The digital transformation of the economy and society is currently one of the most discussed and controversial topics. We present a selection of digital and forward-looking solutions from the areas of Green Mobility, Digital Healthcare and New Work that are positively shaping the transformation.
By Tina Barankay
Our world is characterised by progressive and increasingly rapid social change, driven by technological advances, social movements and not least by massive global events. Whether climate change, pandemics or artificial intelligence – the changes affect us all and everyone must learn to deal with the new challenges. Or even better: to understand the change, at least in part, as an opportunity. Especially in the digital transformation, design can open up new perspectives through the development of forward-looking solutions and positively shape the transformation of our society: The creation of user-centred experiences, the creation of new digital products and services and the change of internal processes significantly supports innovation and change.
Green Mobility. Future Trend Sustainable Mobility.
In the field of mobility, the development of sustainable and resource-saving products has a particularly high priority. The term “Green Mobility”, or “Sustainable Mobility”, refers to the use of mobility concepts and technologies that help to reduce or completely avoid the emission burden and other negative effects of mobility on the environment. Ultimately, it is about promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, minimising our carbon footprint while using technology efficiently – in short, using existing resources responsibly.
Shipping in particular, which predominantly burns heavy fuel oil in its engines, creates a considerable burden on the environment. Internal combustion engines cause huge emissions of CO2 and other pollutants that are released into the atmosphere, further increasing climate change. By 2050, large ships in the European Union must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. With the Filtree & Carbon Capture System for Ships, Value Maritime has developed a sustainable closed-loop system that can help achieve this goal: With the help of the system, CO2 emissions from ships are captured in large-format batteries and forwarded to greenhouses where it is recaptured by the plants and additionally promotes their growth.
Digital Healthcare. Digital Transformation in Healthcare.
Digital innovations are also causing fundamental change in the healthcare sector. While there are legitimate concerns about data security, an increased need for training and also concerns about uneven care across the population, the benefits of healthcare transformation through digital tools are undeniable: New solutions are revolutionising the way healthcare professionals diagnose, deliver treatment and manage patient care. Digital applications enable efficient access to patient data, diagnostic software and artificial intelligence provide more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans, telemedicine facilitates access to care, virtual realities can help manage pain.
Wearable devices are also increasingly being used for health monitoring. Especially with diseases like multiple sclerosis, which progresses in relapses, permanent monitoring makes sense. The CE-certified MS Sherpa application from Sherpa b.v offers patients and healthcare professionals more control over the course of the disease. This enables individualised care and the timely adoption of targeted intervention measures.
New Work. Change in the World of Work.
The digital transformation requires a rethinking of the world of work and thus also the development of innovative solutions that support modern work in a groundbreaking way. The term News Work is therefore more topical today than ever before, even though it was already coined in the 1970s. It describes modern working in the digital age and includes elements of new working models and cultures such as flexible working hours, teleworking and collaborative workspaces as well as training and personal development. The use of digital applications to facilitate work processes, communication and collaboration is an important building block in this context – in addition, automation and artificial intelligence are increasingly revolutionising work in many areas.
With digitalisation, the pace of the working world is also increasing and with it the requirement to keep up with it. Thus, due to the constantly growing range of digital texts, the breadth of content that we have to grasp on a daily basis is also increasing. With Bionic Reading, Bionic Reading AG has developed an app that creates a new kind of reading method. By highlighting the first letters typographically, the texts can be grasped much more quickly: the reader’s eye is guided over the text in such a way that it only grasps the visually highlighted parts of the words – the brain then intuitively completes the missing part. The reading mode can be set individually so that the application can be adapted to different needs, for example to a reading or visual impairment.
With the German Innovation Award, the German Design Council annually honours cross-industry products and solutions that distinguish themselves in particular through their user-centricity and their added value compared to previous solutions. In this way, the award promotes groundbreaking innovations, makes visions visible on an international level and drives positive change processes in society, the environment or the economy – from small, forward-looking ideas to the expansion or adaptation of already existing concepts to major business models.
You can find all the winners of the competition at www.german-innovation-award.de/en/winners/
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