Berlin

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Catawiki is expanding its livestreamed auction format, Catawiki Live, into seven new categories: fashion (bags, sneakers and accessories), minerals, coins, toys, vinyl records, hi-fi & radio, and comics & books.

Live auctions already outperform standard listings

Since launching in May, Catawiki Live has hosted hundreds of livestreams watched by tens of thousands of users over thousands of hours. Thousands of items have sold through the format, and one in three objects sold via Catawiki Live auctions went to someone watching the livestream in real time. Auctions using the Live format have also seen double-digit increases in both the number of bidders per item and total bids placed, compared to Catawiki's standard auctions.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Homeowners weighing a heating system upgrade are being pointed underground, as geothermal heat pumps promise lower long-term costs despite steeper installation prices. A new short study by consulting firm Prognos, commissioned by the Bundesverband Geothermie, the Erdwärmegemeinschaft Bayern, and the Bundesverband Wärmepumpe (BWP), finds that ground-source systems can undercut air-source heat pumps by roughly 8 percent in total annual costs over a 20-year period.

Ground temperatures stay near 10 degrees Celsius year-round

In Central Europe, subsurface temperatures remain relatively constant at around 10 degrees Celsius throughout the year. This narrow gap between the heat source and the heating system keeps operating conditions favorable even in winter, translating into consistently lower running costs.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- A new survey from Rover finds that 45 percent of dog owners in Germany say their actual dog-related expenses turned out higher than they initially expected.

The online marketplace for pet care, which commissioned market research firm Pollfish to poll 1,000 dog owners in Germany in August, found that the early stages of dog ownership often carry the biggest financial surprise. More than half of respondents, 52 percent, reported total acquisition and start-up costs of 500 euros or more, while nearly 15 percent spent 2,000 euros or more.

Berlin – September 13, 2026 -- AULUMU, a design brand specializing in tech accessories, won a "Best of IFA 2026" award from Yanko Design on the opening day of IFA 2026 in Berlin, held September 4-8.

The brand debuted five product lines spanning charging, wearables, and carry gear

AULUMU showcased the G09 Infinite Rotation Dual-Mag Stand, the M10 Multi-Charging Dual-Mag Power Bank, the A18 smartphone case series, the C05 Apple Watch band, and the B01 and B02 functional bags at its Berlin booth.

The M10 power bank packs a 10,000mAh battery with 35W fast charging

The device also supports MagSafe wireless charging, Apple Watch charging, and includes a built-in USB-C cable. Beyond the Yanko Design recognition, the M10 previously won a 2026 Red Dot Design Award and a Bronze Award at the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Segway picked up two gold medals at IFA 2026 in Berlin for its next-generation electric scooters, the ZT3 MAX and the MAX G3 Pro, ahead of their European launch in October 2026.

The ZT3 MAX took gold in the Off-Road E-Scooter Technology category, while the Ninebot MAX G3 Pro won in the Long-Range Riding Technology category. Both awards come from the Global Product Technology Innovation Awards, handed out annually at IFA, one of the world's largest consumer electronics trade shows. The prize was established in 2014 by International Data Group (IDG) and the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), with continued backing from IFA.

Hamburg – September 12, 2026 -- German supermarket chain EDEKA has launched a campaign called "Survival of the Frischest" to challenge the common belief that frozen fruit and vegetables are less fresh or healthy than fresh produce.

A five-meter T-Rex made of broccoli appears at Potsdamer Platz

From September 10 to 13, EDEKA installed a roughly five-meter-long, three-meter-high sculpture depicting a prehistoric creature encased in ice at Das Center (formerly Sony Center) in Berlin. The centerpiece is a T-Rex shaped from broccoli, meant to illustrate how shock-freezing preserves produce. Visitors can also sample smoothies made from various frozen fruits and vegetables at an EDEKA food truck on site.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- PrimeBOT took home two IFA Innovation Awards at IFA 2026, with its T1 and Q1 robots drawing crowds at Messe Berlin and the ShowStoppers event.

PrimeBOT T1 wins in the Content Creation Technology category

The T1 model was named winner of the IFA Innovation Award for Content Creation Technology, recognized for its multi-scenario mobility and creative-use design. The Q1 model was separately selected among the IFA NEXT award winners for its focus on personalized interaction, programmability, movement, and long-term companionship.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- Pet tech company SATELLAI unveiled new AI-powered wearables and software at IFA 2026, including its first cat tracker and a satellite-connected dog device built for off-grid use.

SATELLAI Sense AI turns raw pet data into plain-language behavior insights

The updated SATELLAI Sense AI system combines pet activity data, owner-provided details and breed context to build a behavioral baseline for each animal, then flags meaningful changes over time. Instead of showing raw metrics, it generates natural-language summaries meant to help owners spot shifts in routine early.

New Sense AI features debuting first on the Cat Tag include Pet Personality Portraits, which highlight a pet's traits based on behavior and owner input; Pet Diary, which turns daily activity logs into a narrative; and Virtual Pet Nanny, an ambient tool designed to surface unusual changes in habits.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- Pet tech company SATELLAI unveiled a new generation of AI-powered pet devices at IFA 2026, including its first wearable for cats and a satellite-connected tracker for dogs.

The company introduced SATELLAI Sense AI, a system that analyzes pet data alongside owner-provided information and breed context to translate behavior patterns into natural-language insights. Rather than just showing activity metrics, the tool aims to help owners spot meaningful changes in their pet's habits.

New Sense AI features debut on the Cat Tag

The Sense AI update brings personalized pet portraits highlighting an animal's traits and preferences, a daily pet journal that turns activity data into a narrative of the pet's day, and a virtual pet nanny that flags unusual changes in habits or activity. SATELLAI stated the tool is designed to surface behavioral insights, not to provide a medical diagnosis.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- Neakasa's Riko smart wet-meal feeder has been named an IFA 2026 Innovation Award Honoree at IFA Berlin, recognized for automating fresh wet-meal preparation for cats.

Riko grinds and mixes food on demand instead of storing pre-made meals

Unlike standard automatic feeders that hold prepared wet food, Riko stores freeze-dried food in dry form and grinds and mixes it with water at each scheduled feeding time. Owners can adjust the water-to-food ratio from 1:1 to 5:1, set more than 20 meals per day, and choose portions between 1 and 15 grams.