they are considered indispensable. The primary application for most drones is reconnaissance on all kinds of missions: strategic, operational, and tactical. Like any other kind of military instrument, using drones offers advantages but also presents risks. TRANSFER spoke about both sides of the coin, how to deal responsibly with these issues, and a variety of other topics with Dr. Olaf Theiler, the section head of future analysis at the Bundeswehr planning office. Our interview took place at the #techourfuture event on the future of autonomous flying.

There are currently a variety of drone no-drones. The Bundeswehr uses the been withdrawn from service again, and models on the market for military use, EMT Aladin in this range; it has a wing- its successor, the Reaper. all matched to different application span of approx. 150cm. There are also scenarios. There are large devices even smaller versions on the market, A variety of military forces and intelli- such as the Global Hawk produced by some no bigger than the palm of a gence services use comparable systems Northrop Grumman; this is used for hand, although the range and flight du- due to their enhanced accuracy during strategic reconnaissance purposes ration they offer is correspondingly weapon deployment, although that is not and is sent on long-haul flights at high lower. the case in Germany or with the Bun- altitudes during monitoring missions. deswehr. In the fall of last year, and for For operational missions, typically AREAS OF APPLICATION FOR MILI- the first time ever, the German govern- medium-altitude drones capable of fly- TARY DRONES ment agreed to buy drones for the ing for up to 50 hours are used, such as Bundeswehr that could, in principle, be the IAI Heron produced in Israel. Then All of these reconnaissance drones are armed, but must not be procured with there are a multitude of smaller primarily intended to protect soldiers the corresponding weapon systems. drones, which are primarily used for during military operations. They make This effectively means that for the fore- tactical, near-range reconnaissance. it possible to monitor areas and routes seeable future, the Bundeswehr will A good example of this is the LUNA without risking the lives and limbs of continue to only use drones for recon- drone used by the Bundeswehr (the military personnel. Drones can also be naissance purposes. German Federal Armed Forces). With used to accompany transportation mis- a wing span of roughly four meters and sions and patrols, and thus protect per- One of the main motivations for using re- a two-meter fuselage, it is relatively sonnel from ambushes. Some countries motely controlled drones is to protect large and has a reconnaissance range use drones for offensive operations, military personnel, since many of these of approx. 100km. In the meantime, however – in other words they use kinds of reconnaissance operations tend there are also a whole host of smaller armed drones, which can be steered to pose a high risk to troops. Remote- drones for providing short-term local remotely to attack moving targets. The control drones can also be used for ex- reconnaissance data, from miniature best-known examples of this are the tended periods of time compared to con- UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to na- US Predator drone, which has already ventional aircraft or helicopters, which

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 47

have to return to base after a relatively pared to simply flying past in an aircraft chines would be an undesirable situation short time to top up with fuel. or working from an artillery position. for both military and political leaders.

Given the increasingly complex nature As a result, drone pilots can also be Accordingly, all military forces in the of military operations and crisis areas, placed under extreme emotional stress West, including the Bundeswehr, cur- underscored by the strong desire to pro- in such situations. In democratic coun- rently emphasize that all military action tect military forces, particularly among tries, using weapons in this way always must be subject to human intervention European countries, doing away with all requires parliamentary approval. This and thus any decisions made must be of the different types of drones would would appear to make it unlikely that just ethically justifiable and legally verifia- now be unimaginable for military forces having the capability to use drones for ble. It is inevitable that military and in the West. military operations will reduce inhibi- technological developments will result tions (although this concept does not in certain systems being made auto- ONLY TO BE USED FOR ETHICALLY apply to deployment by the secret ser- matic, simply because of the acceler- JUSTIFIABLE REASONS vices, who sometimes use drones in- ating pace of the battle field. This is stead of military personnel). especially likely to happen with defense Two potential risks are usually highlight- weapons, but it is unlikely that targets ed in the context of drones. One argu- On the other hand, people sometimes will be selected by machines in the ment that is often heard is that the suspect that drones are just a precursor foreseeable future – so we are unlikely physical distance between drone pilots for killer robots – they are just paving the to see autonomous killing. and their potential targets reduces emo- way for the kind of autonomous weapon tional stress, essentially making weapon systems you see in Hollywood block- deployment, perhaps even as an act of busters like Terminator. Currently, nei- war, easier and more likely. On the other ther “strong AI” nor “actual autonomy” hand, it is known that using drones to (the ability to make independent deci- deploy weapons makes it possible to sions) will be achievable in technologi- capture much closer images and thus cal terms for the foreseeable future. gain a direct impression of a target com- Similarly, handing over control to ma-

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“INFORMATION CAN AT LEAST HELP GIVE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS A CHANCE” AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. OLAF THEILER

Hello Dr. Theiler. Why do you believe sons – actually prevents us from stop- no human control – would not only be it is important to keep society in- ping others misusing technology, even unjustifiable in ethical terms, it would formed about future technologies? through perfectly legal means, for ex- hardly be of any use in military terms, ample because a certain issue becomes partly because such systems are much Emerging technology often comes with a political no-go. too easy to disable or target. a hype, so you get these exaggerated expectations and fears coming in Where and how would you person- through the media, and this usually has ally use autonomous aircraft, and/ a negative impact on expectations or in which situations would you not among the general population – even use them? before a technology has had a chance to prove itself in use. What then follows Neither strong AI nor actual autonomy is rapid over-regulation and this ham- will be with us in the foreseeable future. pers meaningful development in the long So inevitably, the application areas for term, in society as a whole, because of partly autonomous aircraft will remain short-term and fragmented resistance limited. They can be programmed to fly and the fear of losing control. Informa- a route from A to B, fly the route inde- tion, or to be more accurate actual dia- pendently, and avoid potential obsta- log, about emerging technology can at cles on the way. There are myriad ways least give future developments a chance. to use this in civil applications, even if it can’t give us answers to the problems of What kinds of concerns do you en- mass transportation. In military appli- counter in your work regarding cations, you can’t assume that any ob- emerging technology? jects you need to avoid will be passive; you have to assume there’ll be an ene- Basically when it comes to the Bundes my trying to actively disrupt your flight wehr and military security policy, the or even completely down the flying ob- fear that something could be misused ject. Under such circumstances, limited becomes the benchmark for judging a autonomy can only be used in very nar- new technology. It’s mainly an emotion- rowly defined situations. Transportation al reaction, and it often prevents people in the hinterland, away from the front line, from thinking about an issue rationally is conceivable, or peacetime operations or considering the real strengths and at home, or maybe even transporting DR. OLAF THEILER [email protected] (author) weaknesses of a promising technology. wounded personnel back from operations. Section Head Zukunftsanalyse Planungsamt But what’s worse is when some vague der Bundeswehr (Berlin) possibility – that one of these technolo- But getting actively involved in combat www.bundeswehr.de gies might be used for unethical rea- – using weaponry autonomously, with

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 FEATURE TOPIC 49

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LOSS OF CONTROL AND ACCEPTANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY THE FERDINAND-STEINBEIS-INSTITUTE INVESTIGATES WHY TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS OFTEN “GET THE COLD SHOULDER”

Baden-Wuerttemberg is generally con- nomic Affairs, Labor, and Housing, the NEW TECHNOLOGY MAY BE sidered a technology state in Germany Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) REJECTED DUE TO A FEAR OF – extremely open to technology, espe- has started looking into the issue of LOSING CONTROL cially if it’s new. But it still has its tech- technology acceptance in Baden- nology sceptics and sometimes people Wuerttemberg. The starting point for the project was are openly hostile to technology. Given the realization that reservations about the current backdrop of digital trans- The experts at the FSTI set up panel new technologies frequently stem from formation and sweeping technological sessions to discuss certain topics and a concern that there will be a perceived change, there is therefore concern that provide an experimental forum to intro- loss of control, especially with technol- the acceptance for technological nov- duce business and members of the pub- ogy involving digital solutions and au- elties is waning in certain areas of the lic to recent technological developments. tonomous technology. This is initially economy and society – if there is not Aside from sharing knowledge and dis- connected to the way control is passed enough acceptance, perhaps the com- cussing people’s practical experiences between two different parties. The cause petitive edge will be lost when it comes with new technology, one of the main of this loss of control may be other par- to innovation. As part of the #techour- ideas of the sessions is to conduct a ties or of course a technology to which future initiative sponsored by the scientific assessment of technology control is transferred (even in part), but Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Eco- acceptance. there may also be quite normal situa-

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tions or factors that imply control will be such as Siri and Alexa, which are capa- principles of a technology or technical lost. There are also different scenarios ble of taking control of situations as in- system in order to perceive a status of under which a transition of control may dependently acting individuals, are par- control. If at any point this control cycle take place, for example control can be ticularly important in this context. is interrupted, the person can no longer lost voluntarily or involuntarily. Or there (or only insufficiently) understand or are instances in which something that USING A CYCLICAL MODEL OF control a technology or technical system, was previously uncontrolled will be- CONTROL AS AN EXPERIMENTAL and this can lead to a state in which they come controlled (by another entity) at a BASIS feel they have lost control, expressed certain point in time. through reservations, concerns, or fears. The FSTI is using a cyclical model of One thing that also needs to be consid- control (and thus a cyclical model for This FSTI concept also includes tech- ered with these different scenarios is the loss of control) as a basis for the no-sociological considerations. If auton- whether people who are affected by research being carried out for the omous technology somehow starts to certain situations are given the right to #techourfuture initiative. If a person play a role in decision-making in an ar- intervene. One also needs to remember understands or has an overview of a ea previously reserved for humans, the that by definition, technology or technical technology or a technical system, this instrumental relationship between hu- systems came into being as a result of arms them with fundamental knowl- mans and technology becomes an in- human enterprise and creative energy; edge (abstract or technical) that helps teractive relationship; the technology accordingly, they were also made avail- control such a technology; being able to evolves into a partner and co-decision- able, set up and sold within the context (partially) control technologies and tech- maker as part of a cooperative process, of specific people or groups of individ- nical systems generates practical expe- which now takes place within a distrib- uals. One has to look at specific circum- rience in dealing with something – and uted, hybrid system (Weyer 2006). A key stances and consider whether technolo- in turn, this raises the degree to which aspect of this loss of control (and many gy results in control being handed over something is understood, etc. The FSTI others), induced by technology and tech- to people or groups of people, because experts are therefore looking at this nical systems, is that technical functions this has substantial implications on the issue from the point of view of a control are transferred/transmitted from help- degree to which a loss of control may be cycle, in which a person has to at least ful, manageable, and accepted applica- perceived as such. Autonomous agents understand or control the underlying tions to risky or threatening applications,

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for example with military technology, cal experiments taking part at the the #techourfuture sessions. The par- monitoring technology, or when elec- #techourfuture sessions. The people ticipants were also extremely positive tions are interfered with (Heinrich Böll taking part in the events correspond to about the information supplied by the Foundation 2019). the target group of a quantitative em- experts, who were relevant and credi- pirical survey, which is based on stand- ble, as well as their pertinent and under- This raises a question: If there is an in- ardized questionnaires. An initial look standable examples. There was also teraction going on, or if there is a deci- at the findings of the first #techourfu- positive feedback about the possibility sion-making process, and a technology ture forums, which took place in Sins to enter into discussions with the experts becomes more involved or takes control, heim in 2019, already points to a num- and other participants at the sessions, does this impact the people who are in- ber of interdependencies. It can already and the fact that there was sufficient volved in the process to the extent that be expected that there will be signifi- time and space. it affects their ability to intervene, i.e. the cant differences between various so- chance of them taking action or shaping ciodemographic groups when it comes Combined with output from the next events? The FSTI experts also asked if to any perception of a loss of control #techourfuture sessions, these results this is linked to a greater loss of control resulting from new technology. Meas- will allow the FSTI experts to determine and whether this reduces people’s abil- urable differences can be found for important points of reference for pos- ity to intervene or control a situation. It is factors such as different gender groups, sible recommendations regarding tech- often found that the more autonomous age groups, education levels, and oc- nology acceptance. These will be used technology and technical systems be- cupational groups. Concern regarding to develop guidance for future events come, the less likely people are to par- a loss of control is average to strong relating to the goals of the Technolo- ticipate and this furthers the broader across the entire group in the experi- gie*Begreifen initiative (Grasp Technol- exclusion of human beings from deci- ment, so it is neither extreme nor mar- ogy). They will also make it possible to sion-making processes in hybrid or ginal. There is one important influence, design instruments and procedural entirely autonomous systems. Further however: the degree to which people models for identifying and lining up new developments in the automation, au- have previous experience with a particu- technologies to be used in business and tonomization, and hybridization of tech- lar new technology. In particular, re- society. nology, systems, and processes thus spondents are less likely to feel a loss result in people being less likely to be of control if they have a basic under- allowed to intervene or take control, and standing or general overview of a cer- this tends to coerce them into adapting tain technology. This also applies to in- to “guidelines” laid down by technology dications relating to the safety and (Weyer 2006). From a technological and reliability of a new technology. There is social point of view, there is therefore however a rapid rise in concerns regard- scientific support for the subjective per- ing any loss of control if there is uncer- ception of a loss of control. tainty regarding how to use information acquired while trying out a new technol- FIRST INSIGHTS: ogy, particularly with respect to safety. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IS DECISIVE The target group felt very positive about This concept model regarding a loss of the comprehensive and interactive ap- control is the cornerstone for empiri- proach to different technology issues at

DR. MICHAEL ORTIZ [email protected] (author)

Senior Research Fellow

Head of research into innovation Sources and transfer management Böll-Stiftung (2019): Dem Kontrollverlust vorbeugen. Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) (Stuttgart) Weyer, Johannes (2006): Die Kooperation menschlicher Akteure und nicht-menschlicher Agenten. Ansatzpunkte einer Soziologie hybrider Systeme. Arbeitspapier Nr. 16 (August 2006) des Lehrstuhls für www.steinbeis.de/su/1212 Wirtschafts- und Industriesoziologie. Universität Dortmund. steinbeis-fsti.de

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WELDED SAFE AND SOUND STEINBEIS EXPERTS DEVELOP NON-HAZARDOUS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PROCESSING AND MACHINE TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING WELDING POWDERS

It is already four years since Intelligent Functional Materials, Welding and Joining The aim of the project was to develop Techniques, Implementation – the Steinbeis Innovation Center in Dresden – and introduce a user-friendly, environ- reached a first milestone in its development partnership with Bavaria Schweißtechnik mentally friendly processing and ma- from Unterschleißheim. In 2016, the project partners developed a production-safe chine technology for reliably manufac- technique for submerged arc-welding heavy-walled aluminum components. The turing welding powder to be used in the process made it possible to develop laboratory-scale powder formulations for submerged arc welding of aluminum. welding aluminum alloys in reproducible quality, also achieving melt-off rates of The innovative part of the project was a up to a factor of eight. But there were also drawbacks with the process – certain “single chamber reactor” – a concept ingredients in the formulation were potentially hazardous to operators, the pro- allowing all key subprocesses needed cess posed greater risk to the environment, and it caused more corrosion damage to produce the finished welding powder to apparatus and machinery. Reason enough for both partners to address these to be carried out fully automatically in- disadvantages by working further on the process as part of a ZIM project spon- side a closed reaction chamber, without sored by the German federal government. posing a threat to operators or the en-

b The components of the single-chamber reactor, individually produced using plasma powder weld cladding based on defined material alloys: a) Individual components of the receptacle – base plate and pipe segment, b) The agitation mixer featuring rods mounted on the front of a plate, produced in a 3D additive process using micro-plasma powder weld cladding

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The single-chamber reactor pilot plant, developed and constructed to produce welding powder for aluminum submerged arc welding: a) The overall pilot plant in operation, b) The pilot plant shortly after a dummy run carried out for evaluation purposes

vironment due to emissions. The market materials. It was also important to de- required when producing powder – such demand is there, and the importance of velop a production technique that would as using the single chamber reactor. light metals is rising continuously – es- be 100% safe for workers, machines, The idea with this technology is that all pecially thick-walled aluminum compo- and the environment. Equipment would key steps of the production process take nents. have to be capable of producing mate- place within an enclosed container so rials to a high standard that would not that – as far as possible – all potential AGGRESSIVE CHEMICALS AND only be ready to use right away, but contact with the outside air or machine EMISSIONS IN MANUFACTURING would also produce virtually zero operators can be avoided. The manu- emissions. facturing process involves feeding in raw One reason for the problems experi- materials, crushing, mixing, agglomer- enced with powder formulations until WELL PROTECTED THANKS TO THE ation (adding binding agents), and heat now is that they include chemicals that SINGLE-CHAMBER REACTOR AND treatment (drying). Only once all of these are aggressive and abrasive. This makes PLASMA POWDER COATING steps have been completed can the it impossible to work with powder for- powder blend be tipped out onto a fil- mulations in the types of production fa- This was the challenge taken on by tering screen. cilities that were available until now. the experts at Steinbeis and Bavaria Emissions and mechanical or chemical Schweißtechnik. The welding powder The chemically aggressive and abra- harm caused by processing powder mix- used in aluminum submerged arc-weld- sive nature of the powder ingredients tures result in so many impurities and ing processes comprises a mixture of during crushing and mixing can result damage to iron components used in ma- materials containing various propor- in heavy corrosion and wear to compo- chinery that it was no longer possible to tions of minerals, salts, chlorides, and nents. As a result, the Steinbeis ex- achieve the required processing stand- fluorides. This makes it extremely haz- perts added a plasma powder coating ards. The potential hazards meant that ardous to operators and harmful to the to the surfaces of individual compo- the project team had to set up its own environment. The chloride and fluoride nents of the single chamber reactor. To production chambers to make the weld- ingredients are particularly aggressive do this, they used wear- and corro- ing powder, taking care to keep incom- in chemical terms. As a result, a num- sion-resistant iron, nickel, and co- patible powders well away from other ber of special safety precautions are balt-based alloys as a matrix material

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with embedded hardening materials in truding rods – was produced additively PD DR.-ING. HABIL. KHALED ALALUSS the form of vanadium carbide. The using 3D micro-plasma weld cladding. [email protected] (author) team examined and tested several ma- To do this, 15 millimeters of pre-heated Steinbeis Entrepreneur terial mixtures and powder blends. steel were used as a base substrate so Steinbeis Innovation Center Intelligent Functional Materials, that the part could be deposition-weld- Welding and Joining Techniques, PUTTING FUNCTIONAL COMPO- ed from above using multi-layering. Implementation (Dresden)

NENTS THROUGH THEIR PACES The base substrate was then removed www.steinbeis.de/su/1644 using a mechanical process before mill- After several rounds of testing, the ing the base plate of the mixing tool, project team identified a suitable com- complete with rods, out of the layers bination of materials to provide a pro- that had been generated. Not only has PROF. DR.-ING. GUNNAR BÜRKNER tective layer. The experts then as- this significantly improved the tool life [email protected] sessed the corrosive and abrasive of the functional components produced Steinbeis Entrepreneur Steinbeis Innovation Center performance of materials. To provide a for the pilot plant, it has also ensured Intelligent Functional Materials, corrosion medium, a specially prepared that the production method used for Welding and Joining Techniques, solution of electrolytes was used. This making the welding powder is safe and Implementation (Dresden) was made from the main ingredients in can be reproduced without having to www.steinbeis.de/su/1644 the powder containing chlorides and pour materials from one container into fluorides. The functional components of another. The entire process can also the pilot plant were produced using the be kept separate from operators and DR. JUR. LARS KULKE same materials, technology, and con- the environment. [email protected] struction principles as the original con- Steinbeis Entrepreneur cept, so the device included a recepta- Systematic experimentation enabled the Steinbeis Innovation Center cle and an agitation mixer with small project team to put the single reactor Intelligent Functional Materials, Welding and Joining Techniques, rods mounted on the front of a round pilot plant through its paces and conduct Implementation (Dresden) plate. Both the receptacle and the mix- testing and assessments of the process. www.steinbeis.de/su/1644 er come into contact with the welding Aside from checking the smooth func- powder during production. As a result, tioning and reliability of the entire pilot they were plasma powder-coated to plant, the experts observed operation- protect their functional surfaces from al parameters and processes for any DR.-ING. HAYDER AL-MASHHADANI [email protected] wear and corrosion. A segment of plas- damage to the protective layers. They ma powder-coated pipe was pressed also monitored the performance of pe- Project assistant Steinbeis Innovation Center into shape using a remodeling and com- ripheral components in terms of resist- Intelligent Functional Materials, pression process to achieve the re- ance to dust and emissions. The project Welding and Joining Techniques, Implementation (Dresden) quired rounding and dimensions. The team can now confirm results: The sin- coated sleeve on the pipe was cooled gle-chamber reactor pilot plant has www.steinbeis.de/su/1644 using nitrogen and the base of the re- achieved its required function and is ceptacle was heated so that the two capable of producing welding powder components could be joined and for use in aluminum submerged arc- HUBERT LETTNER [email protected] form-fitted in such a way that no cracks welding processes. It has also per- remained inside material layers or the formed successfully in practical appli- Managing director Bavaria Schweißtechnik GmbH base element. cation. (Unterschleißheim)

www.subarcflux.com The second functional part of the pilot plant – a round mixing plate with pro-

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“IN GERMANY, PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE FAILURE AS BEING AT FAULT.” AN INTERVIEW WITH BERT OVERLACK, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BERT.OVERLACK GMBH

Bert Overlack managed a company that operated throughout Europe for over 20 years, during which time it expanded and went from strength to strength. But then, in 2011, the market suddenly dried up; his company entered insolvency and for the first time he worried about his livelihood. But Overlack isn’t the sort of person to let something like that get to him. He now consults entrepreneurs who want to take the plunge like he once did, accompanying them on a journey that some people and companies tend to look down on. Working in partnership with TEAM U-Restart, and riding on the back of a Steinbeis Network project, Overlack is developing a concept on behalf of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing, the aim of which is to give “re-starters” a helping hand. In an interview with TRANSFER magazine, Overlack explains the thinking behind the project, highlighting why it’s imperative that failure gains public acceptance in Germany.

Hello Mr. Overlack. Our life – at work gets stigmatized and frowned upon, peo- and at home – is a series of succes- ple who do fail won’t want to stand by ses and failures. Why do so many what’s happened to them. And that’s a people find it so difficult to accept missed opportunity to learn something. failure in Germany and simply learn from it? I’m sure cultural factors also have something to do with this. At school We live in a society driven by success, you’re taught to do everything you can so it’s normal for people to gravitate to avoid mistakes. The Prussian kings more toward examples of success. So introduced Germans to this idea that much importance is attached to com- the army, public servants and schools mercial success in our society that should all be absolutely perfect. The rest sometimes people like to pretend fail- was the result of the Industrial Revolu- ures don’t happen. I think that’s a mis- tion, which taught us that people and take. But just so I’m not misunderstood: factories should run like clockwork I don’t have anything against success, and if possible not make any mistakes. or successful people for that matter. I’m This resulted in processes like quality quite happy to be successful myself. But management and rationalization. Indi- success and failure are just two sides vidual creativity was generally looked of the same coin. So I think there’s some- down upon; instead people were ex- thing wrong with simply ignoring one pected to fall in line and adhere to side of that coin. We can learn from suc- rules and instructions. Non-conform- cess and failure – in fact sometimes we ance or even failure didn’t match the

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Sometimes when a company fails my successes, my skills, and my expe- down to chance that someone didn’t or more specifically a startup goes rience were much more important. run into financial difficulties – rather wrong, it still feels like it’s almost than something they were good at or stigmatized by our German culture. Can a “culture of failure” help change something they did right. Failure has a Why do you think that is? this perception and our attitude to- lot to do with happenstance. We’re so ward failure? used to striving for perfection. It’s the In Germany, people like to see failure yardstick for everything Made in Germa- as being “at fault.” You’re “at fault” if I believe it can. Our culture is already ny, something we’ve come to expect of you default on a loan – so you’re indebt- starting to change. The younger gener- our products and services. But these ed to someone. What that almost sug- ation come at this topic from a com- days we have to be more agile, quicker, gests is that being insolvent is about pletely different angle. For them, the more adaptable, more flexible – so it’s defaulting on something; it’s negligent possibility that something might fail is quite possible that an assumption we or even criminal. Yet we know from the quite normal. Between 70 and 90% of made yesterday no longer holds true to- statistics that on 95% of occasions that’s all startups fail within the first three day. Does that mean an idea was a fail- not actually the case. In most societies, years. It would be reckless for any busi- ure, or that a project team or entrepre- debtors became outcasts or were at ness founder to assume it can never neur failed? Of course not. We’re just the very least stigmatized. happen to them. There are too many ob- learning that there’s no guarantee of stacles in the way and imponderables. success, for anybody. Of course, this also has something to do In a world of uncertainty – or to use the with our desire for success and feel- modern term for it, VUCA – success isn’t A culture of failure does make distinc- ings of status, recognition, and respect something you can plan on. Too many tions when it comes to the causes of that go with success. We live in a highly things change too quickly to do that. failure, however. There are different materialistic world, so failure and the Companies have to adapt much more kinds of mistakes or failure. For me material losses that go hand in hand quickly to changes in the business en- there are two factors that keep coming with failure result in a loss of status, vironment compared to the old days – up in this respect: how predictable an disrespect, and even stigmatization. Our the world really is more volatile, un- occurrence or outcome is, and how points of reference are not people, with certain, complex, and ambiguous. avoidable something is. So if I could their strengths, weaknesses, successes, have predicted and could have avoided and of course their failures – but their One thing I’ve also noticed is that older a certain outcome, like something go- material successes. Lots of people are people are now opening up a bit. I reg- ing wrong in production, but I didn’t do scared of being excluded from their so- ularly get people coming up to me after anything about it, was that intentional cial surroundings – I was scared about my talks, accomplished businessmen, or just laziness? Of course, neither is that in 2011. And unfortunately there who thank me for explicitly pointing out okay. But with an innovation project, were people who deliberately tried to that there’ll be sleepless nights, fear some outcomes are neither predicta- avoid me. Maybe I also tried avoiding and anguish, and worries, and that’s all ble nor avoidable. That’s just the na- them. But for that, there were lots of part of running a business. I’ve yet to ture of such projects, so managers people who realized that my company meet an entrepreneur who’s not had a have to deal with them completely dif- insolvency was a one-off, and for them bumpy ride. And often, it was a lot more ferently. Then the key point is that fail-

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ure can be an experience that people tions – fear, anger, a sense of guilt, or takes courage to rediscover your self-be- learn from. And the best way to do that self-doubt. lief, to find you do still have self-worth, is to accept it, think about it, and draw to summon up the energy to start again. conclusions from it. This is one of the reasons why we’re so And it takes courage to accept what pleased that the Baden-Wuerttemberg happened to you, all the things you’ve Startups and funding get a lot of at- Ministry for Economic Affairs took on realized, the insights, and then talk tention in the media. What’s it like the topic of re-starters and second- openly about the things you learned from with re-starters? How important chance entrepreneurship last year, and the experience. One thing I’ve worked are they to the German economy? that they asked me and my partner, out is that talking about this is not half TEAM U-Restart, to develop a concept as bad as you thought it would be. If any Re-starters have played a relatively for providing re-starter businesses with thing, I’ve received a lot of encourage- minor role in German economic policy the right support and offer them a se- ment and even gratitude that I talk so and funding programs until now. ries of ten re-starter training sessions. openly about something that obviously There’s no category to slot them into. By the way, this project is a follow-on needs talking about – lots of people But there are some crucial differences from the European Danube Chance 2.0 have had to go through this. It was what between re-starters and first-time initiative, which was managed in Ger- motivated me to write a book about my business founders. They have to come many by the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum experiences (German title: „FuckUp – to terms with emotional losses and the in Karlsruhe and Steinbeis 2i. They’ve Das Scheitern von heute sind die Erfol- loss of identity you have when a busi- provided us with a lot of support through ge von morgen“) and share what hap- ness fails, so they can learn from the the Steinbeis Network. pened to me with others. The more we experience. It takes time, and support all talk about our mistakes and experi- is needed with this process. Studies You also know from your own expe- ences with failure, the easier it be- have shown that on average, re-start- rience what it’s like when a company comes for everyone to accept that ers that learn from their experiences fails, but you still had the courage these things happen and learn from tend to be more successful when they to start again. What advice would our experiences and what happened to start another business than first-time you give to someone in this situation others. And then we’ll have achieved entrepreneurs. Despite all the rally cries right now, someone who’s thinking what’s meant by a culture of failure and of the motivational experts, that doesn’t of giving it another go? learning. I play the piano and I love im- mean it goes without saying, and it de- provising, so I can really relate to what pends on certain conditions. One con- Have the courage to do what’s neces- Miles Davis said: “It’s not the note you dition is that you acknowledge the fail- sary. Facing your past experiences, play that’s the wrong note. It’s the note ure you experienced, that you reflect coming to terms with the fears, the feel- you play afterwards that makes it right on it, and that you talk about your expe- ings of guilt, and self-doubt, and under- or wrong.” rience. And that takes time and a will- standing what happened – that takes ingness to face up to your own emo- courage, because often it’s painful. It

DARING TO “RE-START”

The Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry for Economic Affairs has launched a BERT OVERLACK pilot project aimed at developing a concept for supporting companies and [email protected] (author) giving them a second chance. Working in partnership with TEAM U-Restart, re-starter training will be offered as part of a series of ten pilot workshops Managing Director bert.overlack GmbH (Rastatt) running from March to May 2020. The support that is important for re-starters will be identified, as well as the best way to integrate this into startup funding www.bertoverlack.de

already offered in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The aim is to exploit the potential TEAM U-Restart gGmbH (Köln) offered by getting a second chance. www.team-u.de

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ENTERPRISE COMPETENCES X.0: MASTERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION A LOOK BACK AT THE 2019 STEINBEIS COMPETENCE DAY

Describing organizational competences as the cornerstone of long-term business THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING A success is nothing new – especially in times marked by one series after another of SMART ORGANIZATION: HOW TO technology trends, convergence, continual change, increasingly connected systems, MAKE A SUCCESS OUT OF DIGITAL and the broader presence of digital technology. But what core competences are TRANSFORMATION required to deal with such challenges? Indeed: Can transformation be learned? These are just some of the questions that were examined at the Steinbeis Compe- In her opening talk at the event, Prof. tence Day in Stuttgart on December 5, 2019. Dr. Claudia Schneider from Ludwigs- burg University of Applied Sciences ex- What competences do companies and omy, and digital technology now invad- plained the prerequisites and success organizations require to manage the ing almost all key areas of entrepreneur- criteria of digital transformation within challenges of digital transformation? ial undertaking? A variety of experts from organizations. Organizations generally How should they deal with ever-short- science and business examined these walk a tightrope between trying to ening technology cycles, the interweav- issues at the 2019 Steinbeis Compe- achieve reliability (through predictable ing of different functions and areas of tence Day, not only drawing on the find- outcomes, rules, guidelines, the fulfil- influence, increasingly rapid change, the ings of recent research but also by look- ment of customer expectations, a sta- rising importance of the platform econ- ing at examples of business practice. ble working environment, targets, re-

sponsibilities, etc.) and trying to remain In conclusion, she explained that digital “old” world in place while setting up the adaptable (flexibility, reacting to chang- transformation is a fundamental pro- “new” one. es in the environment, dealing with cess of change that can only succeed if complexity and ambiguity, giving peo- certain criteria are met. For a start, the Schneider also highlighted that – as with ple enough room to assume personal people who lead the organization need any transformation process – opposi- responsibility, decentralized decision- to be convinced by the concept and sup- tion, fear, and insecurity are to be ex- making, etc.). Due to the nature of digi- port transformation with conviction – pected. It is therefore extremely im- tal transformation, organizations must and this requires “a lot of staying pow- portant to provide sufficient “time to be prepared to completely reinvent er.” People at the top of an organization readjust” so that new ideas can be themselves – and do this regularly – provide a role model for the others properly understood and developed. without necessarily having to change within it to look up to, so people at the This necessitates all-round transpar- the workforce or technical infrastruc- top should also be the first to “go digi- ency, involvement, and communication, tures, even during ongoing operations. tal.” It is also important for all stake- because ultimately there should be no Accordingly, organizational development holders within an organization to take “bypassing” of processes – people has to be holistic – smart business mod- responsibility for their own areas. Dig- should not be allowed to resort to old els require smart processes, and in turn, ital transformation within an organiza- working practices and systems. these need to be designed by smart peo- tion is therefore not something that ple. And smart people need smart or- should be delegated to staff functions. A KEY COMPETENCE OF THE 21ST ganizations if they are to work effec- People working in an organization also CENTURY: LEARNING HOW TO tively. To systematically map the different require the right skills to deal with new UNLEARN THINGS dimensions of such an approach to or- demands – and this is a plea for specif- ganizational development, the so-called ic skills development. In addition, Sch- In the next talk, Sven Göth, futurist and digital maturity model can be used. Us- neider explained that the right resourc- founder of the Digital Competence Lab ing the municipal construction depart- es need to be made available, since in Hanover, zoomed in on the challeng- ment in Herrenberg as an example, Sch- digital transformation takes time, mon- es and drivers of digital transformation, neider illustrated the opportunities and ey, and human resources! During the offering an extremely compelling ex- challenges of such a process for areas transition period, organizations still have planation of the growing importance of of public administration. to operate on two levels, keeping the exponential transformation and how, in

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times of change, this leaves less and will use to measure or assess the fu- The third talk of the day was given by less room for incremental adaptations. ture – according to what’s normal, nat- Dr. Michael Ortiz, project manager for Göth pointed to four key drivers of cur- ural, or human, or according to useful- business development at Steinbeis rent change: exponential growth in com- ness, damage, or side effects? Evaluating headquarters and director of innovation puting capacity; the emergence of huge the future and thus also digital trans- and transfer management research at volumes of data (including the internet formation thus becomes a question of the Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute in of things); real-time transmission rates personal perspective. Stuttgart. Ortiz introduced the audience through the internet; and artificial intel- to the Enterprise Competence Check X.0 ligence. In his talk, he provided a num- Based on this realization, Göth pointed (ECC X.0), a new software tool at Stein- ber of memorable examples of how to the following elementary competenc- beis for analyzing the competences held recent developments threaten to deceive es for transitioning from the known to by an organization with respect to digi- or manipulate us, although they also the unknown: the ability to innovate, tal transformation. He started by revis- offer advantages and benefits. These team spirit (especially given the shift iting the classic ECC, which has already developments include robots, the shift away from full-time workers to the gig established itself as an instrument for away from human decision-making to- economy), the ability to change (a will- the qualitative analysis of enterprise ward machine-supported decisions, au- ingness to start with people who want competence. The ECC highlights how tonomous vehicles, 3D-printed house and can change), digitalization capabil- digital transformation and increasing construction, 3D-printed human organ ities (in order to understand the chang- convergence between structures, sys- production, telemedicine, holomedicine, ing world), and finally the ability to as- tems, and technology are driving fun- impacts on the world of work, the de- sume responsibility (a willingness to damental change. It also demonstrates creasing relevance of location and time make decisions, even if some people that this not only poses a variety of new with respect to work, and the decreas- are then “left behind”). Göth concluded challenges to businesses and other ing relevance of work performance and by appealing to the audience to work stakeholders in the economy, but also work controls. together in shaping the future. to politics and society in general. For some time now, business models close- As a result of these trends, a certain THE STEINBEIS ECC X.0 AND THE ly based on data and information have core competence is required: the abili- NEED FOR TRANSFORMATION not just been found in the digital space. ty to learn to unlearn. Another question COMPETENCE Even established companies with a fo- that needs asking is which criteria we cus on classic business models are now

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turning to data-driven optimizations or brought about by these drivers in order After the talks, the audience were in- even completely new, information-driv- to analyze the digital culture of the com- vited to be the first users to try out the en value creation scenarios. This rea- pany, its ability to add value, and the dig- tool and gain an impression of the in- lignment of business activities does, italization level of the business model. strument themselves. Experienced however, require a strong degree of When using the ECC X.0, organizations Steinbeis experts showed how the new flexibility and a willingness to embrace can decide if they would prefer to use a instrument offers companies and con- change – organizations need the right standalone version, which focuses ex- sultants an opportunity to move suc- “transformation competences.” clusively on understanding transfer com- cessfully into the future. There was al- petences, or whether they would like to so detailed discussion about practical The new ECC X.0 makes it possible to include other competence levels from experiences in using different types of conduct a detailed qualitative assess- the classic ECC model. These may help software tools to analyze companies. ment of these transformation compe- understand transformation competenc- tences held by a company or organiza- es within the company on a more holistic tion. Aside from looking at competences level. in terms of how people deal with the drivers of transformation, the ECC X.0 also assesses how they cope with the changes these drivers bring about. To do this, the previous ECC has been expanded to include a fifth competence For further information on the level: transformation. To understand Steinbeis Enterprise Competence drivers, the ECC X.0 looks at the digital Check, go to steinbeis-ukc.de. data competence of a company and its ability to use different types of data to DR. MICHAEL ORTIZ [email protected] (author) Information on the Steinbeis forge connections both inside and out- Enterprise Competence Check X.0 side the organization. This also entails Project Manager Steinbeis Headquarters is available at looking at capabilities the model calls (Stuttgart) steinbeis-ukc.de/ukc-x0/. ecosystem competence. The analysis al- www.steinbeis.de so includes a dimension for changes

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BECOME AN INNOVATION CHAMPION! BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, LABOR, AND HOUSING OFFERS FREE CONCEPT CHECKS TO SMES AND STARTUPS

Do you run a business or are you a researcher? Looking for funding or a partner for an innovative product, service, or a new business model? If you are, the free innocheck-bw initiative offered by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg may be just what you’re looking for. Offered by experts at the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum and Steinbeis 2i GmbH, the aim of “innochecks” is to allow SMEs and startups to find the right EU funding program.

The initiative focuses on offering encour- of information, and contacts to other Together, they manage a budget of more agement and support to enterprises experts offering advice on innovation than €1 billion for the last two years of and startups in Baden-Wuerttemberg initiatives. the Horizon 2020 program (2019-2020). in accessing funding. It was set up by A further initiative offering funding is the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of The European Union has introduced a the Fast Track to Innovation program. Economic Affairs, Labor, and Housing body called the European Innovation with the support of the Steinbeis-Eu- Council (EIC), whose aim is to encourage FUNDING THROUGH PATHFINDER ropa-Zentrum and includes a website more companies within Europe to inno- (www.innocheck-bw.de) to allow firms vate and be willing to take risks – and Pathfinder offers funding for radically and startups/scale-ups to check the vi- thus stand firm in a market increasingly new research, potential market inno- ability of their innovative concepts by shaped by emerging technology. The EIC vations based on disruptive technology completing a questionnaire. Companies should ensure that scientific findings in concepts, and technologies of the fu- are then given recommendations and Europe result in the setting up of new ture. Up to €4 million of financing is useful tips tailored to their require- companies and that these can compa- available per project (technology read- ments. The website also provides im- nies be “scaled up” more quickly, also iness level (TLR) 2 to 4). Support is giv- portant pointers regarding suitable on a broader basis. Two funding options en during the early phases of scientific national and European funding instru- are available for the pilot phase of the and technological research and devel- ments, relevant links to further sources program: Pathfinder and Accelerator. opment, including the proof of concept

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phase involving prototypes. The aim is million per project. This makes it pos- on interdisciplinary or trans-sectoral to help companies validate technology sible to offer startups and SMEs seed principles (TRL 6), especially market- and assess its market viability. Path- financing to support development and centric products, processes, services, finder is open to all kinds of innovators, innovations to the point where ideas and business models. Funding ranges universities, research institutions, and may be of interest to private investors. from €1 to 3 million per project (60% of business enterprises, but especially Funding enables companies and start- overall budgets go to industry). The FTI startups and SMEs. Projects must in- ups to scale up, especially if their pro- program is targeted at SMEs, larger volve three partner organizations from jects are unlikely to attract the interest companies, universities, and research three different member states or asso- of banks. Under the Accelerator, one- institutions. Between three and five of ciated countries. off grants are available to cover mar- the project partners should be from ket introduction costs. member states or associated coun- FUNDING THROUGH ACCELERATOR tries. FUNDING THROUGH FAST The Accelerator instrument promotes TRACK TO INNOVATION The support measures receive finan- the commercialization of highly inno- cial backing through the Baden-Wuert- vative projects of TRL 6 or higher, of- Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) provides temberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, fering a total of €2.5 million plus mixed funding for groundbreaking technolog- Labor, and Housing. financing (private equity) of up to €15 ical or service-related innovations based

DR. ANNETTE HURST [email protected] (author)

Senior Project Manager for SUBMISSION DEADLINES FOR THE FUNDING PROGRAM energy technologies and innovation management Steinbeis 2i GmbH (Stuttgart)

Pathfinder: Accelerator: Fast Track to Innovation: www.steinbeis.de/su/2017 www.steinbeis-europa.de May 13, 2020 May 19, 2020 June 9, 2020 June 23, 2020 October 7, 2020 October 27, 2020 Concept checks: https://www.innocheck-bw.de

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AIRTIGHT ISN’T ALWAYS AIRTIGHT STEINBEIS EXPERTS DEVELOP TEST RIG FOR MEASURING CLEANROOM EQUIPMENT.

VDI standard 2083-19 lays down clear guidelines for the airtightness of seals used in cleanrooms. It even defines a process for checking and categorizing the airtightness of cleanrooms, equipment, and components. To stay within certain limits, it is important to consider the housings and covers of integrated components such as socket outlets and smoke de- tectors. Experts at the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Energy, Environment and Clean Room Technology in Offenburg have developed their own test rig for conducting quantitative assessments on the airtightness of individual components. The rig makes it possible to determine which components are suitable for using for which airtightness categories.

It is important to obtain reliable information on the airtightness of components used in the ceilings, walls, and floors of cleanrooms in order to adhere to specific specifications laid down for different cleanroom classifications. Often, a single component such as a socket, smoke detector, lighting unit, or door becomes a sticking point during final inspections and makes it difficult to meet approval criteria.

“A socket letting in 0.9 cubic meters of air per hour doesn’t sound like a lot. But if you have several sockets installed in a The Steinbeis team using the developed test rig. room it’s easy to exceed permitted values, i.e. the airtightness requirements for the overall room,” explains Steinbeis Entre- preneur Michael Kuhn, adding, “and there aren’t many component manufacturers or wall and ceiling suppliers capable of providing reliable measurements on the air permeability of individual components. Developing a test rig to do this job was just the next logical step.”

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Smoke detector in test

Test rig for conducting quantitative assessments on the airtightness

A TEST RIG FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS

STEINBEIS TRANSFER CENTER ENERGY, No sooner said than done. The experts at the Steinbeis ENVIRONMENT AND CLEAN ROOM Transfer Center developed a test rig that quickly came up TECHNOLOGY with the required results. Their device makes it possible to test individual components and measure differential pres- Fields of business sures of between -500 Pa and +500 Pa up to airtightness class 7. Measurements are captured in an inspection report Validation and inspection/approval measurement complete with an evaluation certificate. Faults are not only Special projects (commissioning, optimization, caused by design parameters. Sometimes components may simulation) be badly assembled. To check for this, the Steinbeis experts also go back to component drawings to see if equipment is assembled correctly and mounted with proper seals. Services Using test rig measurements taken without involving manu- Innovative and manufacturer-independent facturers allows cleanroom operators and building owners advisory services to generate reliable data that can already be used for plan- Measurement, testing, and assessment of ning purposes. This makes it possible to eliminate potential buildings/rooms and technical equipment problems in advance, often saving a major amount of time Flow optimization using flow simulation (CFD) and effort searching for leaks later down the line or having and flow visualization to retrofit seals. The test rig developed by the Steinbeis Virtual commissioning using digital twins and Transfer Center for Energy, Environment and Clean Room on-site commissioning Technology also provides manufacturers with a method for Optimization of buildings/rooms and technical taking reliable and independent measurements of their equipment with a focus on functionality, components. performance, and energy efficiency Planning and running of specialist training courses MICHAEL KUHN [email protected] (author)

Steinbeis Entrepreneur Steinbeis Transfer Center Energy, Environment and Clean Room Technology (Offenburg)

www.steinbeis.de/su/94 www.stz-euro.de

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“LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN ALLOWS US TO GIVE CITIES BACK TO THE PEOPLE” AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. WOLFGANG SEELIGER (LEICHTBAU BW) AND BEATE WITTKOPP (TRANSFERWORKS BW, THE STEINBEIS TRANSFER CENTER) ABOUT THE FUTURE POTENTIAL OF LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN

Lightweight design offers plenty of potential – as underscored by a 2019 study issued by Leichtbau BW, the biggest lightweighting network in the world. The study looks at the role played by “Lightweight in the Urban System.” TRANSFER met up with Dr. Wolfgang Seeliger, managing director of Leichtbau BW, and Beate Wittkopp, Steinbeis Entrepreneur and member of the Leichtbau BW advisory council, for an interview.

Dear Ms Wittkopp, dear Dr. Seeliger. sections of buildings, but instead it as- What role do you think lightweight Could you start by giving us a quick sesses the sustainability impact of in- design will play as a planning fea- overview of the main thrusts of the tegrating several functions in one build- ture of future cities? study? ing, as well as planning and construction processes spanning across different Beate Wittkopp: Wolfgang Seeliger: disciplines. It is a complement to exist- Problems tend to stand out more in cit- Lightweight design offers 50 percent ing indicator models, such as the sys- ies, which is why there is more pressure material weight savings, you use 40 per- tem used by the German Sustainable to do things differently there. But cities cent less energy in the mobility sector Building Council (DGNB) – so you can are already in place. So we need to work like the delivery of goods, and there are assess entire urban areas by looking at out if there is any room to maneuver, reductions of up to 60 percent in terms the big picture. which is where lightweight design can of the effects caused by urban heat is- make such a big difference. The timing lands – our study identified that these Beate Wittkopp: is ideal because the IBA27 is a special positive benefits are already possible The study could not have come at a bet- opportunity to develop concepts by today if you use lightweight design in ter time. Not only is it an enrichment to working on an interdisciplinary level, an urban setting. A great deal of the preparations for IBA27 [editors note: and for forming new alliances. Projects current discussion on sustainability is “IBA” is an acronym for “Internationale can be implemented that set an example, about closed-loop recycling. We are Bauausstellung”; in English “Interna- and we can try things out in certain areas talking about enormous flows of re- tional Building Exhibition”; it is organ- and experiment. sources here. For example, the con- ized by the regional council of the city struction industry creates roughly 50 of Stuttgart], it also makes specific rec- Wolfgang Seeliger: percent of all waste and uses around ommendations regarding project imple- Lightweight design allows us to give cit- 40 percent of all resources. If you just mentation. One factor which makes this ies back to the people. Cities become think about the potential savings, you study so special is the aforementioned more pleasant to live in. Until now, open can see why lightweight design offers a indicator model. We finally have a robust areas like the streets, parking garages, solution to this problem. basis for changing the way cities are and parking lots have belonged to cars. planned in the future, introducing more This is where lightweight design comes We now have an indicator model that elements of resource efficient light- in, acting like a catalyst. The study shows gauges the sustainability of an urban weight construction. The idea now is to that first and foremost, we need to think quarter as early as during the process develop this model into a measure- across sectors. What do I mean by this? of the request for proposal. The model ment system so it can be applied in the Fields such as modern mobility, urban does not look at individual buildings or real world. infrastructure, and architecture should

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not be seen as separate entities. What we need to do is to merge different sectors of the construction industry and adopt an integrative approach when it comes to developing concepts, planning, and finally building cities. This is the only way to maximize the potential savings.

So what needs to be done for that to happen?

Beate Wittkopp: We have to take into account the fact that cities also compete against each other as economic zones and places to live.

Wolfgang Seeliger: Definitely. Although there is a lot of inter- play between these things. One of the reasons Berlin has been so successful To assess lightweight design principles in an urban setting, a catalog as a city of entrepreneurs is that it holds was drafted for the study containing different indicators in five categories. These formed the so-called Lightweight Design Index for the appeal for young and hip people. Berlin study. The “Conventional: Urban” scenario (without the word “light- was and still is “in” and it has leveraged weight”) describes typical construction practices of today – as a result, reductions in required resources are not to be expected. that fact as an economic asset. If you look at Berlin now, though, in terms of urban development it is anything but appealing. But now we have the ingredients that allow us to make cities more pleasant to live in again. Let me give you an example. The ILO is a prototype for an innovative lightweighting vehicle. It only weighs a third in comparison to a conventional vehicle and – which is much more important – it only occupies a quarter of the area. Imagine what the city of the future would look like if you reverse the equation and 75 percent of the space taken up by traffic were freed up? We could give this space back to the people. There would also be integrated logistics solutions based on lightweight vehicles, using last-mile distribution systems integrated directly into buildings. This would also affect how goods are delivered within cities, in ways that The illustration shows potential savings on the Lightweight Design are more compatible with people, and Index for a multifunctional hub application scenario. The white areas represent lower resource requirements compared to conventional more efficient, and that also make it pos- construction methods within each individual category. sible to free up space. This reverses the famous weight spiral and pushes it downward, and the savings would trig- ger other (secondary) impacts which in

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turn would reduce the consumption of spread participation and a high level of – is to work on solutions across differ- resources in a kind of positive feedback personal identification of the population ent sectors of industry. loop. with changes. I believe that the best way to deal with most of the problems that Wolfgang Seeliger: And how do we get to this city of the arise when you move to a future-ready What the study really highlights are the future? habitat – one that really is sustainable opportunities and potentials offered by

Beate Wittkopp: In my opinion, dealing with this question shows how much potential exists to be innovative by approaching things on an interdisciplinary level and using over- lapping models. It sheds a completely different light on modern construction. But this transformation requires wide-

LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN MEETS VR IN A NEW APP

Leichtbau BW has just released a free App (iOS/Android) with an augmented reality function that you might like to try. To try the feature out on this article, install the app and tap on the Augmented Reality button directly from the main menu. Focus your smartphone camera on the cover of the study (opposite) and prepare for a surprise…

You can also download the app by going to www.leichtbau-bw.de/ios or www.leichtbau-bw.de/android The app is only available in German.

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a holistic approach. What I mean by this Beate Wittkopp: ing the surrounding areas. And that will is that we have to stop looking at disci- A huge impact! For example, we can only work if we succeed in exploiting the plines like road construction, building transfer expertise from the automotive potential offered by buildings – for exam- construction, and transportation with- industry in the region to urban develop- ple the infrastructure – but also make in urban areas as separate entities; we ment, and achieve genuine innovation on more effective use of green spaces in the have to think of them as an integrated the roads. city and close material circles. part of the overall urban process. One example described by the study, which Wolfgang Seeliger: Wolfgang Seeliger: really illustrates the topic of functional These developments are a huge oppor- The challenge we face in the cities is that integration well, are multifunctional tunity for the region, because these we will have to offer more housing and hubs. These are types of buildings that trends are dealing with our core com- living space to more and more people. unite several logistical functions, and petences. And when I say core compe- Around two billion of the people on earth because they are used in different ways tences, I do not mean traditional ones are currently in their childhood. Pro- they do not take up much space. Mate- like carmaking or mechanical engineer- fessor Werner Sobek has estimated that rials travel shorter distances and they ing – I am talking about the ability of we would have to rebuild the entire world are shipped via several carriers, so the these fields to create highly complex of 1930 to create enough housing and first thing these hubs do is to reduce products, based on logistics and man- infrastructure for the generation of peo- city traffic. But they also offer different ufacturing processes that depend on ple that is currently growing up. If we types of buildings and different living one another and are closely intertwined. want to do that with “German standards”, options for new target groups. For ex- The excellence cluster at the University we would need roughly one thousand ample, micro-apartments not only help of Stuttgart is actually already dealing billion tons of concrete and brickwork. to shorten carriage drives, they also lim- with the task to transfer this core know- This number is not just inconceivable, it the amount of space used in urban ar- how into urban design. The cluster is we would not be able to produce the re- eas. With multifunctional hubs, energy called Integrative Computational De- sources to do this. Lightweight construc- supplies can also be made multifunc- sign and Construction, and its aim is to tion is a sustainable technology by itself tional and self-supporting. One way to use machines to automate major sec- because you only use the amount of extend this and create further syner- tions of the construction process and material you actually need. We have to gies would be to introduce flexible build- make it more productive, and also form seize the huge potential offered by lighting formats, like co-working spaces, a direct link between planning, pre- weight design to save resources – we fablabs, or urban farming on rooftops. production, and the construction pro- have no other choice. cess itself – which is not possible with- Beate Wittkopp: out deep-seated digitalization, affecting The only way to exploit the tremendous all parts of the process. The way I see it, potential to make savings in urban de- this project paints a picture of the poten- sign and really achieve a circular econ- tial way forward for the region in main- omy in the way it is meant – in terms of taining its competitiveness, especially if BEATE WITTKOPP resource management and material the traditional sectors of commerce are [email protected] (author) recycling – will be to develop connect- no longer as viable as they are right now. Steinbeis Entrepreneur ed usage scenarios and introduce the Steinbeis Transfer Center TransferWorks BW (Schönaich) highest possible material standards. Lightweight design is a significant factor when we are talking about www.steinbeis.de/su/1755 www.transferwerk-bw.de Current developments in industry, sustainabililty. What challenges can such as digitalization, smart produc- this sector of industry expect to be tion, and connected systems, are re- confronted by when it comes to ur- sulting in convergence as estab- ban design, and what should be done DR. WOLFGANG SEELIGER [email protected] (author) lished borders evaporate and areas about them? that were previously separate start Managing director Leichtbau BW GmbH (Stuttgart) to merge. What impact will this have Beate Wittkopp: on lightweight design within the con- We need to improve living standards in www.leichtbau-bw.de text of urban systems? urban areas without negatively affect-

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LESS TALK, MORE ACTION! RE-THINKING THE ENERGY INDUSTRY STEINBEIS EXPERTS JOIN FORCES WITH THE IMPACT FARM AND ORGANIZE A SPRINT COMPETITION ON BE- HALF OF TWO ENERGY AGENCIES AIMED AT IDENTIFY- ING NEW WAYS TO DIGITALIZE THE ENERGY INDUSTRY

What do you get if you cross global trends apply to work on briefs within individual like data-centric digitalization and sus- categories. COVID-19 has made busi- tainability with agile working practices? ness continuity management and digi- What is the real potential offered by data tal solutions even more important as a generated by smart meters? Will COV- topic, especially for operators of criti- ID-19 become a driver of crisis-proof cal infrastructure. digitalization? And are there sufficient safeguards in place to protect critical In a nutshell, companies will outline the infrastructures? One thing all these challenges they currently face when questions have in common is that they analyzing or re-using data, and experts show how important digital solutions will be given four weeks to work on solu- will be to the energy industry in achiev- tions and functioning prototypes. Their ing the transition to alternative energy ideas will then be taken back to the com- sources. They also revolve around the pany and developed further within a re- topics tackled by a Berlin-based start- al business setting so they can be opti- up called The Impact Farm, which is mized. Actual products will be made to working in collaboration with the Stein measure by the experts in keeping with beis Consulting Center for Innovation the requirements of the customer – not Management and Intelligent Networks the other way around! on an agile competition called the #en- erthon20. Its motto: The power of data The Impact Farm (TIF) was founded as a unleashed! startup in 2018. It describes itself as a “deep tech company builder” and offers The two project partners are organiz- data science and business intelligence ing the Enerthon under the patronage expertise to medium-sized manufactur- of German energy agency dena and the ing companies. One method it applies French energy agency ADEME. The in- is the 100-day sprint. Customers provide ternational competition, which lasts four a digitalization challenge with a bearing weeks, will see companies placed into on data, and TIF develops an idea from categories by topic before firms invite this challenge and turns it into a mini- data analysis and application experts mum viable product (MVP). To plan the to look into the digitalization challeng- Enerthon concept, this expertise offered es they currently face in achieving the by The Impact Farm was combined with green energy transition. Experts may an understanding of energy sector needs

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– for the Steinbeis Consulting Center for more about developing functional proto- and the Steinbeis experts are also set- Innovation Management and Intelligent types. They’ll be given a four-week sprint ting up virtual and physical teaser events Networks, this is core brand know-how. and the prototypes will be assessed, across Europe with the aim of selecting The experts working at the Steinbeis given awards, and taken back to the as many high-quality applicants as pos- Enterprise have a background in sci- companies for introduction,” explains sible, all of whom should have at least ence and business, and offer made-to- Dr. Christian Schweizer, Steinbeis Entre- three years of professional experience. measure staff training offering direct preneur at the Steinbeis Consulting Sponsoring companies can also propose value to companies, particularly when Center for Innovation Management and their own in-house interdisciplinary it comes to innovation, secure business Intelligent Networks, highlighting the teams if they like. processes, and sustainability. To maxi- aims of the competition. To ensure this mize knowledge-sharing between com- happens within the right time frame and The Enerthon will open with a kick-off panies, the Steinbeis Enterprise is also the process adheres to professional event in Paris on October 19, 2020, which offering in-house staff training to go standards, the team organizing the com- of course will also be staged virtually. hand in hand with the Enerthon initiative. petition is focusing on experts current- At the event, the teams will be present- The focus of training will lie in projects ly working in this area, people who “get ed with a specific challenge in their se- currently undergoing implementation things done,” and specialists who can lected category. They will then go back with a bearing on digital transformation, work together virtually – an approach to their companies to work on proto- innovation, and sustainability reporting. which is also more “crisis-resistant.” types, which will then be presented to a The Steinbeis Consulting Center is a part- These experts will collaborate with a jury comprising prominent experts from ner of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Coop- company – a sponsor prepared to re- politics, science, and the energy indus- erative State University Center for Ad- veal a data issue or allow the experts to try at the DENA convention in Berlin on vanced Studies. examine a challenge they face with da- November 16-17, 2020. During these ta quality. Together, they will refine a two days, they will also be expected to HOW THE ENERTHON WORKS set of issues relating to a certain target field questions on cost-effectiveness, group, start with a general idea, and security, and development strategies. “Our goal with the Enerthon is not to then work this up into a specific ques- After the presentations, a jury com- bring in interdisciplinary teams, or even tion to be solved by the experts within prising experts and the firms that act- virtual teams, and just get them to pres- four weeks. The application form went ed as sponsors of each challenge will ent lots of cool slides for the weekend online in April and is open to would-be decide which concepts should be im- and show off their concepts. It will be participants until October 4, 2020. TIF plemented or moved forward into further development.

Given the current situation with COV- ID-19, the competition has its finger on #ENERTHON20 the pulse – new approaches to distributed collaboration are flexible and al- Benefits to you and your company low specialists to be brought in as and Rapid development of ready-to-implement concepts with minimal when necessary. They also offer cer- resources tain benefits when it comes to making Recruitment: direct access to data science experts companies more crisis-resistant. Which Opportunity to showcase company expertise is exactly where the Enerthon comes in. Insights into issues and potential solutions at other companies Unleash the power of data! Staff training options, new ideas/working practices

Benefits to you and your team Opportunity to forge networks with other data scientists DR. CHRISTIAN SCHWEIZER Chance to meet companies with relevant issues; strong emphasis [email protected] (author) on digital solutions/data science Steinbeis Entrepreneur Inspiration and personal development Steinbeis Consulting Center Innovation Management and Intelligent Networks (Stuttgart)

More on the competition: www.enerthon.com www.steinbeis.de/su/2305

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HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS WILL POWER THE FUTURE OF E-MOBILITY STEINBEIS 2i SUPPORTS PROJECT PARTNERS OPTIMIZE AUTOMOTIVE FUEL CELL SYSTEMS

Fuel cell technology is ready for widespread use in the automotive sector, a belief There is much potential to improve BoP shared by the partners of INN-BALANCE, an innovation project funded by the EU components, especially in terms of how working on improvements of enhanced, series production fuel cell systems for auto- components interact with each other. motive applications. The EU project is focusing on auxiliary components, so-called The aim of the INN-BALANCE project Balance of Plant (BoP) components, used within fuel cell systems. To do this, the is to deliver high-performance BoP com- partners are developing new technologies and concepts, such as different ways to ponents best suited for their integration provide hydrogen and oxygen to fuel cells, innovative heat management and moni- in fuel cell systems. This will improve the toring concepts to ensure smooth functioning of the overall fuel cell systems. As a efficiency, reliability and costs of fuel cell partner in the project, S2i is responsible for the communication and dissemination of powered vehicles and boost hydrogen the project findings. mobility.

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 76 CROSS-SECTION » THERE IS MUCH POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE BALANCE OF POINT (BOP) COMPONENTS CURRENTLY USED WITHIN VEHICLE FUEL CELL SYSTEMS.

BoP components are essential for the The INN-BALANCE team has also im- to PowerCell, a Swedish fuel cell man- performance of fuel cell systems. They proved the flushing method of the anode ufacturer that will test the performance control the fuel cell system and regu- module by using an integrated injector and compatibility of components with late the amount of hydrogen in the fuel and ejector system that raises stack the rest of the system on a test rig. Test- cell stack. The first step taken by the efficiency and keeps hydrogen losses to ing is scheduled to take place by mid- project partners was to determine the a minimum. Because the system is more 2020. most important parameters of the BoP compact, it requires less space and components used within fuel cell sys- saves energy as it no longer relies on a “The tests allow pinpointing flaws in tems, to analyse the interaction between mechanical recirculation pump. The next the individual components’ design and the different components, and come up step was to test an air compressor proto- in the system architecture, thus telling with an overall system design. Similarly, type and combine all data gathered from us exactly where to put our focus in the designs of the fuel cell stack housing the components to create a robust mod- re-engineering. Our goal is to deliver and the anode, cathode, and a cooling el for calculating costs. components that in terms of durability unit modules were defined. and lifetime do not lag behind pieces in A ROADMAP FOR LONG-TERM conventional cars” explains Thibaud The cooling module is responsible for COMPONENT TESTING Mouton, project coordinator at Fun- the thermal management in the fuel cell dación Ayesa in Spain. stack, which has a crucial impact on wa- Some project partners have already ter management, performance, and the conducted initial lab tests on the new SUPPORT WITH MARKET operating life of fuel cells. It ensures that components. The next step will be to INTRODUCTION FROM CHINA BoP components are always kept at the keep optimizing component designs right temperature and, if required, direct based on the results of this testing be- In July 2019, China Euro Vehicle Tech- heat into the car interiors. fore sending the re-engineered parts nology (CEVT), a company belonging to

THE CONSORTIUM

INN-BALANCE has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) and is coordinated by the Spanish partner Fundación Ayesa . Further project partners are: Brose Vehicle Components China Euro Vehicle Technology AB Powercell Sweden AB Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Steinbeis 2i GmbH Celeroton AG AVL List GmbH

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 CROSS-SECTION 77

FOCUS ON HYDROGEN

Steinbeis 2i is also involved in other projects focusing on hydrogen technology:

EU Project: COSMHYC Innovative compression systems for efficient hydrogen vehicles the Geely Holding Group joined the pro- cited to be a part of this project and EU Project: COSMHYC XL ject, thus expanding the technological contribute to setting manufacturing Innovative hydrogen compression know-how of the consortium by bring- standards for future Fuel Cell Electric solutions for heavy duty vehicles ing internationally recognized manu- Vehicles”, he adds. www.cosmhyc.eu facturing expertise on board. CEVT will EU Interreg Project: H2SHIPS provide access to its compact modular The project partners expect to present Accelerating the introduction of architecture (CMA) to simulate inte- their findings beginning of 2021. Insights hydrogen technology in the ship- gration of INN-BALANCE components gathered from the vehicular platform ping sector in an actual car. simulation will prepare the way for the www.nweurope.eu/projects/ project-search/h2ships-sys- commercialization and exploitation of tem-based-solutions-for-h2- Installing the components into the CEVT INN-BALANCE components in products fuelled-water-transport-in- vehicle platform will make it possible ready to go into series production. north-west-europe/ to observe how the overall system per- EU Project: FCHgo! forms, also in terms of efficiency and Introducing schoolchildren to reliability. hydrogen. Looking for new ways to teach children about energy “The platform already serves manufac- www.fchgo.eu turing of conventional cars today and could do the same for future Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, using the components For further information, go to of INN-BALANCE.”, says Benjamin Har- www.steinbeis-europa.de/bran- wood, who leads the INN-BALANCE chen-und-projekte/nachhaltige- activities in CEVT. “At CEVT we are ex- mobilitaet.html.

PAUL HAERING DR. MARIE-EVE REINERT [email protected] (author) [email protected] (author)

Project manager for energy Senior project manager for management and smart networks mobility, fuel cells and hydrogen Steinbeis 2i GmbH (Stuttgart) Steinbeis 2i GmbH (Stuttgart)

www.steinbeis.de/su/2017 www.steinbeis.de/su/2017 www.steinbeis-europa.de www.steinbeis-europa.de

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 78 STEINBEIS-EDITION

EXPERTS.KNOWLEDGE.SHARING. NEW RELEASES FROM STEINBEIS-EDITION

Sharing our know-how with you. YVONNE HÜBNER Steinbeis-Edition, the publishing arm of the Steinbeis Foundation, regularly pub- [email protected] lishes works reflecting the scope of the Steinbeis Network’s expertise. Spanning Steinbeis-Edition (Stuttgart) a broad spectrum of topics, these publications include individual papers, series, www.steinbeis-edition.de magazines, conference proceedings, and works linked to specialist events. All titles facebook.com/SteinbeisEdition can easily be ordered via our online shop at: www.steinbeis-edition.de. twitter.com/steinbeis_ste

MEDIATION – QUARTER I EDITION, 2020 WWW.STEINBEIS.DE/SU/0941 WAR AND PEACE GERNOT BARTH, BERNHARD BÖHM (ED.)

Aside from climate change, resolving violent conflicts in many parts of the world at the moment – such as Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan – is one of the biggest global political challenges of our times. Not only are whole countries affected by issues of war and peace. We also encounter these issues every day in the underlying antitheses of conflict and resolution. This includes conflict with other people, but

Prod. Ref.: 210451 also conflict within ourselves. 2020 | stapled, color, 100 pages, German In this edition of MEDIATION, our specialist magazine turns the spotlight on “war and peace.” Read about €9.90 [Germany] topics such as why the unpredicted actions of hybrid warfare can be so threatening, the prerequisites

ISSN 2366-2336 that need to be fulfilled for conflicting parties to be willing to enter negotiations or mediation, and the extent to which revisiting the past in one’s thoughts can help solve conflict. Other fascinating articles in Prod. Ref.: 211066 this edition of the magazine include: 2020 | E-paper (PDF), color, 100 pages, German War and peace – or just quiet before the next storm When everything’s over, the battle can commence €9.90 [Germany] Love in times of war ISSN 2629-0162 War and peace – an inner experience You should also trust your intuition!

In addition to the focal topic, a number of other interesting topics and ideas are looked at in this edition. For example, in an obituary of Joseph Duss-von Werdt, who died in October 2019, co-editor of MEDIATION Bernhard Böhm shares some extremely personal thoughts on one of the greatest pioneers of conflict resolution. There are also articles on how municipal authorities can work alongside citizen groups on managing the demands of climate change, plus an article on Roman Müller-Böhm (FDP Party), currently the youngest member of the German Bundestag, and why he is skeptical about the regulatory certification of mediators.

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 STEINBEIS-EDITION 79

INTEREST MANAGEMENT IN THE HOUSING INDUSTRY WWW.STEINBEIS.DE/SU/1477 A THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL STUDY ANDREAS FILSER | HEINZ REHKUGLER, MARCO WÖLFLE (EDS.)

The financial structures of housing companies in Germany revolve around long-term credit with fixed interest rates. Businesses have had positive experiences with such arrangements in the past, because adopting a long-term strategy makes it much easier to plan with certainty. Despite this, consciously managing interest rates can not only be expected to provide help when it comes to reducing existing risks, it also makes it easier to improve net financial outcomes. This doctoral thesis introduces a method based on defined processes Prod. Ref.: 172844 2020 | paperback, for systematically capturing, quantifying, managing, and monitoring interest rate risk at residential manage- b&w, 268 pages, ment companies. The focus lies in identifying the potential of a specific business to generate returns or German encounter risk, as well as quantifying “loss factors” based on a model using interest rate structures. The €39.90 [Germany] aim of this method is to map and model the characteristics of the interest rate management system used ISBN 978-3-95663-221-1 by the housing industry based on factual information. The paper also defines the practical requirements of benchmarking and looks at an instrument for calculating the ability of one’s own company to deal with risk.

WWW.STEINBEIS.DE/SU/1249 LEADERSHIP. PERSONALITY. INNOVATION. EDUCATION AND RESEARCH AT SIBE WERNER G. FAIX, STEFANIE KISGEN, JENS MERGENTHALER

The publication "LEADERSHIP. PERSONALITY. INNOVATION. - Education and Research at SIBE" is an affirma- tion of the essential nature of the institution School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE). It is certainly not the first time that the authors have considered the principles of SIBE. This text is based on the many publications listed in the bibliography. It is a provisional, decidedly preliminary conclusion of all our previous reflections. This document is intended as a basis for designing our research and development as Prod. Ref.: 210445 2019 | hardcover, color, well as point of departure for future reflections and discussions about the nature of our institution. The text thus 96 pages, English meets the requirements of the German Wissenschaftsrat (German Council of Science and Humanities) that €9.90 [Germany] every university must define its original concept of teaching in a statement of principles (Lehrverfassung). Although this publication was written and published by the authors, the foundation for the ideas that inspired ISBN 978-3-95663-222-8 us to write it and all previous editions originates from everyone who works in, with and above all, at our university. Thus, the authors wish to directly thank all these people for their thoughts and actions. It is they who make the institute of higher education what it is: a reality with added value for society.

WWW.STEINBEIS.DE/SU/1249 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW PROJECTS VOLUME 1 EVA FELDBAUM, STEFANIE KISGEN, WERNER G. FAIX (EDS.)

Legal profession of today is not conceivable without a special expertise in the field of International Busi- ness Law. SIBE’s Handbook intends to offer a solid knowledge basis herein with numerous contributions of experts, in accordance to the study schedule of the LL.M. program in International Business Law of Stein- beis-SIBE. It addresses to the participants of the LL.M. program and, moreover, to all lawyers with the Prod. Ref.: 209800 professional focus in international business affairs. The Handbook refers to all the major fields of Inter- 2019 | hardcover, color, national Business Law, such as International Contract Law, European Law, Commercial Law, Antitrust 388 pages, English Law, Competition Law, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Insolvency Law, Compliance, International €14.90 [Germany] Economic Law (incl. WTO), Public Economic Law, Capital Markets Law, Corporate Taxation Law, Labor Law, Residence Law, International Civil Procedure and Mediation, all fields with a strong international ISBN 978-3-95663-220-4 perspective.

Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 80

PREVIEW

EDITION 02|2020 Feature topic Operation 4.0: Data-Enabling Tech in Healthcare Scheduled publication date: September 2020

Have you ever wondered what medical practice will look like in the future? Robots carrying out surgery instead of humans, new medicines capable of curing deadly diseases, and diagnostic procedures that will allow us to spot diseases before they even take hold. For this to become reality, one important factor will be colossal volumes of data – information that can be quickly gathered, analyzed, and shared. In a nutshell, this is also an area where digital transformation will be decisive. Depending on the specific area of application, new drugs or methods might be discovered. We may also gain more comprehensive pictures of individual patients. This will make it possible to offer patients the right treatment at the right time. However, systematically analyzing health data is not without risk. The next edition of TRANSFER will explore both the opportunities and the challenges of data-enabling technology in the healthcare sector, also introducing you to the anticipated developments of future medicine. © istockphoto.com/metamorworks

EXTRA EDITION IN 2020 Scheduled publication late May

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Technology.Transfer.Application. TRANSFER 01|2020 PUBLICATION DETAILS – TRANSFER. THE STEINBEIS MAGAZINE

The magazine on tangible knowledge and technology transfer Edition 1/2020 ISSN 1864-1768 (Print)

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