New-Tech Europe | March 2019

be able to go and admire clothes in their wonderfully tempting displays. But from now on you will be able to have your own ‘Dries Van Noten’ coat – winter collection 2018 nº 5 – made perfectly to your size and in the color you want, produced at the 3D printing center in your local district. We are already seeing this trend for personalization in sports shoes from Nike or with cars. The Flemish software company Twikit specializes in this area. The planet would also benefit more from having local production, because products would no longer need to travel halfway round the world to reach our front door. How is imec contributing to this future? In its City of Things program, imec investigates how technology can improve life in the city. Imec collaborates on this topic with industry, governments, research groups and citizens. For example, imec developes sensor technology as well as data processing and visualization for the city of the future. These sensors measure the quality of the air or river water. They also keep an eye on water levels (project in conjunction with the Antwerp fire department). While the quality and reliability of the sensors are important, so is the way they communicate with each other and the outside world. Which is why imec is also conducting research on IoT networks and 5G. A great deal of research is also being done on real-time open data and shared reference models, so that cities and other players can work together more easily and to make all solutions – existing and new ones –

and philosophy in London. He gained experience with innovation policy as senior researcher at the Flemish Council for Science and Innovation, where he began as a consultant. After this, he went to work as deputy chief-of-staff to the Flemish minister for Innovation. Jan then joined the iMinds research center (which merged with imec in 2016), first as director Strategy & Innovation, and later as vice- president Policy & Society. After imec and iMinds merged, he took on responsibility for imec’s City of Things program, an ambitious living lab and technology laboratory. This article is part of a special edition of imec magazine. To celebrate imec's 35th anniversary, we try to envisage how technology will have transformed our society in 2035.

interoperable. For more information about the imec research into the city of the future, visit our website. Imec is also working on the Smart Flanders program and the Smart Zone program in Antwerp to test technology and algorithms in ‘real life’ situations. Here, once again, feedback from city residents plays an important part in making progress. Each year, imec showcases Smart City trends from the viewpoint of citizens through the Smart City Meter. I mec.livinglabs alsofocuses on involving citizens by co-creating new products and services for the smart city. In 2018, imec and TNO developed a Digital Twin of the city of Antwerp. More info on this Digital Twin can also be found on this webpage. Biography of Jan Adriaenssens Jan Adriaenssens is director of City of Things at imec. He is fascinated by the role and impact that technology has in and on society. Jan studied mathematics in Antwerp

20 l New-Tech Magazine Europe