Papaya

PAPAYA: a European project for a confidential data analysis platform

Projets européens H2020EURECOM is coordinating the three-year European project, PAPAYA, launched on May 1st. Its mission: enable cloud services to process encrypted or anonymized data without having to access the unencrypted data. Melek Önen, a researcher specialized in applied cryptography, is leading this project. In this interview she provides more details on the objectives of this H2020 project.

 

What is the objective of the H2020 Papaya project?

Melek Önen: Small and medium-sized companies do not always have the means to internally process large amounts of data that is often personal or confidential. They therefore use cloud services to simplify the task, but in so doing they lose control over their data. Our mission with the PAPAYA project (which stands for PlAtform for PrivAcY-preserving data Analytics) is to succeed in using data processing and classification methods while keeping the data encrypted and/or anonymized. This would offer companies greater security and confidentiality when they use third party cloud services, since these services could no longer access the unencrypted data. This has become a major issue since the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has come into effect.

What is your main challenge in this project?

MÖ: Today, when we encrypt data the traditional way, it is protected in a randomized manner—in other words, using a method that lacks transparency. It is impossible to carry out operations on data in this state. In 2009, cryptography researcher Craig Gentry proposed a unique method called fully homomorphic encryption. Using this method, several operations can be carried out on encrypted data. The problem is, processing data this way is not very efficient in terms of memory usage and the processes required. The majority of our work will involve designing variants of the data processing algorithms that will be compatible with data protected by homomorphic encryption.

Can you explain how you design variants of data processing algorithms?

MÖ: For example, a neural network contains both linear operations that are easily managed with appropriate encryption methods as well as non-linear operations.  We do not know how to process encrypted data using non-linear operations. Yet the network’s accuracy depends on these non-linear operations, so we cannot do without them. What we must do in this situation is approximate these operations, which are actually functions, by using other linear functions with similar behavior. The more effective this approximation, the more accurate the neural network, and we can therefore process the encrypted data.

What use cases do you plan to work on?

MÖ: We have two different use cases. The first is medical data encryption. This situation affects many hospitals that have patients’ data but are not large enough to have their own internal data processing services. They therefore use cloud services. The second case involves web analytics and it could be useful for the tourism sector. Data collected by smartphone users could be very useful in this sector that analyzes the way tourists move from one place of interest to another. For both cases, we imagine several progressive scenarios. First, for one data owner who has all the users’ unencrypted data that he encrypts with the same key and transfers to the cloud. Next, several owners with several keys. Finally, we consider data that comes directly from users.

Who else is working on this project with you?

MÖ: PAPAYA brings together 6 partners including EURECOM, which is coordinating the action. The companies involved in assisting us with the use cases and in designing this new platform are Atos, IBM, Haifa Research Lab, Orange Labs, and MediaClinics—an SME that makes sensors for monitoring patients in hospitals. In terms of academic partners, we are working with Karlstad University in Sweden. We will work together for the entire three-year project.

quèsaco mécatronique, mechatronics

What is mechatronics?

Intelligent products can perceive their environment, communicate, process information and act accordingly… Is this science fiction?  No, it’s mechatronics! Every day, we come in contact with mechatronic systems, from reflex cameras to our cars’ braking systems. Beyond the technical characteristics of these devices, the term mechatronics also refers to the systemic and comprehensive nature of their design. Pierre Couturier, a researcher at IMT Mines Alès, answers our questions about the development of these complex multi-technology systems.

 

What is mechatronics?

Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach for designing and producing multi-technology products. To design a mechatronic product, several different professions must work together to simultaneously solve electronic, IT and mechanical problems.

In addition, designing a mechatronic product means adopting a systemic approach and taking into account stakeholders’ needs for the product over its entire lifecycle, from design, creation, production, use, to dismantling.  The issues of recycling and disposing of the materials are also considered during the earliest stages of the design phase. Mechatronics brings very different professions together and this systemic vision creates a consensus among all the specialists involved.

 

What are the characteristics of a mechatronic product?

A mechatronic product can perceive its environment using sensors, process the information received and then communicate and react accordingly in or on this environment. Developing such capacities requires the integration of several technologies in synergy: mechanics, electronics, IT and automation. Ideally, a product is designed to self-run and self-correct based on how it is used. With this goal in mind, we use artificial intelligence technologies and different types of learning: supervised, non-supervised or reinforced learning.

 

What types of applications are mechatronic products used for?

Mechatronic products are used in many different fields: transport, mobility, robotics, industrial equipment, machine-tools, as well as in applications for the general public… Reflex cameras, which integrate mechanical aspects with mobile parts are one example of mechatronic products.

In the area of transport, we also encounter mechatronics on a daily basis, for example with the ABS braking assistance system that is integrated into most cars. This system detects when the wheels are slipping and releases the driver’s braking request to restore the wheel’s grip on the road.

At IMT Mines Alès, we are also conducting several mechatronic projects on health and disability, including a motorized wheel for an all-terrain wheelchair. The principle is to provide the wheelchair with electrical assistance proportional to how the individual pushes on the handrail.

 

What other types of health projects are you leading at IMT Mines Alès?

In the health sector, we have developed a device for measuring the pressure a shoe exerts on the foot for an orthopedic company from Lozère. This product is intended for individuals with diabetes who have a loss of sensation in their feet: they can sometimes injure themselves by wearing inappropriate shoes without feeling any pain. Using socks equipped with sensors placed at specific places, areas with excessive pressure can be identified. The data is then sent to a remote station which transfers the different pressure points to a 3D model. We can therefore infer what corrections need to be made to the shoe to ensure the individual’s comfort.

We have also developed a scooter for people with disabilities, featuring a retractable kickstand that is activated when the vehicle runs at a low speed, to prevent the rider from falling. Also, in the area of disability, we have worked on a system of controls for electric wheelchairs that involve both a touchpad with two pressure areas to move forward and backward and touch sensors activated by the head to move left or right.

 

What difficulties are sometimes encountered when developing complex mechatronic products?

The first difficulty is to get all the different professions to work together to design a product.  There are real human aspects to manage! The second technical difficulty is caused by the physical interactions between the product’s different components, which are not always predictable. At IMT Mines Alès, for example, we designed a machine for testing the resistance of a foam mattress. A roller moved across the entire length of the mattress to wear it out. However, the interaction between the foam and roller produced electrostatic phenomena that led to electric shocks. We had underestimated their significance… We therefore had to change the roller material to resolve this problem. Due to the complexity of these systems, we discovered physical interactions we had not expected during the design phase!

To avoid this type of problem, we conduct research in systems engineering to assess, verify and validate the principles behind the solution as soon as possible in the design phase, even before physically making any of the product’s components. The ideal solution would be to design a product using digital modeling and simulation, and then produce it without the prototype phase… But that’s not yet possible! In reality, due to the increasing complexity of mechatronic products, it is still necessary to develop a prototype to detect properties or behaviors that are difficult to assess through simulation.

 

responsible innovation

Innovation: to be or not to be responsible?

How should the concept of responsibility be defined at a time when innovation prides itself on providing answers to major societal issues? For organizations, the concept of responsible innovation is not quite the same as for the scientists studying the issue. Cédric Gossart is among the latter. He examines what responsible innovation really is.

 

Companies are quick to call themselves ‘responsible’Cédric Gossart observes with amusement. A researcher in management science at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, he has noticed that organizations like to promote their innovations as meeting the criterion of responsibility. However, this self-evaluation gives rise to a certain problem, since the word responsibility takes on almost as many definitions as there are companies boasting about it. It is therefore necessary to carefully examine what responsible innovation really is.

This is part of the task that Cédric Gossart has set himself. On 21 June, he took part in a scientific seminar on “Research and responsible innovation: interdisciplinary issues” led by LITEM, a research laboratory in management and economics and organized in interdisciplinary collaboration with five other laboratories from the Saclay group and supported by the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme of Paris-Saclay. His talk on “are digital social innovations responsible?” closely compared the concept of responsibility as perceived by businesses with the more theoretical view of responsible innovation upheld by the academic sphere.

End use is an important aspect in the concept of responsibility,” explains the researcher. Technological, social or organizational disruptions must provide answers to challenges raised by sustainable development or inclusion. But although organizations see this criterion as being sufficient, there is a crucial aspect missing. “It is essential to take account of the way in which an innovation is carried out,” insists Cédric Gossart. The inclusion of eco-design, privacy-by-design and non-discrimination right from the development phase is equally important.

However, this second aspect is too often left out from businesses’ claims of responsibility. The researcher at Institut Mines-Télécom Business School recalls the case of a start-up developing pollution sensors. The young company adopted a participative approach: the sensors were carried with the users as they traveled throughout the day to assess the quality of the air and establish maps of the areas least exposed to fine particulate matter and volatile compounds. In this case, the end use of this digital social innovation clearly adheres to a responsible approach. “It provides a response to an issue in society: pollution. On the other hand, no information is given on the environmental impact of the servers or the life cycle of the sensors. In a truly responsible approach, the beneficial impact of this start-up would offset its environmental footprint” argues Cédric Gossart.

Who should be the judge of responsibility?

For a stricter assessment of responsibility, companies should not evaluate themselves. Currently, organizations use responsible innovation as evidence of how they meet the challenges raised by sustainable development. It is one of the topics covered by annual activity reports. “Businesses themselves present, in a communication context, the actions they undertake and how they carry out self-assessment” explains Cédric Gossart. “In a few rare cases they go one step further by undergoing certification by independent bodies.”

But responsible innovation does in fact have a strict academic definition. In 2013, the British researchers Jack Stilgoe, Richard Owen and Phil Macnaghten published an article in the journal Research Policy in which they attributed four criteria to it. Anticipation consists in considering the consequences of the developed innovation. Reflexivity allows examination of the development itself. Inclusion of stakeholders is another important criterion for defining responsibility. Lastly, responsiveness must also be taken into account in order to adapt the innovation to new elements, such as a change in legislation or user feedback.

Cédric Gossart nevertheless admits that “the problem facing digital social innovations is finding a business plan. It is therefore difficult to meet these criteria and at the same time find a market.” But although the cost of responsibility may seem problematic, the researcher reminds us that even inexpensive innovations can succeed. This was the also the topic addressed by Cees Van Beers, a researcher at TU, Delft, in the Netherlands, during a seminar on responsible innovation. “For him, an innovation is responsible when it is available to even the poorest.” Perhaps this is an additional criterion to add to the notion of responsibility…

 

Laurent Alleman

IMT Nord Europe | #atmosphere #particles #metals #health

Laurent Alleman has been an associate professor since 2004 at IMT Nord Europe (former École des Mines de Douai and IMT Lille Douai) in the Atmospheric Sciences and Environmental Engineering department. He holds a PhD in Environmental Geosciences (1997) from the Aix-Marseille University. Its main research projects are centered on tracing particulate atmospheric pollution sources, particularly metals and studying their potential health impact. He is also involved in various institutional organisms concerning research, regulation and standardization such as the Laboratoire central de surveillance de la qualité de l’air (LCSQA), AFNOR, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) an the European committee for standardization (CEN).

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Medcam

Medcam: a high-quality image for laparoscopy

300,000 laparoscopies are performed every year in France. At ten euros per minute spent in the operating room for procedures that last from one to ten hours, any time that can be saved is significant. Medcam helps save precious minutes by reducing the time required to clean the camera used. This makes it possible to schedule one additional patient per operating day. 

 

It was over a family dinner, which would conclude with making initial sketches, that the idea for Medcam first took shape. That day, Clément, an engineer in fluid mechanics, his sister, an expert in the medical sector, and his brother-in-law Yann, who teaches mechanical engineering, were talking about laparoscopy. This minimally invasive surgical procedure widely performed in digestive, urological and gynecological surgery, is based on inserting a camera in the abdomen. The problem is that condensation, accumulated smoke and blood and visceral fat projections are deposited on the lens and constantly degrade the image. Every ten to fifteen minutes, the surgeon must interrupt the procedure to extract the camera and clean it, which leads to a loss of concentration and wastes time when the camera is removed and reinserted.

One device, three benefits

The solution invented by the brand new SMICES company (Smart Medical Devices) in close collaboration with Dr. Joël Da Broi, a surgeon specialized in visceral and digestive surgery, makes it possible to automatically clean the camera during the procedure. The device, which can be adjusted to fit all camera models, does not in any way interfere with surgeons’ use of the camera or practices in the operating room. But it single-handedly solves three problems: it allows the surgeon to work more comfortably so he/she can remain concentrated on his or her work, it saves time and allows the surgeon to add a patient to the operating schedule.

The start of clinical evaluations after promising tests

Developed in collaboration with the mechatronics platform at IMT Mines Alès, the operational prototype only uses components that already exist in the operation room. Medcam has been successfully tested in real conditions on a cadaver at a university hospital center and will begin preclinical evaluations for CE marking in June 2018 so that it can be marketed in 2019. SMICES will be responsible for manufacturing and distributing Medcam and has set a clear objective: to become the market leader for healthcare institutions in France (300,000 laparoscopies per year) and Italy in its first year, in Europe (over 1 million laparoscopies per year) in four years’ time, and ultimately conquer the world (10 million laparoscopies per year).

mobility

Data-mobility or the art of modeling travel patterns

The major rail workers’ strike in France on the spring of 2018 transformed French travel habits, especially in the Ile-de-France region. Vincent Gauthier, a researcher at Télécom SudParis, is working to understand the travel patterns in this region and around the world using mobile data.

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The original version of this article (in French) was published on the Télécom SudParis website.

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The French have a saying that reflects the daily routine of millions of Parisians: “métro-boulot-dodo” (metro-work-sleep).  While this seems to be the universal experience for Il-de-France residents, individual variations exist. Some individuals only use public transport via one of the two major networks, RATP or SNCF, but others prefer driving. There are also those who change from the metro to the RER train, or leave their car part way and take a train. All of this information can be found through mobile data analysis. Vincent Gauthier, associate research professor at Télécom SudParis, has become a specialist in the area.

Using mobile networks to understand mobility

Determining someone’s travel itinerary based on the mobile data provided by their operator is not an easy task. “A telephone only transmits its GPS position to applications that request it, such as Waze,” Vincent Gauthier explains. “The only knowledge an operator can use to establish a person’s geographic location is which mobile base stations they were connected to during their travels.”

The French telephone network, which is shared between different operators including Orange, SFR and Bouygues, forms an irregular grid pattern (see Fig. 3). The different relay or base stations provide a network connection based on clearly defined zones. When a person leaves a zone, they automatically enter another one, and their telephone connects to the new corresponding base station. The size of these zones varies in each region. In the Ile-de-France region, a large number of base stations are concentrated and clustered together in Paris, but there are much fewer in the Seine-et-Marne region.

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Fig. 1 : Méthode d’agrégation des réseaux de transport pour analyse fine du trajet emprunté.

Fig. 1 : Method used to aggregate the transport networks to closely analyze the route taken.

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Fig. 2 : Matrice origine-destination sur une journée en Île-de-France.

Fig. 2 : Origin-destination matrix for a day in the Ile-de-France region.

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Fig. 3 : Schéma de quadrillage des stations de base du réseau mobile.

Fig. 3 : Grid pattern for the mobile network base stations.

 

The information produced from these connections only allows origin-destination matrices that are more or less detailed to be established. As an expert in the graphical representation of large volumes of data (Fig. 2), Vincent Gauthier wants to take this analysis a step further: “How does a person travel? Why? Where does the person live? How many other people take the same route? Answering these questions could help us optimize mobility options.”

To reproduce the exact route an individual takes based on this non-specific information, he has worked on a new method with another researcher from Télécom SudParis, Mounim El Yacoubi (ARMEDIA team–EPH department).

From optimizing transportation to geodemographics

Mounim and I have patented a method for automatically processing routes, which allows us to determine what types of transport a person has taken during their journey,” Vincent Gauthier explains. Thanks to their “method for route estimation using mobile data”, the two researchers can superimpose the different transport networks over the information the operators receive from the base stations (Fig. 1). “To identify the most likely road or rail journey the users have taken based on their route, we must use a huge database including the locations of the base stations, train stations and the maps of the different transport networks.” They are currently working with Bouygues to develop route estimations in “near real time”.

In their work, the two researchers are drawing on previous socio-demographic studies they conducted in Milan and in Africa. “We participated in estimating population density in the Ivory Coast and Senegal,” explains Vincent Gauthier. “The goal was to provide socio-demographic data that was lacking in these countries, so that the United Nations could establish more reliable statistics.”

Vincent Gauthier’s work goes beyond simply modeling big data; his expertise leads us to rethink the geography of our regions: “By analyzing individuals’ routes and optimizing transport options accordingly, we could possibly divide the Ile-de-France region into more relevant sub-areas.”

 

BioMica

BioMICA platform: at the cutting edge of medical imaging

Belles histoires, Bouton, CarnotAmong the research platforms at Télécom SudParis, BioMICA has developed bio-imaging applications that have already been approved by the medical field. Airways, its 3D representation software, received funding from Télécom & Société Numérique Carnot Institute.

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The original version of this article (in French) was published on the Télécom SudParis website

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One of the recommendations included in the March 2017 France AI Strategy report was to put artificial intelligence to work to improve medical diagnosis. The BioMICA research platform (which stands for Bio-Medical Imaging & Clinical Applications) has made this goal its mission.

We aim to develop tools that can be used in the clinical setting,” says Catalin Fetita, professor at Télécom SudParis and director of the bio-medical imaging platform. “Our applied research focuses on computer-aided diagnosis involving medical and biological imaging,” he explains. As a specialist in image analysis and processing, Catalin Fetita offers the platform true expertise in the area of medical imaging, particularly in lung imaging.

AirWays, or another way of seeing lungs

AirWays is “image marker” software (like biomarkers in biology). Based on a sequence of lung images taken by a scanner, it extracts as much information as possible for clinicians to assist them in their diagnosis by offering a range of different visualization and classification options. “The quantitative aspect is very important, we do not only want to offer better visual quality,” Catalin Fetita explains. “We offer the possibility of obtaining improved measurements of morphological differences in several areas of the respiratory system at different moments in time. This help clinicians decide which treatment to choose.” In terms of quantified results, the software can detect 95% of stenosis cases, which is the narrowing of bronchial tubes that affects respiratory capacity.

AirWays software uses a graphic grid representation of bronchial tube surfaces after analyzing clinical images and then generates 3D images to view them both “inside and outside” (above, a view of the local bronchial diameter using color coding)This technique allows doctors to plan more effectively for endoscopies and operations that were previously performed by sight.

“For now, we have limited ourselves to the diagnosis-analysis aspect, but I would also like to develop a predictive aspect,” says the researcher. This perspective is what motivated Carnot TSN to help finance AirWays in December 2017. “This new budget will help us improve and optimize the software’s interface and increase its computing power to make it a true black box for automatic and synthetic processing,” explains Catalin Fetita, who also hopes to work towards commercializing the software.

A platform for medicine of the future

In addition to its many computer workstations for developing its medical software, the BioMICA platform features two laboratories for biological experimentation. One of the laboratories has a containment level of L1 (any biological agent that is non-pathogenic for humans) and the other is L2 (possible pathogen with low risk). Both will help advance the clinical studies in cellular bio-imaging.

In addition, Catalin Fetita and his team are preparing a virtual reality viewing station to provide a different perspective of the lung tissue analyzed by Airways. “Our platform works thanks to research partnerships and technological transfers,” he explains, “but we can also use it to provide services for clinical studies.”

 

European Researchers Night

When Researchers and Visitors Stay up all Night

Projets européens H2020Every year, the European Researchers’ Night allows scientists and curious visitors to meet in over 200 European cities. The STORIES project, selected last May through the H2020 MSCA-NIGHT-2018 call for projects, will enable the CCSTI La Rotonde to join the national network and become the regional coordinator for this event, beginning in September 2019. As part of this project, Julie Fortin, in charge of promoting research at Mines Saint-Étienne, is working to create mediation models that encourage direct meetings between researchers and the general public. Meetings that benefit both visitors and researchers.

 

What is the European Researchers’ Night?

Julie Fortin: The European Researchers’ Night is organized every year on the last Friday of September, from 6pm to midnight in over 200 cities in Europe. As part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions under the H2020 program dedicated to promoting researchers’ careers, Mines Saint-Étienne and the associated CCSTI La Rotonde will become the event coordinators of the 2019 edition for the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, joining the ranks of the 13 other French CCSTI and universities participating in the event.

The goal of this event is to offer the general public an opportunity to meet the researchers directly, without any intermediaries. Each year a common theme is selected collectively: in 2018, for example, the theme is 1001 stories.  The mediation models are chosen in keeping with the annual theme. Each participating institution is free to customize the event in its own way, but all must offer a friendly atmosphere that fosters connections between researchers and the general public. The idea is to promote more intimate models. Conferences, for example, are avoided, because they offer more of a monologue than a discussion!

What mediation models do you implement to foster interaction between the researchers and the general public?

JF: We are developing new mediation models for the European Researchers’ Night and we are also using a lot of ideas from Ramène ta science, a similar annual event held at La Rotonde, that allows small groups of visitors to meet with researchers.

For example, we have a model called “The Scientist’s Suitcase” in which the scientists bring different objects in their suitcase to help them tell visitors about their field of research. For example, I am a geologist, so I can bring my field tools, like a hammer or a sample from my laboratory. The researchers can also bring anecdotal objects that reveal their daily life as a researcher or more personal things that show what inspired their passion for science or to talk about other hobbies.

We also have another model called “Draw your Science”, in which scientists use drawings to highlight key words to help them talk about their daily experience and field of research… Here again, the scientists choose what they want to share. Other models, like “The Scientist’s Cart” allow visitors to witness the scientist carrying out a lab experiment or “Experimenting with Science” in which the visitors themselves take on the researcher’s role by collecting and processing data… We also organize the “Science Xpress” activity, a type of speed-dating between researchers and groups of visitors!

A Mines Saint-Etienne student presents an experiment at the “Ramène ta science” event. Photo Credit: Pierre Grasset for La Rotonde.

 

Are these mediation models meant to contradict the impersonal image that the general public sometimes has of science and scientists?

JF: Yes, these mediation models that promote discussions and proximity with the public allow us to introduce a human aspect and debunk the myth that represents scientists as shut up in their labs! We also want to show that scientists are not the only ones working in the field of science, there are also technicians, research engineers, etc. They are all represented within Mines Saint-Étienne. For the European Researchers’ Night, we are also working together with universities, engineering schools, an art and design school, an architecture school, the Cité du Design, and a start-up incubator… Some design researchers, for example, show how a product is developed or experimental approaches. Students also contribute, presenting projects they completed during their training, and startups are also involved in the event. The goal is to show the approach they take, from the idea through to the final product, as well as the connections between the world of research and companies.

For the European Researchers’ Night, we also hope to add a European space. We are already hosting many foreign researchers at Mines Saint-Étienne and we want to show our visitors that scientific research also involves international collaboration!

How do the researchers see these meetings with the public?

JF: We started the “Ramène ta science” project with a core group of researchers who were already involved in scientific popularization projects. These researchers were thrilled and encouraged their colleagues to participate! Other researchers have gotten involved after enjoying the experience as visitors. Our PhD students are also invited to participate in the context of training on communication and scientific popularization.

All the participating researchers come with the intention of sharing their work and the visitors can sense that and make it worth their effort! The visitors are curious and are thrilled to communicate with scientists. The participants also know that we are here to help them prepare before the event, we do not just leave them to fend for themselves. We help them prepare through individual meetings and help them develop potential mediation ideas and adapt them to their type of popularization and their audience.

However, the simplification process is still difficult for some researchers. Some researchers tell us that they prefer a high school or middle school audience and we adapt to meet these requests. We respect each individual’s personality and desires.

What do the researchers take away from this experience?

JF: The researchers tell us that this experience offers them interactive techniques they can use with their students. But above all, in preparing for these popularization activities, they realize that they cannot say everything they want to. Often, they have become so specialized in their field that even other scientists cannot necessarily understand… They must learn to target their message! The researchers tell us that explaining their field of research in the simplest and fastest way possible forces them to check their own understanding of certain concepts in their field. In addition, sometimes simple questions from the audience help them see some of their problems in a different light! Not that his leads to new fields of research, but it can at least open some new perspectives…

Also read on I’MTech

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growth

The economy of promises, how to fall in love with a growth rate

Fabrice Flipo, Institut Mines-Telecom Business School

This article was published in association with the “Does progress have a future?” series of conferences organized by the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, from Tuesday 15 to 26 May 2018. Over a two-week period, groups of students, a panel of citizens and scientists, historians and philosophers shared their views and debated the topic.

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[dropcap]R[/dropcap]educed food supply, loss of biodiversity, pollution, the energy crisis… Although reports pointing to the negative consequences of the current production system continue to accumulate, the economy of promises is in full swing. Growth and progress have become confused and the hope of seeing the emergence of technological solutions remains, despite all evidence to the contrary?

Ever-more capital-intensive production tools

Growth has determined, and continues to determine, the meaning of progress: a “constant striving for more.” In science, sport, mobility, energy and other sectors production tools are increasingly capital-intensive:  the quantity of capital necessary to put them in place continues to grow. Likewise, in biology, “modern” genetics could not exist without the machines that make it possible to analyze the genome. In astrophysics, it is impossible to observe distant stars without orbital telescopes. In the humanities, digital technology is increasingly used to study and distribute texts and make them available for the entire planet — for those who have a suitable device, that is. In sports, how can continuous record-breaking be understood without taking account of the equipment used? Round-the-world sailing is a perfect example: even the most talented sailor in the world could not win a race without a “Ferrari” of the sea.

This accumulation of capital, beyond the play of supposedly competitive markets, is central to the notion of progress that has gradually gained ground since the 19th century, a process accurately described by Marx in his works: capitalists buy, sell, and above all, accumulate.

Winner takes all

This progress is determined by rules and standards that give entrepreneurs great leeway, in both the private and public spheres (socialist economies have been described as effectively being structured by an Entrepreneurial State). This is not an outdated analysis, as can be seen both by the current success of “Communist” China and the importance of planning at all levels of “private” businesses and the economy. Although strategic management and marketing do not plan ten or twenty years ahead, they contribute to stabilizing the process toward accumulation. The model of Silicon Valley provides a striking example: billions of dollars in public funds, startups bought at 99% by major firms that continue to grow.

This is the famous “winner takes all.” The expression is often associated with digital technology, but things were no different before its development: in the automobile industry, for example, out of the hundreds of manufacturers that once existed, only ten or so are left standing.

Citizen involvement, consequences: overlooked aspects?  

Against this backdrop, citizens are left with a limited role: they are seen, above all, as a malleable material, recipients of goods and services that, by definition, represent progress. In prevailing theories and decisions, citizens’ behavior is interpreted solely as a gluttonous appetite seeking only to maximize pleasure.

The example of digital technology has demonstrated this repeatedly: at the outset, it was a supply, rather than demand, market. Desire was low. It was sparked by passionate speeches by Al Gore and other public officials about “information highways” and later in Barack Obama’s speeches about smart cities. The foreseeable consequences of this digital boom, such as waste, energy consumption and dependence, were overlooked since they were at odds with the idea of progress.

Today, however, many reports have sounded the alarm for these issues: too much waste, poor waste treatment, skyrocketing energy consumption (the most alarming scenarios go so far as to predict that digital energy consumption could reach 50% of total energy consumption by 2030), dependence on rare materials etc.

These aspects were already pointed out two decades ago, by both the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. But public authorities were more concerned about falling behind than they were about the possible “technological dead end” they were headed for.

Means before the End

This concept of a “technological dead end” is mentioned in the Villani report:

“The production of digital equipment consumes a great amount of rare, critical metals that are not easily recyclable and with limited accessible reserves (15 years for Indium, the consumption of which has multiplied sevenfold in 10 years), which could lead to a technological dead end if the growing demand does do not slow down.” (p. 123)

The title of the report is worth noting: it is about providing meaning for, in other words determining how to use, AI, rather than first asking what kind of a world we would like to live in (a question of meaning) and then determining the most suitable tools to achieve this, a process whereby AI may not actually be a beneficial option.

There is little difference in “real” socialist societies. In the USSR of the 1970s a request for a telephone could take years to be fulfilled and cars were known for their poor quality. But in other fields (military, aeronautics etc.), industry was thriving. In some sectors such as healthcare, needs were sometimes better controlled in socialist societies. Life expectancy in Cuba is higher than that of United States’ citizens overall, and much higher than the life expectancy of the percentage of the American population whose skin is darker than others.

People do not fall in “love” with a growth rate

To make sure that people internalize these ideas, the race for progress relies on a vast undertaking to arouse desire, reenacting the primitive potlach (a practice in which individuals give and spend to increase prestige, according to anthropologist Marcel Mauss) on a greater scale than ever before. But it has implications that are not signs of progress: reduced food supply, ecological destruction (especially genetic) on an unprecedented scale etc.

These “negative aspects” are questioned, viewed with caution, and pushed to the background in decision-making. Meanwhile, investment is racing to keep up with dreams of grandeur and accumulation. This is illustrated by Tesla’s enormous market capitalization, despite the fact that it has never earned money and is lagging in many forecasts. Similarly, the fantastical prophecies of the controversial Ray Kurzweil, Google engineer and “futurologist,” have garnered significant media attention.

It is also significant that faced with these threats, the solution is often seen as more capitalism rather than less. The Breakthrough Institute explains that in order to protect the biosphere from growing consumption, we must tap into the earth’s resources in unprecedented quantities — and recycle, of course. “The economy of promises” is in full swing but in a single direction: toward capitalistic accumulation. Any signal to the contrary is viewed with suspicion. Messages about food supply or inequality are drowned out by the overall constant celebration of the system, as Jean Baudrillard suggested as early as the 1970s.

Refusing means regressing

Capitalism leads to a concentration of resources in an ever-smaller number of hands. As such, whatever the issue in question, it is always the same stakeholders who have the resources to present their solutions. Organizations proposing alternatives to the solutions provided by major firms are hindered by regulations that are poorly suited to their specific characteristics, and do not have the resources to send personnel to attend all the meetings that could help change this situation.

The result: views of progress that do not fall into the “always more” school of thinking are discredited as representing regress rather than progress. This is the “we aren’t going back to candles” argument heard so often despite the fact that it is unfounded since hardly anyone supports such an idea. Its only purpose is to undermine the adversary’s credibility.

Technology, a new divinity

And yet, soil insulates better than concrete, the huge quantity of medications consumed has a very limited effect relative to cost, nanotechnologies (including the star product, carbon nanotubes) and biotechnologies (two major forms of GMOs in 25 years, while gene therapy is still awaited) have not led to a revolution in terms of well-being.

“Not yet,” respond partisans of “progress,” for whom the slightest doubt is an act of sacrilege. Jacques Ellul is among those who have gone the furthest in theorizing that technology has become sacred. But partisans of progress only consent to discussing different ways of adopting and using technology, certainly not the idea of setting technology aside (or scrapping it) in favor of other possibilities and ways of seeing things.

They have 150 years of experience in “developed” countries on their side. After all, the same warnings were made in the past and “technology has managed.” Why would it be any different tomorrow? Yet certain warnings becoming realities: in her seminal work Silent Spring, published in 1962, biologist Rachel Carson announced the possible disappearance of insects and birds. 56 years later, this has almost come to pass.

Most importantly, the conditions do not allow for the emergence of real power for the (citizen)- consumer. Major firms spent 30 billion in 2017 to convince the French to use their products, according to Ademe who spent 16 million for this purpose in 2016,

“Communication with the public and professionals is crucial in order to change behavior and accelerate the energy and ecological transition in French society.”

Decisions made at the end of citizens’ conferences show, however, that when informed, citizens make very different choices than industries. Ironically, after establishing a system that incites the massive adoption of products which have become a part of everyday consumption, decision-makers now accuse the consumers when they are worried about threats. This subordinate position of the consumer, in all cases, clearly demonstrates in which direction power flows: from high to low.

 

Fabrice Flipo, Professor of social and political philosophy, epistemology and the history of science and technology, Institut Mines-Telecom Business School

The original version of this article (in French) was published in The Conversation.

OMNI

OMNI: transferring social sciences and humanities to the digital society

I’MTech is dedicating a series of articles to success stories from research partnerships supported by the Télécom & Société Numérique Carnot Institute (TSN), to which IMT Atlantique belongs.

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Belles histoires, Bouton, CarnotTechnology transfer also exists in social sciences and the humanities! The OMNI platform in Brittany proves this by placing its research activities at the service of organizations. Attached to the Breton scientific interest group called M@rsouin (which IMT Atlantique manages), it brings together researchers and professionals to study the impact of digital technology on society. The relevance of the structure’s approach has earned it a place within the “technology platform” offering of the Télécom & Société Numérique Carnot Institute (see insert at the end of the article). Nicolas Jullien, a researcher in Digital Economy at IMT Atlantique and Manager of OMNI, tells us more about the way in which organizations and researchers collaborate on topics at the interface between digital technology and society.

 

What is the role of the OMNI platform?

Nicolas Jullien: Structurally, OMNI is attached to the scientific interest group called M@rsouin, comprised of four universities and graduate schools in Brittany and, recently, three universities in Pays de la Loire*. For the past 15 years, this network has served the regional objective of having a research and study system on ICT, the internet and, more generally, what is today referred to as digital technology. OMNI is the research network’s tool for proposing studies on the impact of digital technology on society. The platform brings together practitioners and researchers and analyzes major questions that public or private organizations may have. It then sets up programs to collect and evaluate information to answer these questions. According to the needs, we can carry out questionnaire surveys – quantitative studies – or interview surveys – which are more qualitative. We also guarantee the confidentiality of responses, which is obviously important in the context of the GDPR. It is first and foremost a guarantee of neutrality between the player who wishes to collect information and the responding actors.

So is OMNI a platform for making connections and structuring research?

NJ: Yes. In fact, OMNI has existed for as long as M@rsouin, and corresponds to the part just before the research phase itself. If an organization has questions about digital technology and its impact and wants to work with the researchers at M@rsouin to collect and analyze information to provide answers, it goes through OMNI. We help establish the problem and express or even identify needs. We then investigate whether there is a real interest for research on the issue. If this is the case, we mobilize researchers at M@rsouin to define the questions and the most suitable protocol for the collection of information, and we carry out the collection and analysis.

What scientific skills can you count on?

NJ: M@rsouin has more than 200 researchers in social sciences and humanities. Topics of study range from e-government to e-education via social inclusion, employment, consumption, economic models, operation of organizations and work. The disciplines are highly varied and allow us to have a very comprehensive approach to the impact of digital technology on an organization, population or territory… We have researchers in education sciences, ergonomics, cognitive or social psychology, political science and, of course, economists and sociologists. But we also have disciplines which would perhaps be less expected by the general public, but which are equally important in the study of digital technology and its impacts. These include geography, urban planning, management sciences and legal expertise, which has been closely involved since the development of wide-scale awareness of the importance of personal data.

The connection between digital technology and geography may seem surprising. What is a geographer’s contribution, for example, to the question of digital technology?

NJ: One of the questions raised by digital technology is that of access to online resources. Geographers are specifically interested in the relationship between people and their resources and territory. Incorporating geography allows us to study the link between territory and the consumption of digital resources, or even to more radically question the pertinence of physical territory in studies on internet influence. It is also a discipline that allows us to examine certain factors favoring innovation. Can we innovate everywhere in France? What influence does an urban or rural territory have on innovation? These are questions asked in particular by chambers of commerce and industry, regional authorities or organizations such as FrenchTech.

Why do these organizations come to see you? What are they looking for in a partnership with a scientific interest group?

NJ: I would say that these partners are looking for a new perspective. They want new questions or a specialist point of view or expert assessment in complex areas. By working with researchers, they are forced to define their problem clearly and not necessarily seek answers straight away. We are able to give them the breathing space they need. But we can only do so if our researchers can make proposals and be involved in partners’ problems. We propose services, but are not a consultancy agency: our goal remains to offer the added value of research.

Can you give an example of a partnership?

NJ: In 2010 we began a partnership with SystemGIE, a company which acts as an intermediary between large businesses and small suppliers. It manages the insertion of these suppliers in the purchasing or production procedures of large clients. It is a fairly tricky positioning: it is necessary to understand the strategy of suppliers and large companies and the tools and processes to put in place… We supported SystemGIE in the definition of its atypical economic model. It is a matter of applied research because we try to understand where the value lies and the role of digital technology in structuring these operators. This is an example of a partnership with a company. But our biggest partner remains the Brittany Regional Council. We have just finished a survey with it on craftspeople. The following questions were asked: how do craftspeople use digital technology? How does their online presence affect their activity?

How does the Carnot label help OMNI?

NJ: First and foremost it is a recognition of our expertise and relevance for organizations. It also provides better visibility at a national institutional level, allowing us to further partnerships with public organizations across France, as well as providing better visibility among private actors. This will allow us to develop new, nationwide partnerships with companies on the subject of the digitization of society and the industry of the future.

* The members of M@rsouin are: Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Université de Rennes 1, Université de Rennes 2, Université de Bretagne Sud, IMT Atlantique, ENSAI, ESPE de Bretagne, Sciences Po Rennes, Université d’Angers, Université du Mans, Université de Nantes.

 

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A guarantee of excellence in partnership-based research since 2006

The Télécom & Société Numérique Carnot Institute (TSN) has been partnering with companies since 2006 to research developments in digital innovations. With over 1,700 researchers and 50 technology platforms, it offers cutting-edge research aimed at meeting the complex technological challenges posed by digital, energy and industrial transitions currently underway in in the French manufacturing industry. It focuses on the following topics: industry of the future, connected objects and networks, sustainable cities, transport, health and safety.

The institute encompasses Télécom ParisTech, IMT Atlantique, Télécom SudParis, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, Eurecom, Télécom Physique Strasbourg and Télécom Saint-Étienne, École Polytechnique (Lix and CMAP laboratories), Strate École de Design and Femto Engineering.

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