Students dive into the world of inventors with mp3 pioneer Karlheinz Brandenburg
“Students dive into the world of inventors” this was the motto of a special STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) project day for students in grades 11 and 12 at the Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium in Erfurt at the Technische Universität Ilmenau (TU Ilmenau). On February 26, 2026, 12 students who are also students in specialized STEM classes explored how inventions are created and why studying and pursuing a career in the STEM disciplines offer exciting future prospects. They were inspired by the patron of the project day, Karlheinz Brandenburg, senior professor at the Technische Universität (TU) Ilmenau and co-inventor of the mp3 format for compressing audio signals, which has taken the world by storm. The project day was initiated and supported by the European Patent Office and its European Inventor Network and took place in the media lab of the TU Ilmenau.
How is an invention created—and what does it take to pursue a career in technology? At the end of a very special project day at the TU Ilmenau, the students from Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium in Erfurt knew the answers.
Inspiration from mp3 co-inventor Karlheinz Brandenburg
It is rare for an invention from Germany to conquer the world. In the case of audio signal compression, this has been achieved: mp3 is now known around the world. Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of this groundbreaking tech-nology, shared the students insight into his work on audio coding and his longstanding research career at TU Ilmenau. He conducted research at the TU Ilmenau for many years and founded Brandenburg Labs in 2019, which develops technologies for immersive sound over headphones. He explained how curiosity, persistence, and interdisciplinary thinking are essential for in-novation.
Guided tours of research laboratories – technology you can touch … and hear
Following the inspiring talk by Professor Brandenburg, the students experi-enced an impressive demonstration of Deep Dive Audio, an advanced audio technology from Brandenburg Labs that reproduces virtual sound sources through headphones so realistically that they are almost indistinguishable from real sound sources. The group took guided tours through several re-search facilities at TU Ilmenau, including the listening lab, the audio and video lab, as well as the new audio lab at TU Ilmenau.
At the end of the project day, the students had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on ‘build your own theremin’ activity, assembling and playing their own sensor-based Theremin while learning the basics of electronics and sound design.
The event was organized on the initiative of the European Patent Office and its European In-ventor Network, which aims to inspire children and young people to take an interest in STEM subjects and encourage their entrepreneurial thinking through such initiatives. In 2006, Karlheinz Brandenburg was nominated for Inventor of the Year in the Lifetime Achievement category and is therefore a member of the network.
Über die Brandenburg Labs GmbH
The vision of Brandenburg Labs is to connect the digital and real world through immersive audio and unlock the full potential of human hearing. Therefore, the start-up company creates immersive audio experiences for headphones, as intuitive as real life. This enables everyone to dive deep into any soundscape. Brandenburg Labs, established in 2019 in Ilmenau, Germany, was founded by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karlheinz Brandenburg, best known as co-inventor of the mp3 format. As a spin-off of the Ilmenau University of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology, Brandenburg Labs can draw on many years of research in the field of audio at these and other institutions.
With its talented interdisciplinary team, Brandenburg Labs tackles the challenges of creating an immersive audio experience for headphones. The proof-of-concept system has gained recognition from over 700 audio experts at conferences and conventions worldwide, surpassing other commercially available systems. Leveraging this innovative technology, Brandenburg Labs brings immersive audio solutions and products to the market, that enhance digital life. Our technology recreates real acoustic environments or generates new realistic listening environments, seamlessly integrating virtual sounds into users‘ lives. Soon, we will offer headphone-based solutions for various industries, such as music production, Augmented Reality, virtual prototyping, audio guides, and gaming. Our primary goal is to introduce immersive audio to the consumer headphone market, enabling individuals to explore complete soundscapes, opening up the third dimension of headphone audio. To achieve this, Brandenburg Labs collaborates with partners and hardware manufacturers.
Firmenkontakt und Herausgeber der Meldung:
Brandenburg Labs GmbH
Ehrenbergstraße 11
98693 Ilmenau
Telefon: +49 (3677) 668190
http://www.brandenburg-labs.com
Ansprechpartner:
Katja Hampe
Head of PR and Marketing
Telefon: +49 3677 8749075
E-Mail: kah@brandenburg-labs.com
Head of PR and Marketing
Telefon: +49 3677 8749075
E-Mail: kah@brandenburg-labs.com
Weiterführende Links
Für die oben stehende Story ist allein der jeweils angegebene Herausgeber (siehe Firmenkontakt oben) verantwortlich. Dieser ist in der Regel auch Urheber des Pressetextes, sowie der angehängten Bild-, Ton-, Video-, Medien- und Informationsmaterialien. Die United News Network GmbH übernimmt keine Haftung für die Korrektheit oder Vollständigkeit der dargestellten Meldung. Auch bei Übertragungsfehlern oder anderen Störungen haftet sie nur im Fall von Vorsatz oder grober Fahrlässigkeit. Die Nutzung von hier archivierten Informationen zur Eigeninformation und redaktionellen Weiterverarbeitung ist in der Regel kostenfrei. Bitte klären Sie vor einer Weiterverwendung urheberrechtliche Fragen mit dem angegebenen Herausgeber. Eine systematische Speicherung dieser Daten sowie die Verwendung auch von Teilen dieses Datenbankwerks sind nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung durch die United News Network GmbH gestattet.
