See a soft robot move up close, discover how light technology can help detect cancer or take a look inside a 7 Tesla MRI scanner. From 16 to 20 October, FTI Festival brings technology to life. VUB is opening its labs and bringing researchers, entrepreneurs and the public together to explore innovations that are helping shape our future.
Technology is transforming our healthcare, our cities, the way we work and even the way we experience art. But what happens behind the scenes before an innovation makes its way into society? During FTI Festival, VUB researchers are stepping out of their labs to showcase their work and discuss it with visitors. You can explore advanced research facilities, join walks and guided tours, or discover what happens when science, technology and art come together.
From photonics and robotics to health and circular cities: discover what you can experience for yourself.
Discover the world of light technology
From 16 to 18 October, the VUB Photonics Innovation Centre in Pajottegem opens its doors. Researchers will demonstrate how light technology is used across a wide range of fields. How are the tiny lenses in smartphones made? How can photonics help detect cancer or monitor food quality? And what does light technology have to do with the future Einstein Telescope?
During the guided tour, you will discover how photonics is being applied in fields including healthcare, ICT, mobility, food and industry.
Walk through a living innovation lab
On 17 and 18 October, the Innovation Walk at Researchpark Zellik offers a first-hand look at how VUB, UZ Brussel, companies and other partners are working together on green energy, mobility, health and robotics.
The walk takes you past the Smart Village Lab for new energy technologies, the modular Reconstruct demonstration house and the Robotics Hub currently under development. You will also discover cutting-edge infrastructure, including Flanders’ first 7 Tesla MRI scanner and a sustainable data centre equipped with a supercomputer.
What if robots could move us?
On 19 October, art, technology and research come together at Pilar on the VUB Main Campus in Etterbeek. In Laura Vandewynckel’s Het parlement van de ondingen, mechanical puppets, robots and kinetic sculptures come to life.
This is followed by choreographer Ugo Dehaes’ Soft Tissue, created in collaboration with VUB. Up close, you will see soft robots move, explore and fail. The performance raises an intriguing question: what happens when we judge a machine not only by what it can do, but also by how it makes us feel?
Behind the scenes of tomorrow’s healthcare
How can technology contribute to better, more personalised healthcare? During Health & Human on 19 October, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and other professionals will come together to explore this question.
At TheMerode, experts will share insights into AI-powered diagnostics, prosthetics, neuroscience, data ethics and robotics, among other topics. In the afternoon, participants will head to the VUB campus in Etterbeek for fast-track visits to cutting-edge labs and research projects in areas including immunotherapy, nanotechnology, robotics, smart materials and healthtech.
The programme also includes a cleanroom, pilot bakery, chocolatier and brewery. Because innovation in health goes far beyond the hospital.
How do we build the city of the future?
On 20 October, Circular & City brings together professionals from architecture, technology, sustainability and urban innovation to explore how we can make cities greener, smarter and more people-centred.
Circular architecture, AI, the reuse of materials and the role of citizens in the sustainable transition take centre stage. Following keynotes, pitches and panel discussions, participants will head to VUB for fast-track visits with researchers and tours of research facilities, covering topics including circular construction, energy, mobility and digital technology.
Even more VUB at FTI Festival
VUB is not only organising its own activities. VUB researchers and innovations also feature throughout the wider FTI Festival programme.
Shifting Worlds: art, technology and the city of tomorrow
From 16 to 20 October, Shifting Worlds takes over WIELS. More than a hundred artists, designers, scientists and thinkers will explore the cities of tomorrow and technologies with relevance to society. The exhibition and programme consider not only what is technologically possible, but also the social, cultural and ethical implications. Several VUB researchers are also contributing to the programme.
Flanders NEXT: 6,000 square metres of innovation
From 20 October to 7 November, Flanders NEXT, FTI Festival’s major exhibition, takes place at Nekkerhal in Mechelen. Across 6,000 square metres, hundreds of stories and installations reveal how innovation could transform the way we live, work, eat and care for one another. VUB research and innovations will also be on display.
