Future Technologies

Technological progress has shaped and changed the ways we travel, work and communicate. Global digital communication facilitates new forms of interaction between man and machine. New transport technologies open new markets and turn the world into a global village. New business structures and manufacturing technologies boost production rates.

Increasing productivity and mobility, however, do not only lead to new opportunities for economic growth, but also to new challenges to ensure its sustainability. Issues such as resource efficiency or post fossil mobility need to be urgently addressed.

Questions to be asked and answered are: What should our future look like in terms of communication, mobility and production modes? How will new communication technologies affect the man-machine relationship? How do we envisage the factory of the future? Which energy-saving production technologies are needed, and how do we develop their marketability? How can we improve transport efficiency and implement a more sustainable transport policy? Can we imagine or afford a world with restricted car traffic? How will and should traffic flows develop in megacities?

Scientific Advisors:

Wolfgang Wahlster (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Saarbrücken)
Andreas Knie (Social Science Research Center Berlin)
Fritz Klocke (Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, Aachen)