Journey through time

The move away from plastic and toward paper seems to have arrived in the food industry. A frozen food manufacturer has invented paper packaging and applied for a patent.

A research team from RWTH Aachen University has developed a technology to reduce the global use of fungicides and herbicides. For more sustainability in agriculture.

A team of researchers from Osram and BMW developed a high beam that gives drivers a good view of the road even when driving at night.

Goal or no goal? The camera-based GoalControl system makes it easier for referees to decide.

Researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have developed a satellite duo called TanDEM-X that can map every corner of the Earth in detail and in 3D. Its measurements provide vital information on the state of our planet.

The company TerraNova Energy in Düsseldorf has developed a method of turning sewage sludge into environmentally friendly energy.

A process that could revolutionize the industrial carbon cycle: Max Planck researcher Markus Antonietti has found a way to compress biomass into coal called hydrothermal carbonization.

Steel pipes are durable and robust. To keep it that way, Viega has developed a cold-pressing technique. Its advantages: increased safety and shorter assembly times.

In the search for new active ingredients to combat fungal diseases in cultivated plants, two researchers from BASF found the solution: they developed the fungicide F 500.

With its development of the mRNA vaccine, Biontech played a crucial part in stemming the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the liver fails, this can be life-threatening. In the 1990s, researchers in Rostock developed a special method to take over the function of a diseased liver and cleanse the blood of toxins.

Above-the-knee amputees have a particular need for mobility, independence, and safety. An important new technology entered the market in 1997: the C-Leg prosthesis.

The fuel cell is a promising technology for alternative energy sources. Researchers at Mercedes-Benz harnessed this technology for the automotive sector in 1994.

In 1989, Klaus Krinner gave many families a wonderful gift: he invented the Christmas tree stand with single-wire technology. His company is still refining it to this day.

It revolutionized the music industry: the MP3 format. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute developed this format in the 1990s. Since then, it has been possible to store entire music collections digitally.

Today, we make social arrangements, send congratulations, and have entire conversations using messenger services. In the 1980s, these mobile communication possibilities were still completely new: these were the beginnings of the SMS. They were co-invented by engineer Friedhelm Hillebrand.

1981 saw the arrival of something special for music lovers: the first CD was presented to the public. The high-tech material Makrolon from Bayer ensured an excellent sound experience.

Engineer Dieter Binninger wanted to revolutionize the way we tell the time. He developed the eternity light bulb for his “Berlin Clock” on Kurfürstendamm. He applied for the first patents in 1979.

In 1977, the company Sennheiser set a new standard in audio technology with its Unipolar 2000 headphones. The principle: a combination of open headphones and electrostatic transducer technology.

No more money laundering at ticket machines: the company Scheidt & Bachmann developed a secure system featuring an intermediate cash box. Deutsche Bahn was won over by the invention.

The engineer Ludwig Elsbett started a minor revolution in the automobile industry in the 1970s: he launched the first direct-injection diesel engine for passenger cars – the Elsbett engine.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans cooked their food over open fires. Today, instead of fires, stoves are available in many variations – and since 1971, the ceramic hob from the company Schott.

In the late 1960s, TÜNKERS had made a name for itself in the field of drive cylinders, which is how the contact with Cologne- based carmaker Ford came about. At that time, automotive production plants were still very much geared towards manual work. The car body parts were held in place, for example, using screw clamps or manual clamping tools and then joined using manual welding guns.

In 1967, Wolfgang Hilberg invented the digitally coded transmission of time for radio- controlled clocks. 18 years later, people could wear this technology on their wrists.

In 1965, mechanical engineer Karl Schlecht revolutionized plastering technology with his invention of the automatic plastering machine “Gipsomat”.

“Technology helps to heal” was the motto of physicist Max Schaldach. In 1963, working with electrical engineer Otto Franke, he developed the first German implantable pacemaker.

It was a consumer classic of the post-war period: the first pedal go-kart, or “Kettcar”, was built in 1961. Over 15 million have been sold to date.

What would a toolbox be without wall plugs? The first one came onto the market in 1958. It was invented by entrepreneur Artur Fischer.

The first speed trap from the company Telefunken started to make it hard for drivers to speed more than 60 years ago.

Andreas Stihl launched a motorized chainsaw weighing just twelve kilograms on the market in 1954. The engineer’s inventions revolutionized forestry work.

“An Mutti denken, Constructa schenken.” This was the slogan for the first German fully automatic washing machine and roughly translates as: “Think of mother, give her a Constructa.” It was developed in 1951 by engineer Peter Pfenningsberg. It’s a little- known fact that his company was based in Düsseldorf.

The discovery of nuclear fission was one of the most momentous of the 20th century.

It’s a prime example of usefulness and resource conservation: chipboard. Businessman Max Himmelheber came up with the idea in the 1930s. But it is still an important part of the furniture industry today.

A milestone in rocket-powered space travel: in 1928, engineer Kurt C. Volkhart from Düsseldorf presented the first ever car equipped with twelve rockets as a propulsion system.

In its 100-year history, Loesche has marketed mills for the cement, iron and steel, and minerals and ores industries, among others.

The history of shipping is a history full of innovations: the development of the Flettner rotor enabled the conversion of wind energy into drive energy more than 100 years ago.

A passenger ship sinks – and becomes the focus of attention for researchers all over the world. Shortly after the sinking of the Titanic, physicist Alexander Behm developed a device to measure sea depths acoustically. He is considered the German inventor of the echo sounder.

A vacuum between two containers – that sounds as simple as it is ingenious. The idea came to glass technician Reinhold Burger in the early 20^th century. Those who drink coffee on the go still use it today: the thermos flask.

Anton von Rieppel is a pioneer of modern large-scale industry. And he had a weakness for bridges. His supporting framework was used, among other things, on the Wuppertal suspension railway.

Continuously welded rails are more stable, require less maintenance, and reduce train noise. The thermite welding process makes all this possible.

How can food be preserved for longer? Rudolf Rempel had the answer: more than 125 years ago, the chemist developed an “apparatus for the independent closure of and air removal from sterilizing vessels” – this was the birth of preserving jars.

No biologist or chemist could do without them today: the Petri dish is mainly used in research for the cultivation of microorganisms and for cell culture. The bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri had the idea for this over 140 years ago.

Whether on a coat, handbag, or wallet: the small press stud makes many of our everyday movements easier. It was invented over 130 years ago by Heribert Bauer from Pforzheim.

How can moving images be transmitted from one location to another? On a memorable winter’s evening in 1883, engineer Paul Nipkow had an ingenious idea – and laid the groundwork for the development of television.

In addition to many a fashion faux pas, the 1980s saw a whole host of useful innovations enter the market or revived: one example is woodchip wallpaper. It has been over 150 years since Hugo Erfurt invented it.

Matches can be found in every household. The chemist Rudolf Christian Böttger from Frankfurt invented the safe version in the mid-19^th century: matches using red phosphorus, which unlike their predecessors were non-toxic and non-explosive.

Surfing the internet, sending e-mails, or using PC applications: all these are possible for blind people today. A milestone in the 1970s was the development of an electronic braille display. One of its inventors was electrical engineer Friedrich Horst Papenmeier.

A wooden vehicle with two wheels and no pedals: this was the precursor to today’s bicycle. Karl Drais came up with the idea in 1817.

The steam engine played a major role in driving industrialization. It was patented 250 years ago.

Golf enthusiasts have introduced some hard-hitting technologies and materials to the course over many decades. A journey through the history of the traditional sport.