Wishbox

Humanity

Instead of technology just for technology’s sake, I’d like the human element to play more of a role.

The reason we develop technology has always been because it can do some things better than people. But only certain things – for instance, to help people and to tackle society’s challenges in general, or to provide a basis for maintaining and advancing industry and society. We’re always eager to hear what people are looking for from technology to help them in their daily lives. Or even just to hear some fun ideas. Perhaps we can make one or two of them happen.

X-ray technology

I’d like to have an app on my phone that would let me X-ray myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor to see if anything was broken.

That’s a really cool idea! Unfortunately it’s a bit tricky, because X-ray technology tends to be rather bulky, and works by sending radiation through something. That means on one side you need something to send the X-rays, and on the other a kind of detector – a sort of camera to record them. In the systems we build, we still always have a protective layer of lead in between. This is like the lead apron the doctor gives you before taking an X-ray. Plus, the smallest system we’ve ever built is roughly the size of a microwave oven. There’s not enough space to put your arm in, just smaller things like a USB stick or a Kinder egg. And it weighs in at about 30 kg – not exactly something you can carry around in your pocket. So the X-ray app isn’t going to happen any time soon, not until the technology is small enough to be fitted to a smartphone.

Virtual reality

If you ask me, someone definitely needs to invent a better version of the 3D glasses that already exist, something that works for all the senses. So when you’re playing games, you can really feel, smell and taste. Something that makes you think, ‘This is an alternative reality.’

Yes, that would be very cool. Like if the Holodeck we have allowed you to smell or taste, too. In fact, we did actually once build something similar, and introduced smells into our Holodeck. What exactly is the Holodeck? It’s a facility we have that lets you enter virtual realities. In other words, you can walk through a virtual world, by yourself or even in groups. This technology is one of a kind in the world. We’ve installed one of these Holodecks in the L.I.N.K. building in Nürnberg. Now we’re marketing it for a variety of applications, including amusement parks, training and general marketing.

Holodeck

Having virtual reality in everyday life would be cool.

Virtual reality applications in everyday life are improving all the time. Since there are now a lot of systems on the market, it’s possible to really experience VR in everyday life – and to make it accessible to the mass market. We at Fraunhofer are of course working on this, too. For instance with our Holodeck in Nürnberg, which lets people experience virtual reality. It’s the product of a collaboration with a spin-off company that provides a Holodeck for various people or applications, so it’s available to the general public.

Hologram

I want a device that can beam me to school in the morning. So all I have to do is get up and then it beams me straight there.

We see people getting “beamed” around on lots of TV shows, and it’s always a popular idea. It’s a quick and easy way to get somewhere, and it generally works really well. But in reality, I think it’s going to stay a pipe dream. Just think about what transferring somebody somewhere involves: our technology would have to be able to clone people and handle all the information that would need to be transmitted, i.e. each atom and its exact location – never mind that it’s probably impossible to even find that out. It would also be impossible to build a scanner of that kind – and impossible to transmit that huge amount of data – so I think it will never work. It’s an idea that will most likely forever remain beyond our reach.

Sensors

I wish someone would develop sensors for irons so they could tell what kind of material they’re on, like whether it’s a silk dress or a linen dress, and then set the right temperature so my dress doesn’t get burned.

That’s an interesting idea: an iron that can sense what kind of material it is on and then set the temperature accordingly. We are in fact working on technology that can teach devices how to touch and feel. On our Campus of the Senses, we’re researching how to give machines and devices the ability to sense their environment in the way we humans do. Our senses – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – tell us a great deal about the world around us, and we use them to evaluate objects. For instance, whether a piece of clothing feels soft, what kind of material it is or what it smells like. At the Campus of the Senses, we aim to give machines senses, too, so that they will be able to learn more about their environment in the future – and then, for instance, set the appropriate temperature.

Street-sweeping robots

A propulsion system that can almost reach the speed of light, so we can build spaceships and explore the universe.

The ability to travel at the speed of light is also something I’ve always wished for. Unfortunately, physics as we understand it gets in the way. First, if you accelerate an object long enough, it stops getting faster and just gets heavier, so it takes more and more energy to accelerate it more. All the energy in the world wouldn’t be enough to get a big spaceship close to the speed of light. On top of that, if you say you want to get to the speed of light in a reasonable amount of time, there’s another problem of acceleration: namely that since we can’t overcome inertia, the acceleration would probably squash us as flat as a pancake – and then it doesn’t matter how fast you’re going! So we’re probably never going to manage to do anything along those lines.

Teleporter

I wish I had a rocket backpack with a drinks holder and a GPS, so when I say the address, it looks it up online and flies me there, and tells me when I’m running out of fuel.

Actually, there already are rocket backpacks, or jet packs. Of course, they’re just for fun, but they have them at various swimming resorts: you strap a water pump on your back and then fly around on a jet of water. But there are also jet packs with real turbine drives, although steering them is a big problem. It takes a whole lot of practice, and often some sort of guidance electronics, too. That might be something we could look into. But I think it would be problematic as soon as everyone had one. Birds are able to fly in flocks and not bump into their neighbors, but I don’t think people could do it. This is another area where we probably need lots of sensors before that kind of jet pack doesn’t just work, but also works safely.

Light speed

I’d like to have an app on my phone that would let me X-ray myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor to see if anything was broken.

That’s actually a pretty cool idea, but it’s a bit tricky because X-ray technology tends to be rather bulky, and works by sending radiation through something. That means on one side you need something to send the X-rays, and on the other a kind of detector – a sort of camera to record them. In the systems we build, we still always have a protective layer of lead in between, like the ones doctors have. A kind of lead apron to wear. The smallest system we’ve ever built is roughly the size of a microwave oven. There’s not enough space to put your arm in, just small things like a USB stick or a Kinder egg. And it weighs in at about 30 kilos – not exactly something you can carry around in your pocket. So the X-ray app isn’t going to happen any time soon, not until the technology is small enough to be fitted to a smartphone.

Jet packs

I wish I had a vacuum cleaner, or rather a street-sweeping robot that could sweep the streets all by itself. Like one of those lawnmowers.

A street sweeping robot is a great idea – I’ve always wanted one of them. I think it would definitely be possible to have a small-sized robot that goes on the walkway around the house and automatically sweeps the street. If you build it a bit more cleverly, maybe it could even clear away the snow in the winter. Of course, the problem is that you have to make sure the vacuum cleaner part doesn’t suck up the cat next door! That might take a few more sensors, not to mention batteries, etc., and making sure the robot can always find its way home again. So there’s plenty left to do, but it would be a fascinating idea – and maybe one there would really be a market for.

Wishbox

Humanity

Instead of technology just for technology’s sake, I’d like the human element to play more of a role.

X-ray technology

I’d like to have an app on my phone that would let me X-ray myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor to see if anything was broken.

Virtual reality

If you ask me, someone definitely needs to invent a better version of the 3D glasses that already exist, something that works for all the senses. So when you’re playing games, you can really feel, smell and taste. Something that makes you think, ‘This is an alternative reality.’

Holodeck

Having virtual reality in everyday life would be cool.

Hologram

I want a device that can beam me to school in the morning. So all I have to do is get up and then it beams me straight there.

Sensors

I wish someone would develop sensors for irons so they could tell what kind of material they’re on, like whether it’s a silk dress or a linen dress, and then set the right temperature so my dress doesn’t get burned.

Street-sweeping robots

A propulsion system that can almost reach the speed of light, so we can build spaceships and explore the universe.

Teleporter

I wish I had a rocket backpack with a drinks holder and a GPS, so when I say the address, it looks it up online and flies me there, and tells me when I’m running out of fuel.

Light speed

I’d like to have an app on my phone that would let me X-ray myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor to see if anything was broken.

Jet packs

I wish I had a vacuum cleaner, or rather a street-sweeping robot that could sweep the streets all by itself. Like one of those lawnmowers.

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