Timon Gremmels, Hessian State Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, discusses emergenCITY developments with Frank Hessel and Jakob Huth at the Hessian State Representation in Berlin.
Once a year, on German Unity Day, the state representations in Berlin’s Ministerial Gardens open their doors to interested visitors. At the invitation of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Culture (HMWK), the LOEWE Center emergenCITY was also on site in Berlin to present scientific research from Hesse.
emergenCITY employees Jakob Huth and Frank Hessel presented their respective current demonstrators to a large audience: the serious game Krisopolis and the Heinerbox, a sensor box with an emergency network. Around 14,500 guests visited the open house and were able to learn at the emergenCITY booth about how the Heinerbox works – and, young and old alike, try out the educational game Krisopolis.
As a serious game, Krisopolis takes a playful approach to crisis prevention topics: in a fictional city where events such as power outages, pandemics, and drinking water contamination are part of everyday life, players can find out how to prepare for such situations.
Crises and disasters are often topics associated with fear and uncertainty, but they have become increasingly relevant in recent years, as Timon Gremmels, Hessian Minister of Science and Research, Art, and Culture, points out in a conversation with Krisopolis developer Jakob Huth at the emergenCITY booth.
“It’s good that these educational games at least make us aware of these issues and encourage us to engage with them. That’s why I think it’s such a great application.” Timon Gremmels, Hessian State Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts
During the first tour of the hall, emergenCITY scientist Frank Hessel presented the Heinerboxes to the minister and interested members of the public. As part of the emergenCITY mission “Digital Heinerblock,” which is turning part of Darmstadt’s Martinsviertel district into a living laboratory, the Heinerboxes will be installed in the Lichtenbergblock this fall. As a sensor box, it measures the microclimate and traffic in its surroundings; data that will be then evaluated in cooperation with the city of Darmstadt and used for sustainable urban planning. But, also, this data, in the event of a fire, for example, can help locate the fire.
The Heinerboxe’s resilient design enables it to function continuously even when the power, internet, or mobile phone network fails. In such cases, the Heinerbox can provide an emergency network via its own communication network, which can be used for communication between emergency services and the local population.
