Hannover Messe International (HMI): 13 leading trade fairs, businesses from more than 65 countries, presenting more than 5000 novelties – and the Part-Time Scientists right in the middle of the several thousand square meters of concentrated innovation.

HMI, which took place from April 4^th to 8^th, was, like last year, a very important event for us. It is Europe's biggest industrial and economic trade show, made specifically for the establishment of business contacts and presentation of new products. Thus, it is exactly the right place for us to find new partners and technologies for our mission. There is always something to learn, as companies frequently present their entire product portfolio, as well as specially selected highlights. The b2b aspect is especially helpful, because it's easy to talk directly to the people in charge right on the spot.

Unlike previously, this year we were present for the entire duration of the HMI and could really focus on our goals: to get up to date on the newest technologies and to find interesting new partners and investors. Before attending, we discussed within our teams what could be interesting and drew up a list of those aspects of Asimov Jr. R3's design which are still open and require some specific components; often there are several suppliers who offer them at HMI. Specifically we were interested in materials, especially lubricants, and manufacturing techniques as well as technologies for testing materials and functionalities. We made optimal use of the trade show and have many technical discussions and negotiations to look back on.

Of course we also went to HMI to see all the neat stuff that companies present that may not be very relevant to our mission. The most impressive engineering definitely came from Festo – who had in previous years presented their artificial penguins and bionic handling assistant : They accomplished the engineering masterpiece of transferring all the aerodynamics and mechanics of a real bird to a robot that can actually fly. Seeing these rapid developments, we can only wonder what's in store for us next year.

As I am writing this, the trade show has just closed its doors and our team members from the engineering fields are on their well-deserved way home. On this occasion, we would like to thank our friends from 3DConnexion, CADNetwork, SolidWorks, Nvidia and the DLR for the nice discussions and contacts.

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