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The URBREATH research project, which is funded by the European Union, got underway at the start of the year. Its aim is to implement nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas in order to improve the resilience of cities and boost the quality of life in these environments. Fraunhofer IAO is one of the project partners and is responsible for scaling and replicating innovative solutions and methods within the project.

Allaying anxieties, emphasizing potential — with their KI-Studios (AI Studios), experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO are bringing workplace artificial intelligence to life. Their KI-Infomobil (AI Infomobile) will be appearing at the Hannover Messe from April 22 to 26. Guests are welcome to visit Fraunhofer at Booth B24 in Hall 2 to learn how AI technologies work, where they can be used, and how they can make people’s work easier.

KI-Studios (AI Studios) aims to empower employees and their interest groups from all sectors to help shape company applications of artificial intelligence. The prerequisite for this is that employees have a concrete understanding of the possibilities, areas of application, and limitations of AI. They must be aware of the positive potential of AI for their workplace, but also its risks and challenges.

How can light pulses in the vehicle interior improve the performance and well-being of the passengers? Scientists at the Fraunhofer IAO are researching answers to this question at the Mass Personalization High-Performance Center in the »Mobility and Living Spaces« department. As part of an international research collaboration, an initial vehicle prototype was prepared in San Diego and tested with various users.

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.

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.

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.

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.