We have been partner of various TEDx programmes for many years. This year, we sponsored TEDx events in Bern, Fribourg and are about to go to Geneva. TEDx is a forum for ‘ideas worth spreading’. It consists of self-organised events in various cities. As part of last year’s ‘Destination Tomorrow’ TEDx event at HSG in St. Gallen, we wanted to show how innovation and digitalisation could be combined.
The wish tree
We worked on visions of the future with around 400 participants across seven lecture halls at HSG. The focal point of the event was our wish tree. A wish tree is a living tree, either indoors or outdoors, onto which wishes are hung. The wishes symbolically grow towards the sky with the tree, and so are incorporated into the greater whole. Participants at the event could write down one or more wishes and attach them to our wish tree. There was the possibility to send us the wishes online too: https://makeawish.liip.ch/ We looked through all the wishes, and were astonished by what we found!

Young people wished for world peace and sustainability – and a relationship.

The majority of the wishes were about the well-being of humans and nature. ‘World peace’ and ‘green technologies for all’ made an appearance. Most young people and participants wished for a more peaceful world and for sustainability. We thought this was remarkable! Of course, there were also personal wishes such as successfully completing a university degree, which is of course perfectly OK. One wish particularly caught our eye: ‘I wish for a girlfriend’. He hung his number on the wish tree. Hats off for audacity! Although we could not couple him up, we gave him a cool present for his pluckiness.

Outlook for TEDx events

There are will be more TEDx events for us to come in 2019. The wishes collected at the TEDx in St. Gallen touched us, so we are making another wish tree in Geneva. This will follow the same concept but be in a different format. Do French-speaking Swiss people have different wishes? We will find out on 7 November. Les Jours qui viennent – TEDx Geneva. We are once again organising a Liip bar. Meet us there! Or send us your wish online: https://makeawish.liip.ch/

The Rise of the Robots

Do robots shove aside their human counterparts? What is our place, as human beings, in a future where robots are becoming more performant and skilled? Popular culture certainely has its set of stories. Some of them are funny, others are scary. This subject triggers as much anxiety as hopes.
For example, in WIRED, Marguerite McNeal notes that "one multi-tasker bot, from Momentum Machines, can make (and flip) a gourmet hamburger in 10 seconds and could soon replace an entire McDonalds crew" in The Rise of the Machine: The Future has lots of Robots, few Jobs for Human.
As a tech enthusiast, I can only recommend you her article, where she interviews Martin Ford. According to his optimistic vision "humans will live more productive and entrepreneurial lives, subsisting on guaranteed incomes generated by our amazing machines. "

Et demain, encore humains?

Each TEDx-event is fascinating, especially because of its innovative spirit. With "And tomorrow, still human?" TEDx Fribourg investigated the subject of artificial intelligence and robots with various speakers. Martin Ford was not one of the speaker (sigh) but the team still created a captivating programm (read the full programm here).
Below are a only few impressions, to make sure you join us at the next TEDx Fribourg.

Marc Atallah

Marc Atallah is director of Maison d'Ailleurs (a museum of science fiction, utopia and extraordinary travels) and a lecturer and research professor at the French Section of the University of Lausanne. His research focuses on conjectural literatures (utopia, dystopia, imaginary journeys, science fiction) and literary theories (genre theories, theories of fiction).

Hervé Bourlard

Hervé Bourlard is currently Director of the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny, EPFL Ordinary Professor, Vice-President of the Board of the IdeArk startup incubator, Member of the Board of Directors of the International Computer Science Institute at Berkeley , and adviser to the ECs.

David Ott

In 2016, David Ott co-founded the Global Humanitarian Lab, a platform for sharing innovation for a partnership of humanitarian organizations. David deploys fab labs in humanitarian contexts for the affected populations and develops, using a global network, a sustainable fab lab model to respond to humanitarian issues.

Ingwerer drinks for everyone

After our legendary mojitos, we switch for Ingwerer. All local and bio of course.
Meet us at TEDx Bern to taste them :D

Congratulations to everyone, the speakers for sharing their inspiration and the whole TEDx Fribourg team for its fantastic work. We very much enjoyed the event.
Discover the full photo album.

Some people travel to visit the CERN, whereas I had never been there. It is not an impressive building lost in the middle of a green field in the countryside of Geneva like I pictured it. It is lost in a suburban area and the building is not high. Rather, it has long, never-ending corridors filled with doors leading to little offices. It's very quiet, people whispers there. It looks nothing like the big open space that I am used to. However the people I listened too, have the same conviction about their projects.

Technology & research: for better or worse?

Technology already controls me. I am doing what it tells me to do. See, it tells me where to go and when (well that's my google calendar). And we are developing robots, they are clever machines. One day It will replace me at my work, then I will wake up and they will take over the world. And all babies will be perfect and born in incubators.

I admit, sometimes, I am lead by emotions and fear technology.

At the CERN, for one afternoon, I listened – mostly open-mouthed. Each of these scientists was amazing, not only because they were brilliant, but also because they were filled with conviction. Each of them develops or researches something which is beyond what we imagine on a daily basis.

Software, ADN, Medical Testing, Artificial Intelligence, each of these researches could revolutionize our world. For better or worse?

Samira Hayat – beyond her fear

Where she comes from, drones are killing machines. As a telecommunication engineer, she overcame her fear and started developing software for drone. It enables drones to work together as a single unit.

Drones are killing machine

Hayat started by sharing that where she comes from, kids say that they like better cloudy days than sunny days. Because on cloudy days, drones do not fly, so they do not kill. In other words, on cloudy days, kids can play in the streets, just like any normal kids.

As a telecommunication engineer, Hayat got a job at the University of Klagenfurt. She doubted, then accepted the job, because she is convinced that technology is what we make of it.

Drone can save lifes!

Hayat is currently developing software that enables groups of drones to work together as a single unit. The autonomous drone system developed by Lakeside Labs and U Klagenfurt, where she is a PhD student is one of «15 novel ideas for 2015» featured by the WIRED magazine.

As an example, the image below is an overview generated during a project work for a firefighter drill.

“The red line in the image shows the flight path of the drones and indicates where the drones took pictures. The multiple images taken by the drones are then stitched together for a final overview image”, explains Hayat.

Hayat and her team develops UAV systems which could be used in emergency situations or accidents or for automatic deliveries.

Her work can have application to larger global issues, such as unmanned searches and rescue missions or urgent medical deliveries, and construction in remote areas.

Technology is a tool

A tool, just like a knife. You can use it to cut someone's throat, save someone's life during a surgical operation or cut your bread. It is still the same tool. What changes is the hand holding the tool and the intention behind it.

What matters here, is trust and conviction. When I develop something, I am convinced that I am doing something good, and I see the positive use of it. I cannot ever predict or chose how other people are going to use it. I just trust, that they will be caring. The danger does not come from the technology, but from the person manipulating it.

To conclude: we should not be led by fear

We can transform something that makes us fear into something that serves our well-being. People with bad intention should never prevent us from working on good things. We should not be lead by fear but let our conviction lead us.

It sounds idealistic and soppy. However, sometimes, I am overwhelmed by what happens around me (let's say elections) and I forget it. What I remember from this afternoon at the CERN is that my actions should be lead by my beliefs and not by feelings of fear. If I think that something is good, I should just carry on.

Spread the word and carry on!

Thank you Samira for the picture!

If you are interested in reading more about Samira Hayat, clic here (in German) and if you want to read more about her work clic here.