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Urbanization presents major challenges not only for industrialized nations, but also for emerging countries, particularly when it comes to their future transport infrastructure. The “Emerging Urban Mobility” study carried out by Fraunhofer IAO looks at the demand for mobility and current challenges experienced in emerging economies, and also identifies solutions for the future of urban mobility. It provides an incentive for an increased international transfer of knowledge in the fields of transport and mobility planning in the future, which should be less influenced by the dominant perspective of industrialized countries in the West.

Long distances, congestion and even traffic jams — the commute to work is not just a source of stress for many but dead time. Or is it? Not necessarily. Innovations in mobility are opening up new work design opportunities that are set to boost efficiency. But what changes need to be made to automated vehicles to achieve this? Fraunhofer IAO is working together with TWT on a study investigating just that.

As part of a working meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), experts from science and politics have drawn up ten recommendations for action on shaping artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of work. Fraunhofer IAO is involved with Dr. Matthias Peissner as head of the “Future of Work” working group.

What opportunities arise from the NFT hype for the hotel and tourism sector? It allows previously intangible goods to be assigned a value and become tradable. The new “FutureHotel Innovation Network” study of Fraunhofer IAO explains the technology, how and where it is already used, and presents relevant fields of application.

In the future, the internet will feel increasingly like the real world, operating in immersive virtual and extended reality environments rather than on 2D screens. We refer to this as the metaverse. What potential does this technology offer for the hotel industry? A new study by Fraunhofer IAO outlines its benefits and drawbacks and presents specific use cases.  

Prof. Dr. Jakob Edler, executive director of Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, took over as chair of the Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research on July 1, 2023. Edler takes over from Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bauer, who sits on the management board at Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart and who has headed the group since it was set up six years ago.

The Center for Responsible Research and Innovation (CeRRi) within the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, working with the University of Ottawa in Canada, the National Paraplegic Hospital in Toledo, Spain and the University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany, has developed recommended actions for implementing technological solutions to treat mental illnesses. The project explored the potential benefits of participative research in a process moderated by Fraunhofer IAO.

The Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research, which includes Fraunhofer IAO among other Fraunhofer Institutes, has collaborated with the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and TIM Consulting to publish a field study that discusses the status of the use of roadmapping as a strategic planning instrument in organizations.

Fraunhofer IAO and the non-profit association Women in AI & Robotics are joining forces by launching their new collaboration and founding the “Heilbronn Chapter” to support women in the AI and robotics fields in the Heilbronn-Franconia region.

How can we succeed in transforming the energy landscape? Key technologies such as wind energy always consume large amounts of materials. Using wind energy as an example, the white paper by Horváth in cooperation with Fraunhofer IAO provides high-level recommendations on how the energy sector can manage the transformation towards a sustainable circular economy.