Algorithms exhibit biases that may pose a threat to social cohesion. A collaborative research project led by Professor Dietmar Hübner is looking for solutions to a serious problem that will become increasingly pressing in the future.
Robotics and elderly care: Machines that help in a humane way
What are the consequences of automation of care for the quality of life and dignity of the elderly? An interdisciplinary research group is working on concepts that are better geared to the needs of elderly people and caregivers alike. The results are innovative ideas in caring for the elderly – that sometimes challenge taboos.
Quality assurance is and remains absolutely indispensable for science. However, the limitations of peer review are becoming increasingly evident. New approaches are therefore urgently needed – such as the partially randomized selection of projects by lot.
The biologist Ulrich Kuch has been doing intensive research on venomous snakes for years. Now, together with experts in Myanmar, he is looking for a new method to protect people around the world from bites.
Responsibility – following the Rana Plaza disaster
Since the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory, occupational safety in Bangladesh has improved – according to the results of a Foundation-funded study. But what will remain if the politicians don't keep at it?
Many courts in the USA use software to assess the risk of recidivism of defendants. Should AI also be used in the German judicial system? An interdisciplinary research group is now seeking answers to the provocative issues raised in this context.
Wolfram Pernice is researching how computers based on neural networks could in future compute even faster and more efficiently – using light instead of electronics. And real nerves instead of optical fibres.
Marine scientist Dr Christina Roggatz from the University of Bremen is leading her own team for the first time – and through her work wants to arrive at a better understanding of climate change. Here she gives us an insight into her everyday life as leader of a junior research group.
