Passengers in a tram during an AIT demonstration (Credit: AIT)
In Austria the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology took this opportunity to showcase photonics as one of the key enablers of modern and future technology through a series of (mobile) public experiments.
Light bears the potential to enrich our daily lives. It’s not just the sun that triggers emotions and enables life, it’s much more: the Internet, medicine, displays, industrial manufacturing, sensors, supercomputers or quantum networks – in all these applications technology based on light is playing a critical and meanwhile indispensable role. Reason enough to celebrate it.
On 13th of May the Centers for Digital Safety & Security and Vision, Automation and Control furnished one of three cars of Vienna’s historic tramway in a joint endeavor organized by the Photonics Austria technology platform. Passengers were able to hop on for a round-trip on Vienna’s famous ring road, allowing them to get a glimpse on the potential that resides in photonic technologies. AIT contributed public experiments concerning artificial intelligence for automated driving and LiFi. Moreover, those who wanted to know the exact diameter of their hair got their thirst for curiosity quenched with micrometer accuracy.
Besides this “roadshow” AIT conducted a live experiment devoted to the waveguiding of classical music by means of light transmission through a jet of water – an experiment that was set up live from scratch in just 10 minutes just to amplify the “live” experience of the audience one more time.
We cordially thank the numerous visitors! Stay tuned and mark next year’s celebration in your calendar – on the 16th of May, 2023.