Pictures of the Future Spring 2008
Editorial
Transformational Technologies
Reinhold Achatz heads Siemens Corporate Research and Technologies
What do an ultrasound device, an aspirin tablet, and a Teflon-covered frying pan have in common? The answer is that their areas of application today are far broader than their inventors could have imagined. Ultrasound was originally developed to locate submarines. It was then used to inspect production materials, and now it is the basis of one of the most important diagnostic systems in medical imaging. The active ingredient in aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, is not only indicated for treating headaches, toothaches, and joint pain, but can also support the prevention of vascular clots that can cause strokes and heart attacks. And polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as Teflon, can do far more than prevent your scrambled eggs from sticking to the frying pan. Because of its smooth surface and low friction, it’s an ideal material for medical implants and prostheses; it’s also the key element of clothing made of “breathable” Gore-Tex membranes.
Ultrasound, aspirin and Teflon are typical examples of multiple-impact technologies that can be transformed into innovations in diverse fields of application. It’s precisely in the white spaces between various disciplines—whether biology, chemistry or physics, materials science or medicine, power engineering or sensors, transportation or computer science—that many of these valuable technologies can be discovered. And the synergies between multiple-impact technologies are a major reason why corporate research activities are a top priority in an integrated technology organization such as Siemens.
Researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology promote many of the technologies and processes that make the Energy, Industry, and Healthcare Sectors at Siemens the trendsetters they are today. These technologies and processes range from materials research, sensors, and software to communications technology, knowledge management, and innovative production processes.
In Pictures of the Future we frequently introduce examples of successful multiple-impact technologies, such as piezo technology, which Siemens researchers have refined for applications in communications technology as well as for the automotive industry and medical engineering. The same holds true for ceramics, whose applications range from turbine coatings to X-ray detectors, and for three-dimensional imaging processes, which can be used for 3-D face recognition, fault analysis for turbine blades, and the precise production of in-ear hearing aids.
In this issue of Pictures of the Futureyou’ll find similar fascinating examples of multiple-impact technologies—for example, adaptive learning systems that optimize the use of resources in energy engineering and in industrial facilities and can predict price developments (see Networks) and a risk analysis tool that Siemens uses to evaluate subway and power plant projects (see Financial Sector).
Our laboratories also have multiple impacts. For instance, in our User Interface Design labs (see Usability), researchers work with customers and users to optimize the ergonomics of operating room systems, train cockpits, and power plant control centers. In the event of a fault, software not only displays the location of the problem but also provides helpful tips on how to remedy it.
This issue of our publication devotes an entire section to these and other digital assistants ( Digital Assistants). Here, you’ll read about intelligent software systems that support physicians in making diagnoses and searching medical databases, and others that help the operators of industrial facilities and power plants. For example, with the aid of an array of sensors, computers can monitor the functionality of the gear mechanisms in cement mills and wind farms and sound an alarm before machinery breaks down. This kind of preventive maintenance helps customers to minimize down time at their installations.
Researchers at Corporate Technology are also working on solutions involving wireless, self-organizing sensor actuator systems (see p. 96). Such systems could be used for the remote monitoring of oil pipelines and platforms and for process controlling in industry and building automation—applications that truly deserve to be called multiple-impact technologies.