The Lab

Research, products, spin-offs. The fun stuff!

ThingsCon

ThingsCon fosters the creation of a human-centric & responsible IoT. To this end we provide practitioners with an open environment for reflection & collaborative action.

ThingsCon is a global community of practitioners around Internet of Things (IoT) and new hardware, as well as an event platform with events across all of Europe and the globe, from Amsterdam to Manila and Berlin to Shenzhen.

We believe that technology should be empowering, respectful, and inclusive. Currently in IoT, not all voices are heard equally, and not all services and products are designed in a way that is human-centric and with the public good in mind. We are convinced that good ethics equal good business.

We understand ThingsCon contributing to a movement of practitioners – especially independents – who champion shared values like openness, sharing, diversity & inclusivity, sustainability and collaboration in all things “connected” – from products and services to IoT, from consumer goods to smart cities and more.

We believe that a network of practitioners working with aligned values can have massive impact. Through networked action, we can make and advocate for technology that is a force for good. Together with you, we can collectively have a meaningful impact on the lives of hundreds of millions, one product or policy at a time.

ThingsCon has been spun out into its own not-for-profit structure, ThingsCon e.V.

Learn more at thingscon.org.

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Zephyr Berlin

Pants that travel well and are built to last. Made in Berlin with environmentally friendly Swiss performance fabric.

We travel a lot. And we like to be active, flexible travelers: A trip often spans different time zones and climates, and includes formal and informal contexts from conference presentations to meetings to day hikes. We worked with a local designer and a provider of sustainably made, high end Swiss performance fabric to create the most versatile pair of pants, and funded development successfully through Kickstarter. From a business meeting in Tokyo to a day hike in the Californian mountains to a day of cycling across Berlin: With a pair of Zephyrs you’re good to go.

Learn more in this blog post.

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Dearsouvenir Magazine

Dearsouvenir is a digital travel brand and magazine that covers destinations around the globe and all aspects of enjoyable, conscious travel. What sets Dearsouvenir apart is that everything is told through the stories behind souvenirs.

Spun out as its own company in partnership with Netzpiloten AG, Dearsouvenir focuses on local stories and the people behind lovely souvenirs.

Learn more at dearsouvenir.com.

The Good Home

Exploring ideas for 21st century home living. Through a series of public installations, The Good Home explores what life could be like for a technologically-savvy household. We explore with artists, designers and technologists from around the world how flexible living interacts with the limitations of diminishing household budgets, limited global resources, evolving concepts of privacy, the sharing economy, and global migration. In collaboration with Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino.

Learn more.