The construction industry has a problem. Cement, the main component in concrete — arguably the most-used construction material of our time — is bad for the climate. CO2 emissions from cement production are very high.
Hydrogen is a key starting point in transforming industrial processes for lower climate impact. However, a fuel that combusts without releasing CO2 should also be produced without any carbon footprint if at all possible. One classic process for this is electrolysis, in which electricity is used to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen.
With the increasing automation of vehicles, the way they interact with humans needs to be rethought. A research team from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB and for Industrial Engineering IAO has taken up this task together with ten partners, including Continental, Ford and Audi, as well as a series of medium-sized enterprises and universities, in the KARLI project. KARLI is a German acronym that stands for “Artificial Intelligence for Adaptive, Responsive and Level-compliant Interaction” in vehicles of the future.
From payment transfers to smart electric meters — for all of these convenient, electronically readable processes, it is crucial to ensure that the products involved cannot be manipulated. Encrypted identifiers or operating protocols in the electronic circuits make sure that is the case.