News Archive

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are increasingly attracting millions of users, but also cybercriminals, as a successful attack means maximum profit with little risk. This also applies to “ether,” the most widely used cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. As a precautionary measure, researchers at the CISPA Helmholtz Center i.G. at Saarland University have developed a methodology for this cryptocurrency that not only finds security vulnerabilities, but also uses them to automatically develop attacks. [...]

The internet has developed over time and is able to function because of the interplay between various services that are, in turn, operated by a range of different institutions. Frequently, IT security does not play a significant role and, as shown by the latest attacks, we are now paying the price. Institutions are becoming both victims and perpetrators. Researchers at the CISPA Helmholtz Centre in Saarbrücken are consequently investigating the global security status of the internet using formal methods.

People recognize gestures and interpret glances very quickly and almost automatically. Computers and robots cannot do this. That is why scientists around the world are working on ways to make human-computer collaboration more social, efficient and flexible. Computer scientists from Saarbrücken and Stuttgart have now reached an important milestone together with psychologists from Australia. The software system they developed processes a person’s eye movements to calculate whether they are vulnerable, sociable, tolerant, conscientious or curious.

Every minute, users upload tens of thousands of images to the internet. In the case of online platform Facebook, this figure increases to over one hundred thousand. In doing so, users frequently reveal much more than intended. To prevent this, computer scientists at the CISPA Helmholtz Centre (i.G.), and the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science in Saarbrücken, have developed a digital assistant to help users. Using machine learning and neural networks, the researchers have given their “Visual [...]

The “Ländercheck Informatik”, published by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Humanities and Sciences in Germany) in May 2018, is based on official data and highlights the differences in university computer science education between the federal states of Germany. The Saarland is named as a winner in the survey because it scores top marks in almost all categories. Professor Manfred Schmitt, President of Saarland University, congratulated the current dean and his predecessors on this success.

In the German preliminary round of the international programming competition known as the International Collegiate Programming Contest, 123 teams from eleven German universities competed. The challenge of the German Collegiate Programming Contest (GCPC) consisted of solving 13 complex programming tasks in just five hours. Julian Dörfler and Jasper Slusallek from Saarland University were the only participants to complete twelve tasks, and thus secured first place. Hence, the two Saarbrücken computer [...]

Today, 600 leading experts in artificial intelligence released a letter calling on European and national leaders to drastically ramp up their support for research excellence and innovation in artificial intelligence (AI). They argue that artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the way we live and work in the future. Professor Philipp Slusallek is one of the signatories.

From novel methods for data analysis, to artificial intelligence, to IT security – on the Saarland Informatics Campus of Saarland University, junior scientists work on a large number of research projects. They are supported by the Saarbrücken Graduate School of Computer Science. This offers a structured program for the smoothest possible path to a doctorate. In addition to scholarships, it enables particularly talented students to work towards graduation starting from the bachelor’s degree. [...]

Running over long distances often causes knee injuries. Reasons include the powerful forces that act on the knee when the runner strikes the ground with the heel first. Using the middle or forefoot instead is not only healthier, but also ensures a more efficient running style. Scientists at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the Research Center for Digital Education (FoBiD) have therefore developed a wearable assistant that trains the runner to move properly. Visitors to the computer fair Cebit will be able to try it out on June 11 at booth G75 in hall 27.

Capturing hand and finger movements within milliseconds is becoming increasingly important for many applications, from virtual reality to human-machine interaction and Industry 4.0. So far, it has required enormous technical effort, which in turn has limited the possible applications. Computer scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics have now developed a software system that requires only the built-in camera of a laptop, due to the interaction of various neural networks. For the first [...]

Digital data is considered the “new oil” in business and industry as it promises the same profits as the oil business. An entire industry is already based on “data science” and computational methods that promise even better analysis to outperform competitors and to find future business opportunities. So that the “new oil” does not turn out to be a false promise for customers, four renowned computer science experts of Saarland University are now founding the consulting [...]

One third of Germans are wearing a fitness tracker on their arm, according to a survey by the industry association Bitkom. The Saarbrücken start-up “InFit” goes even further. By analyzing novel biomarkers in collaboration with researchers from the Center for Bioinformatics at Saarland University, they provide a molecular fitness test that only top athletes have enjoyed so far. The corresponding app not only shows the molecular results, but also suggests training plans. 1000 samples from [...]

With its almost infinite depth of field, so-called light field photography has been fascinating amateur photographers since commercial cameras have been on the market. It offers the possibility to change the focus range of the selected image section after it is taken, and to produce three-dimensional images. For video, light field photography is used only sporadically so far, in part because the necessary camera systems exist only at a handful of institutions. For a few days, Saarland University [...]

More than 725,000 German children started school in the past year. It is already obvious that they will need computer science skills to prevail in the professional world and in everyday life later on. Experts are therefore calling for children to be introduced to algorithms and programming languages early on. The available tools are usually rather expensive, however, and do not necessarily satisfy the children’s play instincts. The start-up Fold-IO uses a combination of inexpensive craft paper [...]