The Future Workshop 2023

MyConnectivity G.I.E.

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of tomorrow's connectivity at the Future Workshop 2023!

European Convention Center Luxembourg

<h3>MyConnectivity's Future Workshop is a new platform for exchange. </h3>Joining past, present and future, to shape and build a more connected Luxembourg for tomorrow. In partnership with the <a href="https://www.list.lu" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)</a>, we invite you to embark on this journey, bringing together experts, talents, forward-thinkers and dreamers, who shape the landscape of communication infrastructures in Luxembourg. At the crossroads of innovation, connectivity and digital transformation, the Future Workshop is a project that draws inspiration from the present to explore connectivity solutions for a near future. The goal is to gather experts and students, and to imagine scenarios, to spark innovation and to share a vision on future connectivity developments, by triggering conversations about possible futures and outcomes!Become part of the conversation and help pave the way for a more connected, vibrant and digital future for Luxembourg!

<h1>Showcases:</h1>BOOTH #1: PRIVATE AND OPEN 5G NETWORKS, TOWARDS 6GFuture communication networks promise to come with greater capacity and flexibility, in response to a need for digitalisation that is predicted to be massive and affecting many sectors. This will come with an increasingly dense and complex infrastructure for service providers to manage and understand. In this context, it is essential to implement new architectures that are energy-efficient and capable of self-management, using advanced artificial intelligence and optimisation techniques. At the same time, it is essential to make these architectures more open and propose new approaches to companies, which break away from conventional models. This booth will feature an open 5G SA network, i.e., one that is typically used in the world of R&D to experiment new algorithms, methods and services. Research trends will also be presented (i.e., through posters), with concrete examples using 6G as a case study.

BOOTH #2: CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED MOBILITYConnected and autonomous mobility is promised to be of major interest in the years to come, making transport more efficient and secure. However, with the exception of a few pilot projects in Europe, or very specific use cases, it will still be years before we see fleets of these vehicles on the road with full autonomy (i.e., SAE level 5). There is therefore a constant need to anticipate the evolution of mobility patterns, and their relationship with the mobility infrastructure - which implies advanced connectivity. This booth will present local and European initiatives addressing this topic. More specifically, it will focus on COMBO, a project underway with the Société nationale des chemins de fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) and co-funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), which aims to anticipate the use of connected and autonomous shuttles. To this end, a robot dog, equipped with sensors similar to those on a real shuttle, will be present and interconnected with a simulation interface with a view to testing scenarios before deploying them in reality. The robot dog will be remotely controllable via a mechanism set up by LIST and Proximus Luxembourg.

BOOTH #3: CONNECTIVITY FOR INDUSTRIAL NETWORKSTime-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards and technologies developed to enhance the capabilities of Ethernet networks in order to support time-sensitive and deterministic communication for industrial automation and other applications. TSN aims to provide precise and predictable network behaviour, which is essential in industries where real-time data and control are critical, such as manufacturing, automotive, and telecommunications. TSN is increasingly important in the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0, where machines, robots, and other devices need to communicate and coordinate with high precision. By providing deterministic and time-sensitive communication over Ethernet, TSN helps improve the reliability and efficiency of industrial processes and critical applications.The purpose of this demo will be to showcase the key features of TSN technology, such as time synchronisation, quality of service, scheduled traffic, and deterministic communication. It will demonstrate TSN’s ability to ensure that critical data packets are delivered on time and with low latency, even in the presence of network congestion.

BOOTH #4: EMF EXPOSURE AND PUBLIC AWARENESSThe deployment of new generations of wireless networks is always a source of fear for the general public. In particular, exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is a major concern, as well as a factor slowing down the deployment of new antenna technologies. This is also a challenge for telecom operators and regulators, as each country has its own rules and exposure limits. Often, a compromise has to be found, although it is not always optimal. This situation is set to intensify in the future, with ever denser infrastructures. This booth will present the 5G-EMIT platform as well as some elements of the 5G-PLANET project, both co-funded by the Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy of the Luxembourg Government. A national observatory of EMFs for radio frequency sites will be presented, created with the support of the Environment Agency, and with measurements and conclusions presented from more than two years of research in Luxembourg on 5G. Visual elements will be used to help communicate these results and explain to the audience the tools made available for the general public.

BOOTH #5: IOT-BASED WASTE MANAGEMENT &amp; BLOCKCHAINWith our waste production predicted to increase by 70% by 2050, waste collection and management activities are essential. Yet this sector still lacks the tools to benefit from better optimisation. Connectivity and automation are seen as key elements there. Further down the line, special cases involving the management and transport of hazardous industrial waste could benefit from technologies such as blockchain to ensure that the collected waste is traceable. This booth will focus on projects exploring the use of IoT, Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) and technologies such as Blockchain to digitalise the waste sector. A demo will be presented, featuring robot trucks and miniature bins equipped with ultrasonic sensors - to best showcase what is happening or could happen in reality. An AI-based platform will be presented, as well as case studies from Luxembourg and Europe. This demo will also show how Blockchain can be used to improve the traceability of collected waste and act as an incentive in the process to promote the selective sorting of waste.

BOOTH #6: IOT, 5G, AND SATELLITE FOR SMART AGRICULTUREAgriculture is one of the verticals that is expected to highly benefit from the adoption and integration of Internet of Things (IoT), with 5G, and other communication and computing (cloud, edge, AI/ML) technologies. Moreover, space-assets, like satellite communication (SATCOM) and Earth Observation (EO), properly combined with IoT, and 5G can offer advanced services for precision agriculture. In particular, satellite networks come into play, as a key enabler for seamless IoT connectivity, when terrestrial networks are not available, like in rural remote areas. This booth will focus on connectivity solutions and network infrastructures for agriculture, aimed at empowering rural communities. Two demos will be presented. The first one will show an application for crop and droughts monitoring, developed in the Lux5GCloud project. The app relays on the acquisition of complementary EO and IoT (sensors and camera) data, and the use of LoRaWAN and 5G networks. The second demo will present the LORSAT testbed, developed in the FNR LORSAT project. The testbed integrates real LoRa prototype devices and gateways with a satellite emulator. It will showcase the implementation of scheduling and synchronization techniques for satellite IoT networks.

Calendrier

Welcome

Keynote speech by futurist Rohit Talwar. Rohit Talwar is a global futurist and leading authority on how businesses, new ventures, and countries can navigate a fast changing world and respond to the opportunities and challenges posed by new business thinking, accelerating innovation, and gamechanging technologies such as AI. He is the editor and co-author of nine books on the emerging future. Rohit has worked with leaders in global business, government, new ventures, and global agencies in over 70 countries on six continents. His clients include 3M, Allen & Overy, American Express, Astra Zeneca, Baker McKenzie, Citi, Deloitte, Dentons, Deutsche Telecom, DLA Piper, Etisalat, EY, Gartner, GSK, Hogan Lovells, HSBC, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Jardines, JLT, KPMG, Latham and Watkins, Linklaters, Mastercard, McKinsey, Microsoft, Novartis, Pfizer, PwC, SAP, Shell, VISA, agencies such as the OECD, UN, and World Bank / IFC, and the governments of Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and USA.

Keynote speech followed by a Q&A session.

Panel introduction and discussion. 5 expert panelists from different backgrounds will discuss their findings and insights on connectivity in their respective areas of work. With Jeanette Mortensen (EGGS Design), Sébastien Faye (LIST), Carlo Duprel (SnT), Eric Tschirhart (University of Luxembourg), and Jean-Pierre Choffray (SES).

Expert panel discussion

Jeanette is an innovator by heart, trained in strategic foresight at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, where she was Head of New Business till 2021. Since then, she has headed a team of innovators in the Norwegian innovation agency, EGGS Design’s, department in Copenhagen. In her futurist talks, she is a proponent for the perspective of future users of technology. Ethical digital design, is another important topic for her, which she voiced in panel debates at SXSW in Texas, with House of Creative Denmark, in 2022.

Panelist: Jeanette K. Mortensen (Business designer and futurist)

Jean-Pierre is leading the SES’ Systems Engineering team, responsible for the engineering of innovative satellite systems aligned with SES business targets. Since joining SES, Jean-Pierre has triggered multiple initiatives having led to impactful technological developments. Jean-Pierre has led the SES-Next initiative, driving major satellite manufacturers to develop software defined satellites with a mission programmed in orbit. These satellites will use very advanced technologies, reaching imposed aggressive business metrics thanks to industrial processes enabled by the satellite standardization. Jean-Pierre has been the initiator of the development of the SES’ Astra2Connect broadband service in Europe, based on a technology initially targeting interactive TV and repurposed to address residential broadband thanks to the very low cost of the associated customer terminal.

Panelist: Jean-Pierre Choffray (Vice President, Systems Engineering, SES)

Carlo Duprel is Head of Industry Partnerships and Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and member of the executive team of the SnT research center at the University of Luxembourg. He helps researchers transfer the latest Information and Communication Technologies to industry for the benefit of the economy and society at large. Before joining the University, he was Director at Deloitte Luxembourg where he headed a team focussed on policy studies for the Luxembourg public sector as well as for European institutions. Carlo was also leading the Innovation and Fintech initiatives at Deloitte Luxembourg and part of the Deloitte Digital team. Carlo is the co-founder of the Mind&Markt initiative in Luxembourg, bringing together start-ups, researchers, project holders, investors and corporations. Prior to joining Deloitte, Carlo spent more than 12 years in the Luxembourg National Research Fund fostering research and innovation. He holds a PhD degree in Physics of the RWTH Aachen.

Panelist: Carlo Duprel (Head of the Technology Transfer Office)

Dr. Sébastien Faye is currently a permanent researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST, ITIS department), in charge of the innovation activities related to future wireless communication systems, with a focus on 5G and 6G.

Panelist: Dr. Sébastien Faye (6G Technology & Innovation Line Manager) 

Eric Tschirhart is Full Professor of Physiology at the University of Luxembourg, Special Advisor to the Rector, coordinator of the Erasmus+ 'UNIVERSEH European University', 'University of the Greater Region' activities and of the pilot project 'Leg-UniGR - Blueprint for a legal entity for cross-border university alliances' in Luxembourg. Professor Eric Tschirhart holds a PhD in Pharmacology and an MBA. After working in the pharmaceutical industry and in public research institutions, he joined the University of Luxembourg in 2002, where he contributed to the development of Life Sciences, before holding a series of management positions at the University of Luxembourg in research, finance & administration, technology transfer, fundraising and academic organisation as Vice-President. Professor Eric Tschirhart still teaches human physiology in Medical and Life Sciences programmes and has supervised more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Panelist: Eric Tschirhart (Professor, Special Advisor to the Rector)

Coffee break

 Introduction to future driven innovation

Interactive workshop

Closing words

The LIST will set up booths to showcase research projects, demos and activities related to connectivity and future network infrastructures.

LIST - Booth and demo visit 

Food and drinks, including birthday cake!