Shalev Lifshitz is the world’s youngest AI researcher. In this interview he explains how conflicts between humankind and machines can be solved.

Thanks to a navigation algorithm, drones are learning to autonomously perform acrobatic maneuvers. Using simulations, the autonomous aircraft are trained to become faster, more agile, and more efficient.

An international research team with Empa participation has developed a drone that can glide through water as well as fly through the air. To save energy, it attaches itself to other objects for a ride.

As a child, I was interested in cars, planes, and rocket ships. But since I have always been all thumbs and poor at math, becoming an engineer was never really an option. My fascination for technology has remained, among other things because humans and machines are growing ever closer together.

The findings could help develop new functional materials. Waterproof textiles, for example. Or construction materials for self-cleaning buildings.

Just a year ago, start-ups working on robotaxis were raising eight times as much money as companies interested in self-driving trucks. In the meantime, the gap has narrowed dramatically.

Robert Langer (73) has saved millions of lives with his research: His work with messenger RNA provides genetic blueprints with which the human body can produce antiviral proteins itself. This research forms the basis for the most successful Covid 19 vaccines, such as the vaccine produced by the manufacturer Moderna. Langer is a co-founder of the company and has become a billionaire since the Corona pandemic.

People in Germany are now open to using self-driving vehicles. Almost three out of four respondents can imagine boarding driverless underground or suburban trains, taxis or buses.

Artificial Intelligence makes robots mobile and autonomous. This is of particular interest for the manufacturers of cleaning equipment and their clients: Several 10.000 cleaning robots are currently deployed – and because of Corona, the number of smart cleaning machines is growing.

Cyanobacteria may be able to thrive even in the inhospitable conditions on Mars. They are excellent oxygen producers and could enable astronauts to survive self-sufficiently on future missions.