Here, with the assistance of various search options, you will find locations in the Land of Ideas. You can select one or more search criteria, or you can have all 365 locations displayed at a glance.
With the new digital reproduction method MP3, the Fraunhofer Institute in Erlangen revolutionized the world of music in the 1990´s. The Berlin research scientist Tilman Liebchen continued this success story in 2004 with his development of the ALS procedure for the coding and storing of digital music.
The Automobile
In 1883 in Mannheim, Carl Benz founded a workshop for motor construction: the company “Benz & Cie., Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik”. It was to be the birthplace of the first automobile equipped with a petrol engine.
The Aspirin Tablet
In 1897, Felix Hoffmann of the company Bayer in Leverkusen was looking for a way of easing his father's rheumatism. His efforts led to his discovery how to produce acetylsalicylic acid synthetically. The resulting remedy was to become known around the world as Aspirin.
Printing
Johannes Gutenberg is considered the inventor of the modern printing press. His use of movable metal letters for printing signalled the start, in 1450, of the modern information age.
The Computer
In his parents' flat in 1938 Konrad Zuse built the world's first freely programmable computing device, "Z 1". Its successor, "Z3", is today considered to have been the first fully functional computer.
The Maglev
In 1934, Hermann Kemper from Nortrup (Germany) applied for the patent on a train "which would be guided, in suspension, by means of magnetic fields, above and along iron rails": the magnetic levitation train (maglev) had been born.
Neopor
In 1952, BASF developed Styropor® (an expandable polystyrene) - which has been successfully used for decades to insulate buildings. In 1998, the more advanced Neopor® was introduced, which provides better insulation while using less material. The sculptures for the “Walk of Ideas” were made of Neopor®.
TerraElast
Thanks to the water-permeable road surface coating recently developed by the Bavarian firm Terra Elast AG, aquaplaning is now a thing of the past. Up to 40% of the new road surface coating consists of air chambers, which direct the rain water straight into the soil.
The Gummy Bear
It was in 1922 in Bonn that Hans Riegel first mixed together gelatine and citric acid, added flavouring and colouring, and cast this whole mixture in the form of a little bear. Today, his firm Haribo produces 80 million such “golden bears” daily.
The Rawlplug
Artur Fischer revolutionized the work of both professional and DIY handymen. His expanding straddling dowel in grey plastic, which has been available in countless variations since 1958, is known world-wide.
The Autotram®
Autotram® was developed by scientists from Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (IVI) and is a hybrid between a bus and tram. It is powered by a fuel cell and a flywheel energy storage system (FESS). Overhead lines can be dispensed with and an optical control system replaces the traditional rail system.
Video Technology
In 1953, Eduard Schüller invented the so-called helical scan method for recording TV images. This method was the basis for the recording technique used in all video recorders.
The Currywurst
In 1949, Herta Heuwer sold her first bratwurst garnished with a tomato purée sauce, curry powder and other ingredients. In 1959, this enterprising Berliner had her invention patented as the “Currywurst”.
Recycling
The German economy revolutionized recycling with its “Green Dot System”. Since 1990, old wrappers and packaging have been used systematically to create new products. This “Green Point” system has now been adopted in 26 other countries.
Pocket-sized Beamer
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) in Jena have developed a special LED illumination module that could enable future beamers to be reduced to the size of a mobile telephone. The quality and size of the projected image is designed to match those of flat screens.
The Colour Television
With his invention, Walter Bruch brought colour to German living rooms. He was the engineer who developed the PAL colour television system, introduced in Germany in 1967 and today the most widely-used system in the world.
The ABS
That braking no longer means locking is something we owe to Bosch. It was this company that introduced, in the 1970’s, the anti-lock braking system (ABS).
The Airbag
Although in 1952 Walter Linderer had already patented his idea of protecting drivers from accidents by means of an inflatable cushion, the airbag had its premiere only 30 years later - in a Mercedes.
The Radio Clock
In 1986, the company Junghans manufactured the world's first radio-controlled clock, which automatically adjusts itself to the atomic clock at Braunschweig. In 1990, this was followed by the world's first radio-controlled wristwatch.
Gerhard Kamil
Gerhard Kamil has developed extract wort granules that can produce 100% alcohol-free beer. These compact granules have a much longer life, are easy to transport and can be processed on-site by beverage companies, without them needing to have special beer-making skills
biggAIRcube
A giant inflatable television set, invented by the German Günter Ganzevoort, offers 3.000 viewers even in broad daylight a clear picture on a screen of 3 by 4 metres. This innovative product was especially developed for open air events and only costs a fraction of the cost of comparable LED screens.
Alnylam
To cure diseases before they erupt – this was the target Alnylam Europe AG had set itself when it developed a special application of RNA interference. The company is working on the development of completely new therapeutics which selectively turn off the activity of proteins causing diseases.
Flying transmitter mast
A test conducted by researchers from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) was successful: vast amounts of data were transmitted by laser at 1.25 G/bits per second from a “flying transmitter mast” in the stratosphere to the earth’s surface. With its work supports DLR the EU research project “Capanina”, whose objective is to introduce a new era of wireless broadband communication.
The Mars Camera
We can see Mars in 3D thanks to HRSC, a high resolution stereo camera developed under the direction of research scientists in Berlin for the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). For the first time we have three-dimensional images, in colour and with high spatial resolution, of another world.
Lightronic
This is the name of the fully automatic control system for room lighting, which was developed by 19-year old Christoph Budelmann, the winner of this year’s “Jugend forscht” young researchers competition. The innovative system controls all lighting units in a room, according to the time of day or the presence of people.
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