Column  |  Podcast

Hedy Lamarr, the fleeing diva who invented Wi-Fi

Hedwig Maria Eva Kiesler, long known only as an actress, decided to help humanity defeat Nazism with her studies in the field of telecommunications. Together with musician George Antheil, she invented a remote communication system for torpedoes, which today is considered as the basic foundation of modern wireless Internet connection technologies

By Infra Journal Newsroom

Sustainability  |  Transports

Fast & virtuous: fast charging for all through super cables

Superconductive electrical networks, made from an innovative material, could enable both electric and hydrogen fast charging along motorways. A flexible, versatile and large-scale solution for mass users, resulting also from Cern research
By Giuseppe Failla
Column  |  Focus On

Decentralized. Web3 or the new identity in the cyber universe

What is it and how does the third-generation World Wide Web work, the heralded revolution facilitated by blockchain, promising to put the user back at the centre of the Net
By Daniele Monaco
Column  |  Podcast

Creating new worlds: Nolan Bushnell, Atari and the invention of video games

A former student of Electronic Engineering, assistant manager at an amusement park, became a serial entrepreneur and founded a revolutionary brand: Atari. Following the Pong’s success, Nolan Bushnell was the perfect conjunction ring of the History, which changed entertainment and lifestyle, developing out of nowhere a billionaire industry, such as video games
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Transports  |  Business

PoliMove, pushing autonomous driving a bit further

“We explore the limits of technology to push it to the limit and master it”, Sergio Savaresi, professor at Politecnico di Milano, states after the success of the PoliMove team that set the speed record in Las Vegas in a competition against nine AV teams. “But the road to autonomous driving is still long on our roads”
By Sofia Fraschini
Column  |  Interview

Airport snack ‘on its way’: here comes Ottobot, the robot delivery

Programmed to navigate in crowded environments such as car parks and airports, Ottobot is Ottonomy.IO's autonomous retail delivery vehicle already present in Europe and North America. The start-up selected for the Aeroporti di Roma Innovation Hub comes from the United States and is the new story for Infra Journal's 'Rocket' column
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Video  |  Transports

The robotaxi goes on the road and the competition is open

The robot taxi is almost a reality: Google, Amazon, Baidu and other companies are developing autonomous vehicles in several cities around the world
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Cities  |  Mobility

Territory, safety and roads: the drone watches over the smart city

Unmanned aerial aircraft are increasingly being used by officers and local police for land monitoring, traffic management, accident solving
By Sofia Fraschini
Podcast  |  Column

The story of WhatsApp: from failure to success of an idea

Jan Koum and Brian Acton are WhatsApp’s co-founders, the most used instant messaging app in the world. Remaining faithful to their ideas, at the height of a time shaped by advancements in digital technology, in 2009 they started developing the app that later was acquired by Facebook itself for 19 billion dollars, five years later an interview gone wrong
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Interview  |  Column

Lost no more thanks to baggage biometrics: the BagsID idea

Artificial intelligence applied to handling: the idea of the BagsID start-up, selected for ADR's Innovation Hub, was created out of a misadventure of its founder, Marlon van der Meer. We tell the story on Rockets, Infra Journal's column dedicated to innovative ideas
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Column  |  Interview

Algorithms for a more efficient and safer airport with Assaia

Intelligence and computer vision software allow aircraft turnaround to be optimised, reducing waste of resources and time, ultimately ensuring better passenger service. Assaia participates in the Aeroporti di Roma Innovation Hub and is a ‘Rocket’ story
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Interview  |  Column

Littering? It’s up to Pixies, the robot that cleans smart cities

The first instalment of Infra Journal's 'Rocket' column features Pixies, the AI-powered robot that collects waste, recycles and recharges at a solar-powered smart bench. Andrea Saliola and Pier Paolo Ceccaranelli’s start-up participates in the Aeroporti di Roma Innovation Hub programme
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Business  |  Focus On

What if we’ve been in the metaverse already for some time?

Etymology does not lie: “meta” is a convergence between different dimensions. It is necessary to understand our times, unless we are entertained by provocations, anecdotes and other crypto-ludic varieties. Or slightly more
By Federico Gennari Santori
Sustainability  |  Cities

The smart lamppost, the energy-saving sentinel in the city

Adaptive and intelligent public lighting can be a key to sustainability in overcoming the energy crisis. Here's how 'simple' poles can provide not only light and at the same time consume fewer resources
By Sofia Fraschini
Business  |  Transports

Mechanic profession at risk? No, it just changed

Increasingly electric and connected cars have led the figure of the mechanic to evolve into a mechatronics technician and to diversify the repair figure roles. The parent company will be increasingly involved in the IT component
By Marco Cimminella
Transports  |  Mobility

Human beings can fly, according to these daring inventors

Taking off from the ground, soaring independently, covering kilometres of distance and overcoming any obstacle like a bird: the dream of flying has fascinated man since the dawn of time, but now, after a century of continuous technological innovation, it seems to be within reach. Also in “green” energy format
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Focus On  |  Sustainability

What is cloud seeding, a try to relief from draught

This technique was discovered in the 1940s, and is nowadays used in arid nations to stimulate rainfalls. More than fifty countries have already used it, and many others are planning to give a chance too
By Patrizia Marin
Transports  |  Sustainability

Supercars at the electric breakthrough

High-performance electric cars are already a reality, but there are several unknowns about the future of the sector, starting with reliability
By Maurizio Bertera
Transports  |  Business

From cargo to aerotaxis, eVTOLs are ready to take to the skies

At the dawn of Urban air mobility (UAM) there are already hundreds of ongoing projects of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft worldwide, but some are closer to the finish line. Here is a selection of four of the most promising ones
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Focus On  |  Transports

Like trains, but on the motorway: here is “truck platooning”

Seeing a truck travelling without a driver might not be so unusual in the future. Communication and semi-automated driving technologies are already making it possible to create fleets of trucks connected to each other and to the infrastructure to reduce consumption and emissions, increasing efficiency and safety
By Daniele Monaco
Transports

Utopia comes true: the 5 most advanced flying cars

Innovative companies, start-ups and researchers are pooling resources, energy and expertise to create electric hypercars, which can also function as flying vehicles. From scale models to already approved ones, here are five state-of-the-art projects
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Transports  |  Cities

Self-driving buses and shuttles: the 5 most advanced cities in Italy

From Turin to Bari, from Merano to the MaaS projects in Rome and Milan: cities in Italy are also moving toward introducing modern, flexible and sustainable self-driving public transportation services. Here are the experiments at the cutting-edge
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Mobility  |  Space

The future of mobility in the metaverse is not (only) what you imagine

Beyond the extreme vision of immersive virtual reality, the physical and digital worlds are increasingly integrating, transforming our idea of travel, mobility services and transportation
By Federico Gennari Santori
Mobility  |  Cities

Autonomous busses: a trump card for more livable cities

A new option in public transport systems, which provides unexpected ways to integrate and interconnect with existing mobility infrastructure and neighborhoods
By Joseph Losavio
Transports  |  Mobility

Hyperloop, ultra-speed in an open source idea

The new frontier of innovation in ground transportation is Hyperloop, the "train of the future" conceived by Elon Musk. It will allow travel at 1,200 km/h in a depressurised tube through magnetic levitation. But the technological challenge is still open
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Interview  |  Cities

“Building a smart city from scratch”. The pioneers in Sicily

A Sicilian ICT company has made Taormina into a digital resort town. And now T.net is ready to export its replicable model from the “Pearl of the Ionian Sea” to other cities in Europe, starting with Helsinki. Privacy and flexibility are the keys to the idea
By Sofia Fraschini
Mobility  |  Cities

Cybersecurity for transportation: “smart nations” to the test

Essential services in the smart cities are targets to malicious actors. States need to defend utilities, industrial plants, payment systems, connected services and much more against cyberattacks. This issue is even destined to grow with the advent of smart mobility
By Federico Gennari Santori
Focus On

Internet goes “Splinternet”: warfare on the web media

The public digital space is the new battlefield to conquer the public opinion, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows. Such a divergence may lead to a partition of the Internet: the “Splinternet”
By Magdalena Smenda
Focus On

Behind the camera: how biometric boarding is used in airports

Airlines are introducing biometric technology at gates to make traveling more seamless for customers deterred by onerous Covid requirements. Nevertheless, some concerns over privacy and the tech’s reliability still need to be addressed
By Ben Munster
Video  |  Space

Satellite internet: the new space race

2022 will be a year of decisive importance for measuring the ambitions of the principal private companies aiming to colonise orbits around Earth in space in a new way
By Infra Journal Newsrsoom
Focus On

The new tools at the foundations of modern infrastructures

Digitalisation and management of big-data pave the way for new perspectives in the infrastructure sector. Monitoring systems and diagnostics can be integrated into traffic management systems, providing countries with modern and efficient structures. Universities can do much more than simply teaching new skills*
By Marco Belloli* and Ferruccio Resta
Focus On  |  Business

Globalization is still key to end semiconductor crisis

Bottlenecks in semiconductors supply chain are stressing crucial industries for the economic recovery in Western countries, such as tech and automotive. Once leader in production and then dismissed, the EU and US are taking remedial actions to regain the spot, along with major companies: is globalization taking a new shape?
By Carlo Stagnaro
Cities

Technology and governance: how cities make optimal use of Big data

The experiences of Barcelona, London, Paris, Seoul and Singapore demonstrate how the huge quantities of data generated in big cities can be used by digital platforms and analysis systems to provide services to citizens and improve decision-making processes
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Cities

A ranking of the world’s smartest cities

Digital services for citizens, e-governance, smart management of resources and more: a Singapore consulting firm has analysed 235 cities and come up with a ranking. Presenting the world’s four most digitally advanced cities
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Business

From the new internet, a trampoline for post-pandemic recovery

Increased telecommunication capacity, modern 5G infrastructure, fibre optic access to the ultra-broadband and the Internet of Things open up opportunities for exponential growth in various sectors of the economy
By Daniele Monaco
Video  |  Space

Sky is (not) the limit

From SpaceX to Blue Origin, more and more private companies invest and believe in space as a journey but also as an achievement. What will its future implications and limitations be?
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Transports  |  Business

Logistics and ecommerce calling for a new infrastructure

While drone delivery is now a reality, today the biggest challenge involves both last-mile and transoceanic distribution
By Daniele Monaco