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Robert Gloy
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2019
Cities: at the forefront of climate action
For centuries, cities have been laboratories for new progressive ideas. Facing climate change, they can act like pioneers for a sustainable lifestyle.
Circular economy: still a long way to go
Recycling and refurbishment are still rare in Europe’s economies. Platforms like Refurbed offer a first contact to a more sustainable approach.
Extreme rain: how cities are preparing
Violent rainstorms are already more frequent, and they will only get worse. Europe’s metropolises are working on ways to protect themselves.
2018
Where does
my food come from?
Consumers want to know where their food comes from, but most of the time they still don’t know – a major problem in the event of contamination. Various solutions could make supply chains more transparent.
MOOCs: The challenge of Africa
Online courses can broaden access to higher education. But to help African students get jobs they should be integrated with local universities.
How AI threatens white-collar jobs
In the beginning, technology eliminated many clerical tasks. Now the danger is extending to positions that require a high level of skill.
Europe’s battle for more innovation impact
How can European countries become leaders of innovation? Two experts discuss the continent’s weaknesses and possibilities.
Hyperloop: the doubts persist
Elon Musk’s dream of a train that can travel at 1,200 km/h faces serious unresolved engineering challenges.
Europe’s shortage of children
Births are falling across the continent – although not in France. Why do women working in tech have fewer kids? And why are there more premature births?
“We’ll be thankful for all the progress in healthcare”
Physician, businessman and writer, France’s Laurent Alexandre brings a range of perspectives to the challenges posed by such new technologies as artificial intelligence.
More power from the sun
Pere Roca is making solar-panel manufacturing cheap and efficient
Using 3D printers to build houses
Digital technologies can save time and money in construction, but the complexity of the processes will make automation difficult.
2017
Europe’s new research élite
Eight success stories show how European scientists are shaping tomorrow’s world.
Team players
Machines are getting much better at learning from humans and interacting with them. The next challenge: getting robots to talk to each other.
A new frontier for artificial intelligence
Using algorithms to process sound is a booming field. Here are four promising innovations.
War without humans
Lambèr Royakkers of the Eindhoven University of Technology analyses the dangers of having machines make life-or-death decisions.
Grandma’s mixer gets fancy
Cooking blenders are invading European kitchens, with the promise of healthy and fresh nutrition without time wasted on cutting and stirring.
2016
Labs without borders
Designers working with biologists and engineers: not so long ago such collaboration would have been unusual. Now it is at the heart of European Science.
Putting goods back on the tracks
Some smaller countries are showing how efficiency-enhancing innovations can begin to shift some goods transport away from lorries.
2015
“Poland must be doing something right”
Daria Tataj, founder and CEO of the Warsaw-based consultancy Tataj Innovation, explains the reasons for Poland’s success.
“We reach a young audience that no longer buys newspapers”
Marten Blankesteijn, co-founder of Blendle, the new Dutch start-up whose app is already being referred to as the iTunes of the press.