For the nationwide Girls' Day on April 23, 2026, the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) invites schoolgirls to experience a day in the working life of our researchers. This career orientation project aims to spark girls' interest in STEM subjects and related careers from an early age.

In nine different workshops, participants will be able to explore each department's work. During the lunch break, they can gain insights into our latest technologies and ask selected scientists about their work and research.

This event will be conducted in German.

Discover the fascinating world of light! How does LiFi use light signals to enable fast and secure data transmission? Join us in our workshop to build your own LiFi receiver and decode an encrypted message. Discover the exciting technologies that shape internet of tomorrow!

The Mega World workshop is offered by the Photonic Networks and Systems department.

Would you like to create your own bookmark? Or a keychain with your own custom image? In the Micro World workshop, you’ll get an insight into the production of tiny optical chips used in many fields, such as medicine and telecommunications. Using your bookmark or keychain as an example, we’ll recreate the chip manufacturing process together. So, put on your gloves, grab your lab coat, and head to the Hybrid PICs group’s lab in the Hybrid Integration and Sensing department!

Have you ever wondered how airport staff find hidden objects under people’s clothes? How do the latest security scanners—like the ones at BER—manage to distinguish between explosives, metal, and clothing? Join the Giga World workshop and discover how terahertz radiation can be used to see through plastic and clothing. By looking inside a memory card, you’ll learn about the fascinating technology behind it.

The Terahertz group is part of the Hybrid Integration and Sensing department.

Studying from home, streaming a show on the side, and sending a friend that funny video from last weekend—but how is the flood of data on the internet actually managed? In Video World, you’ll get a brief look at video streaming and learn the tricks platforms like Netflix, TikTok, or Twitch use to deliver video to smartphones. We’ll also show you what kinds of videos people will be watching in the future. In our Video Communication and Applications department, try out for yourself how news can be condensed, experiment with prototypes of future video formats, experience 360° video, and interact with virtual objects and people!

Step into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (AI)! In this workshop hosted by the Artificial Intelligence department, we’ll show you how AI works, what it can be used for, and where its strengths and limitations lie. You’ll train your own AI model, explore various AI tools, and gain insight into our AI research at the HHI. Together, we’ll explore what lies behind the technology and how it impacts our world.

At the workshop hosted by the Wireless Communication and Networks department, you’ll learn how mobile networks and 5G work, and how your smartphone uses these technologies. In an engaging short presentation, we’ll explain the science behind modern mobile networks before you get to experience them in action—in the form of robot dogs! Using a controller, you’ll guide the dogs through an obstacle course, pick up objects, and compete in a race.

Would you like to know how humans see in 3D and how a computer replicate this principle? In the Visual World workshop hosted by the Vision and Imaging Technologies department, you’ll learn what makes up a digital image and how it can be transformed into a 3D video. Using VR glasses, you’ll step into a virtual world in a fun and interactive way and encounter real-life people there as 3D avatars.

Get an exciting look into AI and digital creativity! In two workshops hosted by the Vision and Imaging Technologies department, you’ll discover how smart systems process speech and are used in various fields. You’ll also learn how an idea can be turned into a 3D model and experience immersive and interactive technologies up close in the “TiME Lab.”

How is sound actually created? Dive into the world of electronics and discover how audio circuits work. In this workshop hosted by the Vision and Imaging Technologies department, you’ll pick up a soldering iron and build your own audio circuit. At the "TiME Lab", you’ll also experience how spatial audio works and how sound unfolds freely in a room.