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Real-world Lab Wins “Transformative Science” Research Prize

Award Goes to the “District Future – Urban Lab” Project of KIT

How can we live sustainably in urban districts? What should our cities look like in the future? To answer these questions, a team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) tests new ideas in Karlsruhe’s Oststadt district. The real-world lab “District Future – Urban Lab” is to make urban life more participative and more sustainable. Now, the project has won the “Transformative Science” research prize in the amount of EUR 25,000. As part of the Darmstadt “Transformation Days,” the award will be presented officially on January 16, 2019 by the Wuppertal Institute and the Zempelin Foundation.

KIT Scientist Among the “Top 40 under 40”

Capital Magazine Ranks Economist Nora Szech Among the “Young Elite” in the “Science and Society” Category

“Young Elite – Top 40 under 40”: that’s the title that Capital magazine gives out each year to extraordinary talents from business, science, politics and society. Nora Szech, an economist and professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is among the 2018 winners.

Digitization Run to the Place of Origin of Computer Science in Germany

Third Leg of the Series of Events Brings State Minister of the Interior and Digitization Strobl to the Strong AI Research Institutions KIT and FZI in Karlsruhe

After stops in Stuttgart and Kehl, the running group of Baden-Württemberg Digitization Minister Thomas Strobl and Jürgen Mennel, former vice world champion in 100-kilometer racing, is now reaching the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, the innovation partner of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The third leg of the digitization run ends in the city that stands for IT and digitization like no other place in Baden-Württemberg: Karlsruhe. Scientists of KIT and FZI present their artificial intelligence research activities.

KIT Opens Research Factory for Artificial Intelligence in Suzhou

Ten Years of Research in China – New AI Platform Also Aims to Promote Young Scientists

More than 130 active cooperation projects with more than 40 Chinese partners show that the cooperation between Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and its partners in the People's Republic of China is extremely versatile. The foundation for this was laid in 2008 by the Global Advanced Manufacturing Institute (GAMI) in Suzhou, which promotes the exchange of knowledge and scientists on site. GAMI is celebrating its tenth anniversary today (November 8, 2018) with the opening of a new research center for artificial intelligence.

Football Coaches Between Victories, Defeats and Emotions

“Once you’re on a roll, there’s no stopping you”: Researchers at KIT Have Examined What Impact the Emotional Lives of Football Coaches Have on Sporting Trends – Publication in “Sports”

Football coaches who have their emotions under control are more successful. This has now been reported in the “Sports” journal by scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Because emotions and how they are dealt with have a great impact on the performance of coaches and therefore also the team as a whole. Emotional processes in coaches are cyclic and can become stronger and stronger in a crisis. Trainers with great emotional competence, on the other hand, can break through a vicious circle easier.

Citizens in Participation Project Favor Liberalizing Germline Therapy

The “Citizens’ Delphi Germline Therapy” Participation Project of KIT Has Presented its Final Report

Are genetic defects allowed to be repaired by intervening with sperm or egg cells, or even human embryos? Thanks to genetic scissors such as CRISPR/Cas, such interventions in the germline could soon become a medical reality. In the participation project “Citizens’ Delphi Germline Therapy at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), citizens have been focusing on the risks and benefits of germline interventions. In the final report of the project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, they now call for relaxing the research ban and coordinated international regulation.

Researchers Make Production Facilities Safe and Secure

Human-robot Workplaces Have to Be Safe for Workers and Protected against External Cyber Attacks – Researchers Support Companies

Modern production facilities, in which humans, machines, and robots collaborate closely, have to meet high safety requirements. The facilities are to be safe for workers and have to be protected against external cyber-attacks. Within the “Roboshield” project, scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, and Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB work on safety and security concepts for small and medium-sized enterprises in Baden-Württemberg. The companies are now offered cost-free expert advice.

Tracking Fear-causing Spaces in the City

Urban Emotions Project Makes Stress Perception of Pedestrians and Cyclists Measurable / Combination of Body Reaction and Position Data Provides Information on Perception of Spaces

Cyclists feel the cold sweat of fear when trucks come too close. Pedestrians feel uncomfortable in the subway, but just around the street corner they enjoy their relaxing strolls. Spatial and social structures of a city cause both individually and collectively different feelings. The Urban Emotions project of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) develops methods to make these emotions measurable for later consideration in urban and spatial planning.

Shaping the Future: Citizens of Karlsruhe Can Join the Dialog on Autonomous Technologies

KIT Invites 100 Citizens to Participate in the Discussion Forum Launched by the Federal Government

The central future questions of Europe relating to labor, mobility or care can only be answered by a dialog of science, politics, and society. The federal government therefore invites the citizens to join dialog events in autumn 2018. Citizens living in the upper Rhine region can take part in the Karlsruhe Citizens Dialog on “Autonomous Technologies in the European Context” on Saturday, October 20, 2018. For this, persons have to express their interest in participation online by October 10.

Sharewashing Undermines the Culture of Sharing

New Study Reveals How the Marketing of Free Riders Jeopardizes the Trust in the Sharing Economy

The ambitious sharing economy on the Internet has an image problem: when values like cooperation and sustainability are claimed by traditionally profit-oriented platforms, this causes uncertainty and restraint towards the entire branch. For the first time, this so-called sharewashing effect is now proved by researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in a survey-based study published in the online journal Sustainability.

Navigator for Transforming the Mobility System

The “SuMo-Rhine” French-German Research Project Supports Establishment of Sustainable Transportation Systems in the Upper Rhine Region

The recently launched project “SuMo-Rhine – Förderung der nachhaltigen Mobilität in der Oberrheinregion” (support of sustainable mobility in the Upper Rhine region) is aimed at supporting cities and municipalities in establishing and extending sustainable transportation systems across borders. Scientists from both sides of the river Rhine plan to develop strategies, concepts, and instruments for this purpose. Coordinator and leading partner of the project that is scheduled for a duration of three years and funded by the EU with EUR 1.36 million is the French-German Institute for Environmental Research of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

Robot Systems for Hostile Environments: Start of the ROBDEKON Competence Center

Federal Ministry of Education and Research Provides EUR 12 Million

When remediating chemically contaminated areas or decommissioning nuclear facilities, workers are exposed to major health risks in spite of all precautions and protective equipment. In future, robot systems are to execute such decontamination work, while humans can stay away from the danger zone. In the new competence center “ROBDEKON,” researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are working on making this vision come true. The competence center is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with EUR 12 million.

Opening of the New Outdoor Sports Facilities of KIT

Modernized Tennis Courts and Other Sports Facilities – Opening Ceremony in the Presence of Mayor Martin Lenz

With the support of the city of Karlsruhe, five new tennis courts, a shot put area, a multi-purpose open-air sports hall, and an artificial pitch were built on the grounds of the Institute of Sports and Sports Science (IfSS) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The new outdoor sports facilities replace the old tennis courts and sports grounds transferred to the Karlsruhe Sports Club for future use. The opening ceremony of the new facilities in the presence of Mayor Martin Lenz and the Head of IfSS, Professor Alexander Woll, will take place on Thursday, July 12, 2018, 5 p.m. at IfSS on Campus South of KIT (building 40.40, Engler-Bunte-Ring 15).

New Supercomputer Planned for 15 Million Euros

Cutting-edge Research Produces More and More Data. KIT’s Future Computer System Will Have to Be Three Times More Powerful than It Is Today

The supercomputer of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) not only is “super rapid” and extremely economical, it is also used intensively. For this reason, it will be replaced gradually by an even more powerful successor between 2019 and 2021. An amount of 15 million euros has just been made available. This decision was made by the Joint Science Conference (GWK) on Friday, June 29 in Berlin.

Augmented Reality Helps Build Aircraft Tanks

Researchers at KIT are developing an assistance system which makes it easier for engineers to build and maintain aircraft tanks in which space is tight

Walking through an unfamiliar city, getting directions or simulations of buildings that no longer exist – augmented reality is where virtual content and the real world come together. Scientists at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are developing an assistance system based on this technology which supports engineers in building and maintaining aircraft tanks. The system is currently being tested in industry.

Bundestag continues to put its trust in KIT

“Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag” will be run by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis at KIT for a further five years

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and its Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) have been commissioned again to run the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) for the next five years. This was decided unanimously by the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag.

Exchanging knowledge for the energy transformation

Karlsruhe Technology Researchers Want to Make the Transformation of the German Energy System More Understandable and Participative – Plans for “Karlsruhe Transformation Center for Sustainable Futures”

With the aim of making the transformation of the German energy system comprehensible to the public in a new way and at the same time developing new approaches to participation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) kicks off the “Energy Transformation in Dialogue” project in June. Scheduled to run for four years and sponsored by the Helmholtz Association using special funds, the project is set to be stabilized from 2020 under the umbrella of the emerging “Karlsruhe Transformation Center for Sustainable Futures”.

Multimedia project: Back to the Working Life of the Future

Germany-Wide Project for Science Year 2018 to Start on June 24 – Stop-Overs in Karlsruhe, Dortmund, Halle and Jena – Cross-Generational Discussions

With a series of discussion events across Germany, the “Back to the Working Life of the Future – Visions of Tomorrow’s Work in the Past and Present” project will be brought to the public from June 24, 2018. In Karlsruhe-Durlach, and then in Dortmund, Halle (Saale) and Jena, seniors, youngsters and experts will speak about ideas on the development of gainful employment. Carried out by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partner institutions in Saxony-Anhalt, the project – one of 19 funding projects of Science Year 2018 – will be concluded with a documentary film.

KIT to showcase self-learning humanoid robot at CEBIT

Test Center for Autonomous Driving – Uncrackable Digital Wallet – Cloud Service Certification – Virtual Health Assistant – Quantum-based Prediction of Molecular Properties

At their joint booth at CEBIT in Hanover (Hall 27, booth G52) from June 12 to 15, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and FZI Research Center for Information Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology will showcase an assistant robot for the industry that can learn to use tools by watching its human colleagues, a test center for autonomous driving, an electronic wallet that cannot be cracked by data thieves, a certification system for reliable cloud services, and other highly exciting research and startup projects.

Moving towards Fast Internet on the Plane

For the First Time, Researchers Reach a Data Transfer Rate of 8 Gigabits per Second Between Plane and Ground

Streaming films and music or accessing business data in the cloud when flying to the holiday destination or to business meetings – this is the dream of passengers as well as airlines. So far, however, fast internet on the plane has failed due to the lacking capacity of data connections between the plane and the ground. For the first time now, a team of researchers also of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has transferred signals at a rate of 8 gigabits per second between an airplane and a ground station.

CHE: KIT Is Given Top Grades by Students

KIT Is Ranked Top in the Subjects of Informatics, Sports, and Chemistry and in the Category of “Support at the Beginning of the Studies“ in the CHE University Ranking

With top rankings in eight of twelve categories, the informatics program of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is most popular among students. This is a result of the CHE University Ranking published today. The programs of sports and chemistry were also rated excellently. Moreover, KIT turned out to be top in the category of “Support at the Beginning of the Studies.”

Baden-Württemberg Test Area for Autonomous Driving Is Opened Officially

Deputy Minister-President Thomas Strobl and Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann Open the Baden-Württemberg Test Area for Autonomous Driving that Will Be Operated by the Karlsruhe Transport Authority

Today, the way to future mobility was paved in the Oststadt district of Karlsruhe: After five months of test operation, the Baden-Württemberg Test Area for Autonomous Driving (TAF BW) was opened officially in Karlsruhe. This marks the official start of the joint project of research institutions, municipalities, and the government of Baden-Württemberg. At the Karlsruhe Transport Authority (KVV), 200 invited representatives of politics, industry, and science were welcomed by the test area consortium. Deputy Minister-President Thomas Strobl and Baden-Württemberg Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann, together with representatives of the consortium from science and municipal politics and the KVV as the future operator of the test area, gave the starting signal for the further development of autonomous driving in Baden-Württemberg.

Data Protection: Europe-wide Certification of Cloud Services

Certificates Confirm that Providers Comply with the New EU General Data Protection Regulation – Uniform Standards also Are in the Interest of Cloud Clients, Certification Authorities, and End Consumers

Holiday photos or business databases – using a cloud service means to trust the provider. This is easier when the provider’s security measures are certified. The market of cloud service providers and certifications, however, is vast and unmanageable. The AUDITOR research project coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will provide clarity: The project partners design a data protection certification of cloud services for Europe-wide use in accordance with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Digital Change and Its Impacts on Working Life and Society

“Working Life of the Future” in the Focus of KIT’s Annual Celebration 2018

How will work conditions, jobs, and added value processes change in the future? What happens to our tasks and our society in the course of digitization? These topics and challenges are dealt with by scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In line with the proclaimed Science Year, “Working Life of the Future” and diverse research activities of KIT were in the focus of the Annual Celebration, from cooperation between humans and machines to Industry 4.0 to the opportunities and risks of new technologies.

Agent 007: Organic Molecules as Bearers of Secrets

KIT Scientists Design Chemical Compounds for Use as Passwords for Encrypted Information – Publication in Nature Communications

In the digital age, security of sensitive information is of utmost importance. Many data are encrypted before they enter the data highway. Mostly, these methods use a password for decryption, and in most cases, exactly this password is the entrance gate for hackers. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) use a new and highly secure approach by combining computer science with chemistry and a conventional encryption method with a chemical password. Their development is now reported in an open access publication in Nature Communications. ( External Link>).

Robot Helper: “Does It Get along with My Cat?"

Researchers of KIT Develop a Robot Helper for Care at Home that Is to Recognize Human Needs. Surprising Challenges Result.

Researchers of KIT Develop a Robot Helper for Care at Home that Is to Recognize Human Needs. Surprising Challenges Result. The term human-machine interface makes us spontaneously think of the gigantic humanoid fighting machines controlled by pilots in Guillermo del Toro’s action film “Pacific Rim” or of the red eye of supercomputer HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But human-machine interfaces may also be much less spectacular, such as smartphones. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are working on future human-machine interfaces that are not only user-friendly, but also adaptive. They are to recognize the needs of humans and to respond to them. An example is an assistance robot for humans needing help in managing everyday life.

KIT Offers Worldwide Online Access to Robot Laboratory

At the “KUKA Udacity Robot Learning Lab,“ Students and Researchers from All over the World Test Programs and Algorithms

Gaining practical experience online – this sounds contradictory, but will be possible soon at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). At the education and research institution, the first robotics learning laboratory of its kind will be established. Apart from students and researchers of KIT, thousands of online users from all over the world will be given access. On the Udacity education platform, they will have the opportunity to control the robots made by high-tech manufacturer KUKA via a web interface and to test their programs and algorithms developed. In this way, KIT will enable robotics students to work on real industrial and scientific problems. In return, the researchers hope to get the crowd’s support in solving these problems.

Hannover Messe: Innovative Technologies for Indus-try 4.0, E-mobility, and the Energy Transition

KIT Presents Innovations at Two Stands: At the Leading Trade Shows “Research & Technology” in Hall 2 and “Energy” in Hall 27

Intelligent sensors for human-robot collaboration, a flexible test lab for the future power grid, innovative energy storage systems and electric motors: These are some of the research activities presented by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) at Hannover Messe 2018 with this year’s lead theme “Integrated Industry – Connect & Collaborate.” From April 23 to 27, 2018, KIT will present its work at two leading trade shows again: At “Research & Technology” (hall 2, stand B16) and at “Energy” (hall 27, stand K51). The multimodal sensor technology for industrial robots will be presented at the Highlight Tour for the media on April 22nd, starting at noon.

Transparent IT Production for Digital Sovereignty

Digital security gaps affect citizens as well as companies and governments – IT experts plead for the use of verified open source products.

Whether in the automotive, the energy or the financial sector: information technology is increasingly penetrating all aspects of life. At the same time, security gaps in closed hardware and software produced in globalised supply chains are becoming increasingly incalculable. This is the result reached by IT security experts from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology, Fraunhofer Singapore, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, and Technical University of Berlin. In a White Paper on the topic of “digital sovereignty” that they just published, the authors propose that all the steps in the supply chain of IT products be made transparent – from the user software to the tools used in semiconductor fabrication plants.

Optical Path Recognition Made Audible

“Camassia“ Smartphone App: Assistance System Helps the Visually Impaired to Acoustically Perceive Footpaths

Students of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an image recognition algorithm that identifies obstacles and recognizes free pathways. Based on this, the iXpoint software company has now developed the Camassia smartphone app as an assistance system for the visually impaired. It generates acoustic signals that enable users to follow the desired pathway. It is the first interactive assistance system of this type and works independently of satellite navigation, a complex sensor system, or electronic maps.

Medical Tests with Less Fear

Many People Shy away from Diagnostic Examinations because They Are Afraid of the Result – Researchers Want to Reduce Fear with Alternative Test Methods

It is a principle of modern architecture that less may be more. This principle does not apply to information as a basis of far-reaching decisions, it seems. But: Many people shy away from going to the doctor’s, because they are afraid of unpleasant truths, such as the diagnosis of a disease. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Tilburg University, Netherlands, have developed a method to overcome this fear, which is reported in the journal Management Science.

Technology Supports Inclusion into Employment

Study on Assistive Technologies for People with Disabilities – Analysis of Social and Political Options on Behalf of the European Parliament

Reading software makes texts audible for the blind, special apps offer learning options for people suffering from autism, video telephony enables telephone conversations in sign language. The extent to which technical developments can enable independent participation of people with disabilities is in the focus of the study “Assistive Technologies for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities into Society, Education, and Jobs” led by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). One result: Technology for inclusion into employment exists, but often information on its potential uses is lacking.

Karlsruhe Dialogues on Challenges and Opportunities Associated with New Smart Cities

Three-day Event on the Change of Cities – Keynote Lecture, Public Symposium, Panel Discussion, and Cultural Program

“The (Artificial) Intelligent City:” Under this heading, experts, urban planners, and cultural workers from many countries and cultures will meet for discussion at the 22nd Karlsruhe Dialogues from March 2 to 4, 2018. The keynote lecture “Who Owns the Smart City? Democratic Threat of Networked Urbanism” will be made by the British historian, author, and urbanist Leo Hollis on Friday, March 2, 2018 at 7.30 pm at the Audimax of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (building 30.95, Campus South of KIT). The Karlsruhe Dialogues are conceived and organized by ZAK I Center for Cultural and General Studies, KIT.

KIT Alumnus Listed on “Forbes 30 Under 30“

Business Magazine Ranks Pascal Stichler among the Most Influential Young Europeans in the Category of “Finance”

Pascal Stichler, alumnus of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has made it into the 2018 list of “Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe” in the category of “Finance” with his transaction marketplace “Carl” for sales of medium-sized enterprises. The business magazine ranks Pascal Stichler as well as Kurosch D. Habibi, with whom Stichler founded and now manages the Carl Finance GmbH, among the most influential young Europeans. Carl brings together small and medium-sized enterprises, consultants, and investors in various regions and branches.

KIT Helps Build the European Open Science Cloud

EU Funds Setup of a European Cloud with Services for the Exchange, Use, and Reuse of Research Data – KIT Coordinates One of Thirteen Work Packages on “IT Service Management”

Early this year, setup of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) started. It is to be a Europe-wide cloud platform, on which scientists can store, share, use, and reuse research data. As scientific data volumes may be gigantic, special know-how is needed for the setup and administration of the big data cloud infrastructure. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will contribute its vast expertise in the administration of big data volumes to many activities, including the security concept. In particular, KIT is responsible for the IT service management, such as establishment of a service catalog, support processes and tools, and a central service desk for user inquiries.

Smart Heat Control of Microchips

Infrared Cameras at KIT Monitor Thermal Patterns of Computer Chips / Integrated Heat Sensors and Neural Networks on the Chip Can Identify Attacks by Hackers

Miniaturization of computer chips is a perfect gateway for attacks by hackers: Microchips are highly sensitive and might be destroyed physically by specific overloading. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have now demonstrated that monitoring of the processors’ thermal patterns allows conclusions to be drawn with respect to manipulative control commands. This might give rise to a new generation of computer chips with integrated intelligent monitoring systems that self-adapt to new threats.