Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Ambitious Project to Create Step Change for Wave Energy Industry

A €19.6 million partnership project aiming to be the stepping stone towards large scale wave energy commercialisation, will be launched this week. WEDUSEA is a pioneering collaboration between 14 partners, spanning industry and academia from across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain. It is co-ordinated by the Irish company OceanEnergy.

High-Tech Vest Monitors Lung Function

Patients with severe respiratory or lung diseases require intensive treatment and their lung function needs to be monitored on a continuous basis. Researchers have developed a technology whereby noises in the lungs are recorded using a textile vest with integrated acoustic sensors. The signals are then converted and displayed visually using software. In this way, patients outside of intensive care units can still be monitored continuously. The technology increases the options for diagnosis and improves the patient's quality of life.

€10 Million Project to Recover Raw Materials from Electric Vehicles

The European Commission finances with more than 10 million euros a project to develop new technological processes for the recovery of critical raw materials contained in electric vehicle batteries, through the Horizon Europe programme. A consortium of 18 partners from seven countries will develop this project, known as BATRAW, which is of strategic importance for the EU in reducing its dependence on imports of these critical raw materials, as well as being able to guarantee a stable supply chain in view of the expected growth of the electric mobility market in Europe in the coming years.

Supply Chain Provenance, Emissions Traceability for Lithium Refinery

Circulor announces a comprehensive partnership with Rock Tech Lithium and Fraunhofer UMSICHT to ensure the production of German-made lithium hydroxide with the lowest possible environmental impact.

Traffic Flow Assisted with AI Controlled Traffic Lights

Researchers are using artificial intelligence for smart traffic light control. In the future, self-learning algorithms combined with new sensors should ensure better traffic flow and shorter waiting times, while providing improved safety for pedestrians at crossings.

Modular Facade Supplies Buildings with Renewable Energy

The rate of renovation in the building sector is still too low to achieve the energy transition by the target date set by the German federal government. However, increased use of prefabricated components can help accelerate this process. Researchers are developing a facade module that integrates the technical building equipment and supplies it with renewable energy to heat, cool and ventilate the adjoining rooms.

6G Communications Curious Progress

6G Communications promises between ten to one hundred times the download speed for operating unpowered devices, remote holographic surgery and much more, but it will depend on how high a frequency is chosen and how much infrastructure investment is made.

Artificial Intelligence Detects What The Driver is Doing

Is the driver tired or even asleep? Cameras in the vehicle's interior can already monitor this. Especially in the case of automated driving, interior cameras are important and prescribed by law. A new system developed is the world's first to be able to use image data to draw conclusions about the driver's activity and analyze how quickly they would be able to take control of the vehicle.

Customised Wound Dressings Made From Tropoelastin

Customized, biomedically applicable materials based on tropoelastin are being developed in a joint project. The material combines biocompatibility, durability, biodegradability and favorable mechanical properties similar to those of skin. Preclinical tests have confirmed that it is suitable for use as a wound dressing material used in the treatment of chronic and complex wounds.

Neotech-AMT

Neotech-AMT, developers of equipment for manufacturing 3D printed electronics, announced its involvement in an EU funded project called 'AMPERE'. This will develop reliable and scalable hybrid additive manufacturing methods for producing multi-functional mechatronic systems.

Smart Finger Ring with Integrated RFID

House key, wallet, health insurance card, hotel key card — a smart finger ring could replace all these in the future. Produced by a 3D printing process, the ring has an integrated RFID chip, tamper-proof, sealed and invisible.

Autonomous Underwater Robot Saves People from Drowning

A research team has developed an underwater vehicle with the help of Halle's water rescue service. Equipped with batteries, motor, cameras, and optical and navigational sensors, the current system is 90 centimeters long, 50 centimeters high, and 50 centimeters wide.

Hydrogen Powered Drives for E-Scooters

Hydrogen is regarded by many as the future of propulsion technology. The first hydrogen-powered cars are already in action on German roads. In the case of e-scooters, however, installation of a high-pressure tank to store the hydrogen is impractical. An alternative here is POWERPASTE. This provides a safe way of storing hydrogen in a chemical form that is easy to transport and replenish without the need for an expensive network of filling stations.

3D Printed Magnets Help Create More Efficient Electric Motors

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is leading a European consortium 3DREMAG which is developing a new material suitable for 3D printing of permanent magnets, which can be utilised in electric and hybrid vehicle motors. The aim in the long run is to develop a fully 3D printable electric motor, one that would be approximately 30% lighter than today's motors.

Robots to Clear the Sea Bed of Plastic

86 million metric tons of plastics end up in the oceans every year, with devastating consequences for marine life, nature and, ultimately, for us humans. The vast floating patches of plastic carpeting the water's surface, some as large as entire countries, are only the tip of the iceberg. Around 90 percent of this garbage ends up on the seabed.

Mobile Robot Cleaner Takes Production Hygiene to a Higher Level

Production lines and hygiene zones have to be spotlessly clean. And absolute cleanliness is critical wherever food is processed and medical instruments are handled. Now researchers have come up with a mobile cleaning device that sanitizes equipment and production spaces standards in a reproducible way.

Ynvisible Expands Its Printed Electrochromics Offering

Ynvisible Interactive Inc has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. The license agreement covers RISE's intellectual property rights for printed electrochromic displays and related inks.

Solar Energy Solutions for Facades

Photovoltaic elements are usually found on rooftops - after all, that's where solar irradiation is highest. However, as researchers have discovered, PV elements on facades can be a useful way to supplement the power supply. If appropriately designed, they can be attractively integrated and deliver 50 percent more energy than existing types of wall-mounted PV elements. Even concrete walls are suitable.

Teaching Tomorrow's Automobiles to Hear

Modern cars already feature a range of sophisticated systems such as remote-controlled parking, automatic lane-departure warning and drowsiness recognition. In the future, self-driving cars will also have auditory capabilities. Researchers have now developed a prototype system capable of recognizing external noises such as sirens.

Photovoltaic power from textiles

Imagine a truck tarp that can harvest the energy of sunlight. With the help of new textile-based solar cells semitrailers could soon be producing the electricity needed to power cooling systems or other onboard equipment. In short, textile-based solar cells could soon be adding a whole new dimension to photovoltaics, complementing the use of conventional silicon-based solar cells.