What actually happens inside a smartphone when it receives a message? And why can cat pictures be dangerous? Scientists from the Barkhausen Institut answered these questions in a presentation at the Long Night of Sciences in Dresden. The presentation was very well received by the audience, which provided an impetus for making an explanatory film.

In this film, animated robots visualize how the software in our smartphones works. The receiving of a chat message containing a picture serves as an example. The robots take on the role of the chat app and certain parts of the smartphone operating system. Each of the robots has to perform a specific task so that the message can be read on the smartphone screen eventually.

The film illustrates how the robots work together to achieve their common goal, but also the dangers they face in the software world: accidents at work, explosions and even data theft must be prevented! Based on the example in the film, viewers will learn why one should rather lock up software and valuable data. This is not only to keep our smartphones safe, but also to protect the digital infrastructure in the networked world of tomorrow.