Projects
The topics of the chair are investigated in a number of third-party funded projects, both on behalf of public and industrial sponsors. Our projects deal with different questions in the context of technology perception, human-technology interaction, acceptance and risk communication in the domains of renewable energies, mobility and transport, health and disease, and digitization in work and production.
Running Projects
ENRI: Decision-making factors of sustainable re-investments in companies
ENRI aims to investigate the decision-making processes in companies regarding the further use of their monetary profits. To this end, psychological, business management and communication science research approaches will be used to analyze the patterns according to which companies make energy transition re-investments. An empirical multi-method approach is used for the analysis, which uses interviews, focus groups, case studies and quantitative company surveys. The findings from the empirical studies and their transdisciplinary synthesis will contribute to a) a better understanding of the relevant factors in the company, b) their transferability to other companies and c) climate targets in the corporate sector but also in the overall social sphere.
DAC-Tales: Direct Air Capture – Transdisciplinary Assessment Combining Labs, the Environment, the Economy, and Society
The project DAC-TALES will analyze the full range of DAC technologies, including both absorption and adsorption, on multiple scales. Based on insights from lab-scale experiments, we will construct flexible and parametrized DAC technology models. We will bring together these DAC models with CO2 storage and the energy system to be able to cover system-wide effects along the entire DACCS value chain. Techno-economic and life-cycle assessments will provide details of the system-wide climate benefits as well as environmental and economic impacts of DACCS at climate-relevant scales. In a stochastic climate–economic assessment, we will determine the social value of DACCS under multifold risks from a global perspective.
TAIGERS – Transparency in Artificial Intelligence: Considering Explainability, User and System Factors, 2021 to 2022
The increased use of artificial intelligence, shortform AI, systems leads to a variety of interdisciplinary challenges in the field of human-system interaction. The project TAIGERS addresses the research gap of a user-centric definition of transparency, as well as a transfer into practicable recommendations for AI developers. In a close interdisciplinary cooperation of the chair of information management in mechanical engineering, shortform IMA and the chair of communication science, an AI transparency map is build based on user factors and system factors. This typology is consolidated in an AI transparency framework by a representative survey study and experimental investigations.
CO2SMOS – Production of advanced chemicals from biogenic CO2 emssions for-based circular economy, 2021 to 2025
The aim of CO2SMOS is to develop a flexible toolbox. This will consist of various technologies that can be used to convert CO2 into biobased chemicals. These chemicals are the basis for bio-based products such as packaging, coatings, biodegradable plastics and high-performance biopolymers. CO2SMOS implements the circular economy approach, contributing to the zero-waste goal and the avoidance of greenhouse gases. It can also reduce dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen the BBI industry. This will create new jobs.
ACCESS! – Transformation paths to sustainable mobility, 2020 to 2024
The Research College ACCESS! is dedicated to the development of transformation paths for integrated technology and mobility concepts and sustainable mobility systems. Doctoral students from the fields of technology, social and economic sciences work together on current and socially relevant questions concerning the design of future mobility systems. Future technical and infrastructural possibilities as well as societal demands and global environmental goals are taken into account.
KISTRA – Use of Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection of Crimes, 2020 to 2023
The research project KISTRA deals with technical solutions for the detection of hate criminality as well as socio-scientific, ethical and legal considerations on the topic "Hate on the Internet". The project is based on the "Protection against Crime and Terrorism" initiative of the national security research programme at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, shortform BMBF, and aims to promote the development of legally compliant AI and procedures for the collection and evaluation of security-relevant content on the Internet.
GOODBROTHER: Network on Privacy-Aware Audio- and Video-Based Applications for Active and Assisted Living, 2020 to 2024
The aim of the GOODBROTHER Action is to design social accepted, ethically responsible and privacy-aware solutions to support older, impaired, and frail people in their daily life as well as to increase the awareness of the ethical, legal, social, and privacy issues associated to audio- and video-based monitoring in private spaces.
"FLIP" – Promoting the quality of life of insects and humans through perfect meadow worlds, 2020 to 2026
FLIP comprises an integrative approach to the sustainable establishment of species-rich meadows, smooth oat meadows of the low and hilly countryside, on hitherto intensively maintained lawns of inner-city green spaces as well as fat and many-pruned meadows of the agricultural landscape. A site-appropriate diversity of native plants is to be established in order to restore the habitat of many insects. At the same time, the value creation of meadows and their inhabitants is to be achieved through educational and public relations measures at regional and supra-regional level, in order to raise the awareness of a wide range of stakeholders.
Optimal@NRW – Optimized Acute Care for Geriatric Patients through an Intersectoral Telemedical Cooperation Network – around the Clock, 2020 to 2024
In the project Optimal@NRW a central telemedical contact point, such as a virtual digital counter, is being developed in the Aachen region, through which nursing homes, nursing services, general practitioners, portal practices, rescue services and emergency rooms are networked. In case of a medical question, the nursing staff reports to the virtual counter. There, the urgency of the case is recorded and it is forwarded to the family doctor, the emergency room or to mobile care assistants. Further goals of the project are the establishment of medical teleconsultations and the development of an early warning system that, based on clinical observations and vital parameters, can better determine the urgency of medical care on site.
visuAAL – Privacy-Aware and Acceptable Video-Based Technologies and Services for Active and Assisted Living, 2020 to 2024
The purpose of the visuAAL project is to build a bridge between user requirements and the appropriate and safe use of video-based AAL technologies in order to provide effective and supportive services to elderly people. In particular, ethical, legal, social and privacy requirements for the use of the technologies in hospitals, private homes and public areas will be explored.
SULEICA – Smart Urban Logistics through Electrification Collaboration and Automation, 2020 to 2022
In recent years, the volume of logistics has risen sharply due to increasing urbanization and changes in the retail sector, and thus also the challenge to logistics providers and infrastructure.
The SULEICA research project aims to investigate automated, networked, electric light vehicles - so-called "ducktrains" - for smart urban inner city logistics in Aachen.
eCOCO2, 2020 to 2024
eCOCO2 aims to establish a CO2 conversion process using renewable electricity and steam to directly produce synthetic jet fuels with balanced hydrocarbon distribution. As a result, this technology will make it possible to store more energy per processed CO2 molecule and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies on social perception and acceptance are being carried out in several European regions. In these studies COMM will assess, model and predict the societal perception and acceptance of the developed technology and the synthetic fuels derived from its application.
COre FACTS, 2020 to 2022
A central prerequisite for the targeted further development of energy system transformation is the implementation of a CO2-oriented reform of the energy levy, tax and contribution system, COre for short. The aim of the COre FACTS project is to analyse questions of social acceptance of such a reform by means of sociological, behavioural economic and communication science research approaches and to examine them empirically by means of focus groups.
Landleuchten – Digital Revival of the Village, 2019 to 2022
The Landleuchten project looks at two rural model regions, the Eifel and the Hunsrück, which are characterised by structural and demographic change. For the social and functional survival of rural areas, the reconnection of the population to mobility services, trade and shopping facilities as well as participation in a cultural-social life is essential
Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production – Reasearch School, 2019 to 2025
The Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production, short IoP, has the vision to enable a new level of cross-domain collaboration in the production domain by providing semantically adequate and context-aware data from production, development and usage in real-time on an appropriate level of granularity. The Research School within the IoP focusses the systematic support and development of researchers at different scientific stages and disciplines.
Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production – Integrated Usage, 2019 to 2025
Another Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production, shortform IoP, deals with integrated usage. The overall objective of CRD D is to design user-centered communication, interaction, and knowledge transfer between the entities of a digitalized, socio-technical production system under consideration of change to enhance acceptance and sustainability of the IoP.
Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production – Functional Perspective, 2019 to 2025
In this project network of the Cluster of Excellence Internet of Production, shortform IoP, we are working on user-centred "Data to Knowledge Pipelines", which are designed to convert data into knowledge and provide decision-makers with meaningful, actionable knowledge.
Cluster of Excellence Fuel Science Center: Integrated design method for sustainable fuel-based mobility, 2019 to 2025
Sustainable Mobility Concepts are an important measure for reducing CO2 and pollutant emissions in the transport sector. Alternative fuels, for example bio-based fuels, e-fuels made of CO2, water and renewable electricity or so-called biohybrid fuels, can reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions compared to fossil fuels.
eMIND – Construction of charging infrastructure (LIS) for electric vehicles in Düren, 2018 to 2022
Interdisciplinary collaborative project within the framework of the "Clean Air Immediate Action Programme 2017 to 2020". The project eMIND - Electric Mobility INtegration Düren – is made up of the city of Düren and three institutes of RWTH Aachen University. These are the Institute of High Voltage Technology, the Human-Computer Interaction Center, and the Institute of Urban Planning and Transportation.
Cities in Charge – Development of Public Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles in German Conurbations, 2018 to 2022
Interdisciplinary collaborative project within the framework of the "Clean Air Immediate Action Programme 2017 to 2020". The overall objective of the project is to establish Charging Infrastructure in German Conurbations and their surrounding areas. The cities of Bonn, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Leipzig and Munich suffer from increased air pollution levels. In these regions, a contribution to NOx reduction is to be made by increasing the number of electric vehicles.
Digital Maturity, 2018 to 2022
"Everyone has the right to freely express and disseminate his opinion in word, writing and pictures and to obtain information from generally accessible sources without hindrance. Freedom of the press and freedom of reporting by radio and film shall be guaranteed. There shall be no censorship." (Article 5(1), first sentence, of the Basic Law). The Digital Maturity Project contributes to securing democracy and the informational self-determination of Internet users by offering a tool to make opinion-forming processes in hybrid social networks visible and to identify sensitive tipping points in public discourse.