Tag: Daimler and Benz Foundation

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Celebration of the Daimler and Benz Foundation’s 40th Anniversary

The Daimler and Benz Foundation celebrated its 40th anniversary on July 24, 2026, with a festive event at the Carl Benz House in Ladenburg. Guests were welcomed at the entrance by Managing Director Dr. Jörg Klein and Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Lutz Gade. Information booths and poster presentations provided insights into the Foundation’s work and research activities. Throughout the event, Patricia Piekenbrock, a physicist and the Foundation’s communications officer, ensured that everything ran smoothly. The event would not have been possible without the dedication of Marion Hartmann and Monika Stulberg, who were responsible for its organization and execution. One of the first highlights of the celebration came when the actress portraying Bertha Benz took her seat in the Benz Patent-Motorwagen No. 3. This was followed by speeches from Prof. Dr. Lutz Gade and Olaf Schick, Member of the Board of Management for Integrity, Governance and Sustainability at Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The chemist, who teaches and conducts research at Heidelberg University and is a member of both the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz, highlighted the Foundation’s support for research in areas including artificial intelligence, robot and machine ethics, as well as its funding of projects in Africa. Special recognition was given to the scientific members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees: Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel (FHNW School of Business), Prof. Dr. Hartmut Hillmer (University of Kassel), Prof. Dr. Ralf Poscher (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law), and Prof. Dr. Tereza Tykvová (University of St. Gallen). The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Dr. Dominika Wylezalek of Heidelberg University. Against the backdrop of academic freedom, she guided the audience through the millennia-long history of astronomy. Accompanied by a live band, the celebration continued well into the late evening (Photo: Stefanie Hauske).

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No Solution to the Nursing Crisis

“In Germany, around four million people will be dependent on care and nursing in 2030. Already today there is talk of a nursing crisis, which is likely to intensify further in view of demographic developments in the coming years. Fewer and fewer young people will be available to the labour market as potential carers for the elderly. Experts estimate that there will be a shortage of around half a million nursing staff in Germany by 2030. Given these dramatic forecasts, are nursing robots possibly the solution to the problem? Scientists from the disciplines of computer science, robotics, medicine, nursing science, social psychology, and philosophy explored this question at a Berlin conference of the Daimler and Benz Foundation. The machine ethicist and conference leader Professor Oliver Bendel first of all stated that many people had completely wrong ideas about care robots: ‘In the media there are often pictures or illustrations that do not correspond to reality’.” (Die Welt, 14 June 2019) With these words an article in the German newspaper Die Welt begins. Norbert Lossau provides a detailed description of the Berlin Colloquium, which took place on 22 May 2019. The article is available in both English and German. So, are robots the answer to the nursing crisis? Oliver Bendel would disagree. They can be useful for caregivers and patients. However, they do not solve the major issues.