Pictures of the Future

It’s June 2020. Municipal manager John Gardiner is explaining to a visiting student how he has improved the quality of life in his urban neighborhood while cutting energy consumption in half.

Megacities are like magnets. Although their infrastructures are often inadequate and their populations face huge challenges, they are still regarded as the places where dreams come true.

Interview with Harald Mieg and Christian Hoffmann.

In a Siemens-sponsored research project, 522 decision-makers from 25 of the world’s largest cities have for the first time provided detailed information on today’s most pressing urban problems, and the outlook for the future.

São Paulo is South America’s No. 1 metropolis. But the city’s size also with it tremendous challenges in terms of water supply, power supply and transportation. Siemens is providing solutions for virtually all of the city’s major infrastructures.

Eduardo has colon cancer. But in 2020 such a diagnosis is far from threatening. Genetic screening has encouraged frequent blood testing, which has resulted in early identification of his tumor. Molecular imaging agents allow the tiny tumor to be perfectly visualized on a scanner. Miniaturization and knowledge-based diagnostics make a virtual biopsy possible. And on-the-spot micro-surgical intervention ensures that no cancer cells are left behind.

The potential benefits of molecular medicine are immense. At the top of the list is the promise of early disease detection and treatments optimized for each patient. Getting from here to there will take us on a journey through the genome and require the integration of colossal amounts of data as we seek to understand and manage the mechanisms of disease.

The acquisitions of Diagnostic Products Corporation and Bayer Diagnostics have brought exciting new technologies to Siemens—opening the door to a revolutionary symbiosis of the previously separate worlds of laboratory data and clinical imaging.

June 2020. At the headquarters of CO2NTRACT, a research institute that develops environmentally friendly processes and solutions, the institute’s director and energy expert Leonard Grossman is showing his family the building. They stop at a special place…

Global warming is already a reality. What remains uncertain is how it will play out over the next few decades. Will we face a climate disaster, or will we be able to somehow master the situation? We still have a chance to determine our destiny by developing and implementing efficient, energy-saving technologies.

About one third of the approximately 40 billion tons of CO2 that are emitted annually around the world as greenhouse gases comes from agriculture, forestry, land clearing measures and waste.

Book review/ Jack of all Trades / Vegetable Oil as Fuel / Safe Blood Donations / Small Wonder / New Turbine Coating / Cardiac Catheter in 3D

Experts from Siemens Venture Capital (SVC) constantly search the startup scene for technology trends and business ideas. By making targeted investments, Siemens is able to offer its customers state-of-the-art solutions.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Erich R. Reinhardt on the challenge on medical technology. Prof. Reinhardt a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and President and CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions.