This drone is not yet carrying a delivery (symbolic image)
© dpa
How can medicines be delivered faster, water used better and houses built more sustainably? This is what three research projects in Berlin want to test with the help of funding from Berlin's economic administration. The projects will be supported for three years with a total of around nine million euros, according to a statement from the administration.
The new methods are tested under real conditions in the so-called Real-Labore. According to the information provided, a total of 56 projects applied for funding.
According to the information provided, the B(e)Ware real-world laboratory focuses on the sustainable reuse of building materials. Used building materials from the region, such as wooden beams or steel girders, are to be fed back into the value chain in the construction sector as supporting structures. The concept is to be implemented in three Berlin construction projects, including a water rescue station on Müggelsee.
The IWIQ (Integrated Water and Heat Recovery in Neighborhoods) real-world laboratory is investigating how grey water - i.e. slightly contaminated wastewater, for example from washing machines - can be reused, for example for watering gardens. The project also focuses on using wastewater as a source of heat.
The use of drones for transporting light goods is being tested in the U-Space Berlin real-world laboratory. Potential applications include medical products and foodstuffs. The aim is to relieve urban traffic and shorten transport routes. How well this works is to be tested in an industrial estate in the south-east of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, among other places.
"IWIQ, B(e)Ware and U-Space Berlin are developing solutions that will be used in everyday life and make a direct contribution to greater sustainability and quality of life," explained Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs. Berlin has huge potential for creative, innovative solutions from science and business.