The human interface

Swiss Post is teaming up with the University of Fribourg to develop “cutting-edge, interactive technologies” that “take account of human values and fostering wellbeing in the city and urban mobility”. In a statement issued today, Swiss Post said that the university’s Human-Centered Interaction Science & Technology (Human-IST) Research Center has been researching the interaction between humans and machines since 2015 and this new partnership will extend its activities into “soft and cognitive computing, smart homes and smart cities”.

Swiss Post will be supporting the development of the Human-IST Research Center for an initial four-year period.

Commenting on what it hopes to achieve from the partnership, Swiss Post said: “New digital trends impacting on interactive technologies – such as the Internet of things – will permanently change Swiss Post’s core business.

“It therefore has a strong interest in the center’s network and expertise in the design and evaluation of cognitive systems in this highly promising field with a view to increasing its current range of services with new business models.

“Swiss Post expects this partnership to allow it to obtain in-depth knowledge of this field, enabling it to gear itself up for the future.”