Annual Report 2020/21

Necessity is the mother of invention – Why we can benefit from the crisis

© Fraunhofer IAO, Illustration: Thomas Kuhlenbeck

When the world is thrown out of joint, everything moves into gear. In the past year, we went through that exact experience time and again. It was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button. The crisis has forced us to rethink how we do things. For example, the question of how we can work under the conditions of the pandemic has led us to ask how we want to work in the future in general. Old habits are being called into question and society is setting off on the road to a “new normal.” Read more

 

 

Interview: Corporate digitalization

How can companies make their digital transformation successful? Valerie Wienken, Claudia Ricci and Ole Wintermann discuss the methods and objectives of their study.

Research on behalf of customers

Find out in the project reports what challenges our customers faced and what solutions they developed and implemented together with our researchers.

 

The canine robot pricks up his ears

If robots are to provide company for older people, these machines need to be understood and accepted. The NIKA project is examining how this can be done.

 

Factory of the future

A modern commercial quarter in the works for Mannheim. A “digital twin” will enable an integrated digital view of the site both during the initial planning phase and when the quarter is up and running.

 

“Knots” must be untangled

Process optimization helps insurers become more cost-efficient and customer-friendly. An innovation network is examining the role of artificial intelligence.

 

Refueling while you work

The parking lots of big companies would be ideal places to charge electric vehicles. The “LamA – Charging at Work” project provides possible charging options, complete with grid infrastructure.

 

The future of work is hybrid

Dr. Josephine Hofmann has been researching the topic of new work for several years now. She sees the pandemic as an opportunity to re-organize the way we work.

 

Ethical norms for AI in practice

How can we prevent artificial intelligence from discriminating against people? The multinational corporation Microsoft is searching for an answer to this question.

 

It all comes down to people

Fraunhofer IAO investigated the consequences of electromobility and digitalization for jobs in Germany’s automotive industry using Volkswagen as an example.

 

The future of work

What technologies will we use in the future? And what will that mean for our work? The energy provider Bayernwork is searching for a future-oriented strategy.

 

Efficiently orchestrating system design

The Advanced Systems Engineering research program supports companies that set their sights on the digital future.

Review of an extraordinary year

 

Fraunhofer vs. Corona

Our experts are involved in various projects to combat the COVID 19 pandemic - a selection of which can be found here.

 

Studies under the sign of Covid-19

From empirical research to step-by-step guides, here's an overview of our publications for during and out of the crisis.

 

#my_new_normal

What are the challenges that come with the new normal? And what are the opportunities? Six employees from the institute talk about their experiences of working from home.

What remains: Science that creates knowledge

New start

Last year, some days and phases felt very similar and monotonous. But when you look back, you realize that more has happened than initially suspected.

Annual reports

Our annual report provides insights into our projects, research topics, publications and goals, but also into our working methods and the people behind them.

 

Annual report 2020/21

Here you can order the summary of the current annual report in printed form (in German only) or download it as a PDF (in German only).