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2018
Bringing tech to the farm
Technology is helping farmers feed the world. It can also make agriculture more environmentally friendly – for conventional and organic farmers alike.
Time to rethink the meaning of work
Automation has already eliminated numerous tasks, and now artificial intelligence will add to the carnage. Humans may have to reconsider their obsession with labour.
Getting in on the game
Increasingly, organisations are using entertaining ways to train and motivate their employees.
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.
The turbulent world of technological unemployment
Labour-saving advances usually increase both jobs and wages, but the unequal path of change can cause major friction.
Patrolling Europe’s low-altitude airspace
How do you keep the skies from becoming a giant, noisy, dangerous cloud of drones? Manufacturers and regulators are working on the answers.
The race for flying cars
Everyone from Airbus to Uber is interested. They could be part of the urban landscape in the next decade.
Europe’s drone opportunity
China may have a corner on the recreational market, and the US on military uses, but Europe is poised to find its own niche.
Drones designed like bugs
Hundreds of millions of years of evolution have given insects the ability to fly efficiently and robustly. Roboticists are taking note.
Managing the new world of transport
Anticipating a decline in car ownership, start-ups like Bestmile and Amber plan to power seamless on-demand services.
The race for rail-on-demand
Flexible railway systems can offer cheaper and faster transport in greater quantities. Their potential is most promising in freight handling.
Putting people back at the heart of banking
With robo-advisors and improved regulation, machine learning could make financial systems friendlier and more rewarding.
2017
Artificial empathy
The decapitation of the robot named hitchBOT has offered greater insight into social robotics.
When robots steal our jobs
A universal basic income would mitigate the negative effects of automation. But it might be more effective if combined with apprenticeships.
The european robotics industry fights back
Asia’s acquisition of two of the continent’s crown jewels came as a wake-up call. To stay competitive, Europe must innovate.
Invasion of the job snatchers
Make no mistake, the intelligent machines of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will lay waste to human employment – unless governments act.
Cobots: our new partners at work
Collaborative robots are boosting productivity, but they will also require us to rethink how we approach our jobs.
The electronic biped
Humanoid robots are finally learning to charm us. Can French-founded SoftBank Robotics stay ahead of the competition after a decade at the forefront?
Speaking of algorithms
Artificial intelligence raises thorny questions that will be keeping human brains very busy.
The double-edged promise of AI
Some people fret that artificial intelligence will end civilization as we know it, others believe it can solve every problem.
War without humans
Lambèr Royakkers of the Eindhoven University of Technology analyses the dangers of having machines make life-or-death decisions.
“Our robots are better than Amazon’s”
A German start-up improves warehouse automation.
2016
Driverless trains: the difficult next step
Will autonomous locomotives one day operate outside urban areas?
Going with the flow
The fight against congestion is getting some new tools: mobile phones and complex algorithms.
Self-driving cars? Don’t hold your breath
Safely mimicking all foibles in software and hardware of driving will take at least another decade, if not longer.
2015
From selfies to the fifth dimension
Rapidly evolving camera technology is changing our very notion of photography.