hi Tech & Industry Fair

We recently made a trip to the hi Tech & Industry fair in Herning, Denmark. It is the biggest tech and industry expo in Scandinavia, with more than 600 exhibitors and 16 000 visitors. Fairs like this are ideal for seeing what’s new and interesting in our industry and others. Visitors were also offered a chance to see first-hand how select Danish companies like Bang & Olufsson and Danfoss use new technologies.

Bang & Olufsen “The farm” and the rainy Danish countryside

There were many exciting things to see at the fair, but some of the highlights were cleaning machines from Nilfisk and Kärcher with design almost like a towing tractor and many, many robots (like this feedback machine that thanks you with a wave).

Also a part of the fair was Digitalisation Conference with talks in Danish and English around Industry 4.0. Alexandra Ion, who is a PhD student at the Hasso-Plattner Institute in Germany, gave an inspiring presentation about metamaterial mechanisms. In short it means engineering not just the outer shape of objects but the internal structure as well, so that it becomes a machine instead of merely material.

It’s simpler than it sounds, just watch this video and see.

Very interesting implications for designers! If you have a 3D printer and would like to try for yourself, the Hasso-Plattner Institute has materials available on Thingverse.

Read more about Bang & Olufsen’s design philosophy and the Farm.