Digital Life, Automated Society: Luxembourg in the spotlight

On 7 February 2019, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) took part in the "Digital Life, Automated Society" conference held by the Association Luxembourgeoise des Amis de la Fondation de Louvain (ALAF) with the support of Spuerkeess (BCEE) in Luxembourg City.

Marie Gallais was LIST representative at this meeting that focused on societal change in light of the progress of digital technology, and brought together 250 attendees. Digital tools have characteristics that set them significantly apart from traditional tools and machines. This break in our approach when facing technologies may well have anthropological and social impacts that overshadow their inherently practical nature. Following a presentation by Professor Mark Hunyadi on the topic, Marie Gallais led a round table on the challenges and impact of digitisation of the Luxembourg economy.

Round table on "Challenges and impact of digitisation of the Luxembourg economy"

The panel members of the round table led by the LIST researcher included Michèle Detaille (Company Head, No-Nail Boxes - ALIPA Group), Françoise Thoma (Managing Director, BCEE), Arnaud Duban (Head of SME Performance, Luxinnovation) and Guy Kerger (Founder and Managing Partner, MindForest Group).

Marie Gallais launched the round table by addressing the situation in Luxembourg following the adoption of the "Digital Lëtzebuerg" strategy for economic diversification in the digital sector. She also provided some concrete examples of digitisation within SMEs, culture and education, highlighting in the latter field the Kniwwelino learning environment for programming, developed by LIST. The floor was then given to the panel members. They raised in particular the challenges related to skills, and emphasised the need to adapt digitisation projects to specific contexts, reiterating that digitisation is not the end result, but rather a tool to aid organisations. Within this framework, the Fit4Digital programme led by Luxinnovation was brought to the fore.

About Kniwwelino - Learning environment for programming and crafting

Kniwwelino offers an environment consisting of a development board based on Arduino and WiFi technology combined with a web-based interface for programming. The dedicated visual programming interface entails joining blocks the way one would a puzzle, and has been designed to protect the privacy and security of users. A broad catalogue of fun exercises, tested in the field, facilitates progressive, autonomous learning. The option of adding extensions to the Kniwwelino board offers users the opportunity to develop creative projects.

Full information can be found on www.kniwwelino.lu. For any questions about Kniwwelino, don’t hesitate to contact Valérie Maquil via email.

Photo credit: MindForest