Total mobility in any situation

We surf in global data networks, take the train, fly to faraway places and most of us use cars. We are always on the move, all around the world, and seemingly without limits. This is why mobility in a broader and narrower sense is the subject of current research at ETH Zurich.

The forthcoming edition of the popular programme Treffpunkt Science City, called ‘Total mobility – constantly on the move in space, time and thinking’ offers an insight into this research and will take place from 16 March to 13 April 2014 in various locations.

Mobile by road and rail

First of all, the programme considers the future of our means of transport and transport systems. More and more people around the world travel by car. Today, about 1.1 billion vehicles are on the road; by 2050, they will number approximately 2.7 billion. Rail transport also covers a large part of mobility requirements: in train-loving Switzerland, SBB carries about a million passengers every day.

Our mobility, however, is reaching its limits. At the kick-off event on 16 March, researchers from ETH Zurich, Empa and the automotive industry will show us the solutions to traffic problems, what the intelligent, sustainable transport systems of the future will look like, and the environmentally friendly vehicles that we will use to get from A to B. They will provide answers and show us how solutions work.

Will the energy revolution be followed by a transport revolution?

The second Treffpunkt event, on Wednesday, 19 March, deals with critical questions concerning energy and transport. Switzerland wants to shut down nuclear power stations, increase energy efficiency and obtain more renewable energy. At the same time, public transport is to be expanded to meet the increasing need for mobility. Representatives from SBB, the electricity sector, the research sector and the government will discuss where the extra power will come from.

The rest of the programme includes two Wednesday evening events and three Sunday events (23 March, 6 April and 13 April) to round off the topic of mobility. The Sunday programme on 6 April takes place at, and in co-operation with, the Swiss National Museum in Zurich. On Wednesday, 2 April, Treffpunkt offers an exclusive tour of Empa in Dübendorf. Visitors can see and experience the work carried out in the workshop’s labs on drives and fuels for tomorrow’s cars (limited number of places; registration required via www.registration.ethz.ch/treffpunkt/.

Finally, at the Science Talk Special (9 April), ETH professor Dirk Helbing and Urs Rohner, Chairman of Credit Suisse, will meet to discuss the age of mobile data. The spring programme will come to an end on 13 April with topics that include cyberspace security, the dangers of the digital world and how smartphones are changing our consumer behaviour.