172nd Dies Natalis: Safety Matters!

The celebration of the 172nd Dies Natalis took place on 10 January 2014 at the TU Delft Aula Conference Centre. We feel safe in our homes and communities, secure in the knowledge that should anything happen, excellent emergency services are just a phone call away. Not that we need them, surrounded as we are by security systems, protected by dams and dikes, and cared for by public services from cradle to grave. We are safe as houses. Or are we? For computer systems can be hacked, and governments overthrown; dikes can fail, and banks founder. New high-tech industry brings new prosperity, but also carries new risks. What if biotech turns biohazard or robotics run amok? Is our safety just an illusion, or can technology offer us solutions?