IFA 2020 has three important sections: Global Press Conference, Shift Mobility meets IFA Next, and IFA business, retail and conferences. The staff of the Foundation for German and Chinese Culture came to the exhibition site to explore the technological surprises that the various companies attending the IFA exhibition will bring to the global audience.

The IFA NEXT (Innovation Platform) and Shift Mobility (Future Mobile Travel) exhibition areas with the theme of “Technology, Business, Innovation and Inspiration” are one of the most popular venues in this IFA exhibition. Here, the founders and technical executives of nearly 90 small and medium-sized enterprises, either in their respective booths or on the public podium of the exhibition, presented their innovative products and ideas to 1,000 invited professional visitors, investors, and media reporters. Among them, start-ups and research institutions, as the main exhibitors of IFA NEXT, actively demonstrated their breakthrough developments in artificial intelligence, 5G, smart life, virtual reality, and electronics through public speeches and inviting participants to wear products. Shift Mobility, on the other hand, puts its sights on another important topic: future mobility. As more and more people begin to pay attention to how the development of technology will change people’s travel, the exhibitors here hope to provide a new inspiration to the world.

Through more than 20 field interviews, the Foundation was able to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas and future expectations of the companies. The CEO and founder of IQM, Jan Goetz, was a university physics professor. In early 2019, he co-founded IQM in Finland with three other professors. In just one year, they have grown the team to more than 60 people and set up a new branch in Munich, Germany. As a leader in the study of superconducting quantum computers in Europe, they are developing a new chip architecture in order to bring quantum advantages to major companies in service cooperation as soon as possible.

Sebastian Herz, the founder of MakakaOntheRun, had lived in China for three years. He loves Chinese culture and speaks a relatively fluent Chinese. He focuses on research and development of anti-information theft technology. The RFID blocking card tested by TÜV application security standards has the same appearance as ordinary cards. It is thin and light and does not require charging. When placed in a wallet, it can effectively prevent credit or debit card information from being illegally stolen. According to him, MakakaOntheRun is the first technology company in Germany to develop this technology and pass safety certification.

Deep’s wearable speakers have also attracted the attention of many interviewees present. The founder of the company, Stefan Sube, told a reporter from the foundation that his original intention of developing this product was to bring a new experience to hearing-impaired users—according to the rhythm of the music, the subwoofer worn on the shoulder will emit a corresponding trembling feeling. In this way, the hearing impaired can also feel the rhythm of music. In the process of product launch, this feature has also been loved by many gamers, movie viewers, and musicians, prompting Stefan to continue to expand the target audience of the product. The subwoofer, which constantly changes the vibrating frequency according to the rhythm, inspires people’s fourth dimension—tactility, thereby bringing users a more immersive and unforgettable experience.

In addition, the Foundation also discovered during the interview that despite the reduction in the number of exhibitors this year due to the pandemic, for the small and medium enterprises present, participating in IFA is still an important way to present their business cards to the world. This shows that the three-day IFA will continue to bring new surprises to the world. As the organizer of the IFA media center, Foundation for German and Chinese Culture will also continue to present the latest developments of IFA to global followers.