Germany Archives

Unlocking potential: PEO coatings redefine durability in critical industries

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Industries require lightweight, durable components with specific surface properties, yet current methods like plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) are limited by high costs and scalability issues. Existing surface modification processes hinder large-scale manufacturing due to cost and scalability limitations. Is there a solution for industrial surface modification that overcomes these challenges? Recent advancements in PEO technology, led by Dr Anna Buling, […]

Robotics and autonomy: From space robots to applications in daily life

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The researchers explore the current robotic systems and their sustainable expansion into future industrial applications.

Robots are an integral part of our world, with mostly non-autonomous systems providing support in practically every aspect of modern life. These robots are used in industry, surgical procedures, and the household, with more autonomous robots developed for space and deep-sea applications which are more detached from human activities. Dr Sirko Straube and Professor Dr Frank Kirchner from the German […]

The paradox of Western hegemony of human nature

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The world faces unprecedented social and environmental challenges that demand a coordinated, global response. However, such a response is hampered by a conundrum. The challenges are partly the outcome of Western notions of what it is to be human, yet those very notions will probably dictate the spirit and strength of how the challenges are addressed. Dr Michael Zichy, a […]

How do power imbalances influence national corruption and welfare?

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A deep-rooted culture of equality provides high living standards for most citizens.

Professor Wolfgang Scholl of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, has built a detailed model that shows how and where corruption thrives and the damage it causes to social welfare. The social-psychological, cultural, and economic causes and effects are disentangled, and the ethical imperatives are discussed that support a positive outcome. The model confirms empirically that unequal power relations induce corruption […]

Creating a unified theory for the fundamental physical interactions

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The search for a theory which unifies the Universe’s four known fundamental forces has now endured for over a century. Recently, Dr Joachim Herrmann at the Max-Born Institute, Germany, revisited the geometrisation programme of unified field theory from the 20th century, in combination with the modern theory of elementary particles. He has shown that a possible solution may be found […]

The EUB SuperHub Online Platform: Towards a smart and sustainable construction future

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The EUB SuperHub platform is an integrated cloud data hub for building information.

Imagine how much easier life would be with an online repository containing all relevant information about a building over its lifecycle while also connecting all stakeholders, from developers and contractors to tenants and maintenance teams. Moving from imagination to reality, Ahmed Khoja, senior researcher at Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Dr Marina Malinovec Puček, lead consultant at the […]

The science of dishwashing: Changing habits for a greener world

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Schencking and Stamminger identify best practice tips for manual and electric dishwashing.

By making small changes to our domestic habits, we can make a big difference to global energy use and resource consumption. That’s the message from a new review report, which shows how rethinking the everyday task of washing up can help private households to become significantly more resource efficient. Led by Dr Lotta Schencking and Professor Rainer Stamminger from the […]

Transgressing gender and genre: Isabella Whitney’s appropriation of London

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Stefani Brusberg-Kiermeier discusses Isabella Whitney’s poetry that appropriates the city of London to transgress both poetry and politics.

The poet Isabella Whitney is considered the first professional female writer in England to have had secular poetry published under her own name. Dr Stefani Brusberg-Kiermeier, professor of English literature at Hildesheim University, Germany, explores how Whitney presents herself as a respectable female poet in a male-dominated era by ‘appropriating’ the city of London, irrevocably weaving herself into its history […]

Change by exchange: The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

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A group of smiling young people are standing in a circle with their hands stretched out and all resting one on another in the middle of the circle. Research Outreach spoke to Kai Sicks about the DAAD and the work of the organisation to provide opportunities for change through exchange programmes, funding, and other support.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a large German education agency with global perspectives aimed at spreading the value of ‘exchange’ across borders and cultures through diverse, funded research projects. Research Outreach was privileged to talk with Kai Sicks, Secretary General of the DAAD, on the objectives, achievements, and future goals of the organisation. Many borders exist that prevent […]

Stock market valuation: Don’t hate the player, hate the game!

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Dr Shushu Liao examines how the overvaluation of a corporate company impacts the market.

There is great importance in understanding how the overvaluation of a corporate company impacts the market. Shushu Liao of Kühne Logistics University in Germany and her co-author Marco Errico have shown that if investors were to have access to equal and accurate financial information for their investments, overvaluation wouldn’t be at the mercy of corporate managers. Consequently, overvalued financial reports […]