This year’s Festival of the Future by 1E9 transformed Munich's Museum Island into an island of the future – under the motto "Welcome to Future Island," the Forum of the Future from June 27 to 30 focused on the latest developments in technology and science. The event not only offered information, discussions, and workshops, but also made the future – or at least a possible version of it – tangible with virtual reality experiences, art installations, and various workshops.
Finally, the computer understands people
At the opening of the program, Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Markus Blume and Simon Glöcklhofer, head of the Forum of the Future at the Deutsches Museum, discussed how science can be transformed into solutions and new industries. Among other things, the discussion focused on strategies for strengthening knowledge and technology transfer from research to industry, particularly in startups. One technology that has already completed this journey is Generative AI Stable Diffusion. Developed by computer science professor Björn Ommer and his team at LMU, this AI is now used in numerous applications.
It was fitting, then, that Ommer spoke about the future of and with artificial intelligence at the Festival of the Future. He not only placed it in direct comparison with inventions such as the printing press, the steam engine, or the computer, all of which represent revolutions in the economy and society, but also emphasized that what is truly special about current AI solutions is that, for the first time, humans no longer have to learn the language of computers; rather, computers understand human language. This means that users no longer have to laboriously learn programs or entire programming languages – instead, it is sufficient to describe to the AI in their own words what they need. This will radically change and shorten development processes, which will have a profound impact on the economy. Ommer referred to estimates that the global economic output of generative AI in 2030 will be roughly equivalent to that of Germany.
Zodiac signs made of space junk
Just as space travel is part of every good utopia, spacetech is also part of the Festival of the Future. This year, it was Chiara Manfletti, CEO of the Portuguese startup Neuraspace and Professor of Space Mobility and Propulsion at TUM, who spoke about the contributions of space travel in areas such as logistics, climate research, robotics, microelectronics, materials science, and more. Her actual message, however, was different: Sustainability is not only important for the economy on Earth; it must also find its way into orbit. Greater efforts should be made to utilize resources from space and to utilize existing infrastructure for as long as possible. To this end, she presented, among other things, a concept in which water is extracted from asteroids and processed into fuel using an electrolyzer.
But Manfletti wasn't the only one concerned about space debris. While she described the problem from a space perspective – there is currently so much debris (around 160 million objects) in Earth's orbit that several startups earn money by predicting its trajectories for satellite operators – her keynote speech was followed by the presentation of the project Space Trash Signs The aim of this initiative is to make space debris visible to the public and thus raise awareness of this problem. To this end, space debris constellations were identified and given names and meanings – zodiac signs made of garbage, so to speak. For example, the constellation "The Bars of No Service" represents the failure of communication systems if space debris hits a satellite. Ultimately, explain Christopher Kebschull, CTO & Co-Founder of Okapi Orbits, and Shruthi Subramanian, copywriter at Serviceplan Innovation, Space Trash Signs is intended to help put pressure on lawmakers to do more to keep orbits clean.
A real market for CO2 certificates
Of course, a festival of the future must also address climate change, or better yet, find ways to combat it. It was precisely for this purpose that Jörg Eigendorf, Chief Sustainability Officer of Deutsche Bank, Stefan Ferber, CEO & Founder of Treeo, Kathrin McCarthy, Carbon Trader and Biochar Project Manager at Interholco, and moderator Markus Turber, Managing Director at Intuity, discussed the topic of nature-based solutions (NBS) for CO2 recovery and cooling. The panelists quickly agreed: There are many solutions, what is missing is the right market. For Eigendorf, it is clear that companies currently lack incentives to actually enter the CO2 certificate trading market. For example, the already questionable claim of climate neutrality as a marketing promise is insufficient. Rather, greenhouse gases must finally be included in financial statements as externalized costs. And inclusion in the EU taxonomy would also put pressure on companies.
McCarthy raised another important point: There are many projects for CO2 storage in forests (Treeo), biochar (her own project), and other solutions. What they lack is a uniform and reliable standard. Only then can reliable trading take place. Eigendorf added that the easiest way to convince investors to support these projects is when there is definite demand, for example, through government action. He illustrated this with an example: Since EU legislation required the share of sustainable aviation fuels to increase to six percent by 2030, investors have been flocking to the producers because there is a guaranteed sales market.
Eternal life in equality
The basic prerequisite for experiencing many of the future technologies on display and discussed firsthand is living as long a life as possible. This was precisely the topic of scientist and author Andrew Steele, who addressed the question of whether aging will be curable in the future in his keynote speech. According to Steele, aging is the leading cause of death and suffering worldwide – not cancer or heart disease. Nevertheless, humanity has so far accepted this process as inevitable. Steele demonstrated that this need not remain so by citing cutting-edge research findings. Already today, laboratories are experimenting with DNA, stem cells, the immune system, and so-called aging genes, which have led to a tenfold increase in lifespan in animals. In the not too distant future, these could lead to treatments that could even halt the deterioration of the human body.
Finally, the conference focused on innovations in the field of health technologies for women under the motto "Closing the Gap." Specific topics related to women's health are still often overlooked. To address this gap, more and more startups are engaging in this field, and they also presented their work on stage: Impact Period brings knowledge about the female cycle to the workplace with workshops, while Meliodys Medical offers non-hormonal pain management solutions for menstrual pain. The great advantage of these startups, according to AOK board member Lisa Feiler, is their ability to view the suffering of those affected holistically. In the primary healthcare market, however, too many particular interests clash to bring about lasting change. All panelists identified the greatest challenge as the remaining data gaps. The collection of women's health data still lags significantly behind its male counterpart. Furthermore, more capital for research and development and more targeted funding programs for Femtech-solutions.
Interstellar solariums and mineral water from Mars
The Festival of the Future also had a lot of exciting things to offer beyond the two main stages, especially at the intersection of art and technology. For example, the media collective Total Refusal presented its short film "Hardly Working," in which it uses the routines of NPCs in the video game "Red Dead Redemption 2" as a starting point for its critique of capitalism. "As Sisyphean machines, they paint a vivid picture of work in the age of capitalism," was the theme of the subsequent discussion.
Experimental philosopher and artist in residence at the SETI Institute, Jonathon Keats, also brought unique perspectives to the table. He attempted to democratize the experience of space tourism by installing an interstellar solarium. The idea behind it: Many people go on vacation to get a nice tan. Why should space tourism be any different? Since space tourism is very expensive and unsustainable, anyone can sunbathe in the simulated light of various stars in the interstellar solarium.
In addition, Keats offered all visitors the opportunity to become alien hybrids themselves. Here's how: Keats created a special mineral water with minerals from meteorites proven to have originated from Mars. And since the body absorbs the minerals it ingests, everyone who drinks the water becomes a tiny bit extraterrestrial.
XR in didactics and art
Numerous interactive VR and AR installations made it possible to transcend the boundaries of reality. The startup Salzsammler Studios uses innovations in the field of extended reality to make educationally valuable information accessible in a playful way. What looked like a play mat projected onto the floor turned out to be an immersive learning environment. In the interactive game, cameras record the players' movements and integrate them seamlessly into the application. The aim is to introduce children to a rather dry topic: trade and the transport of goods in medieval Regensburg.
Also the XR Hub Bavaria was represented by XR artists from its community. This time, the focus of the initiative was on mixed reality art. In virtual reality, visitors could explore the Amazon rainforest or fly through the prairie from the perspective of an endangered bumblebee species. Alongside this, they learned interesting facts about the struggle for self-determination of two aviation pioneers and the future dreams of young people from Lebanon. Those with sporting ambitions could also ride a fixed-geometry bicycle through Berlin in 2037.
The Current project invited visitors on a journey through ocean currents. After literally immersing themselves in the flora and fauna of the ocean, the 3D environment reveals the effects of climate change and environmental pollution in three phases. Plastic swirls, a siren wails, it begins to snow as temperatures drop, and oil droplets pollute the water. The underlying appeal: As part of the ecosystem, everyone is called upon to act together. For this idea, the artists behind Current received the New Realities Award 2024 at the festival. In the finals of the XR competition organized by 1E9 and XR Hub Bavaria, the best submissions pitched their concepts and products. Patron and Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs Fabian Mehring presented the prize, endowed with 1,000 euros.
