Press / Newsroom

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB have developed a technology that uses AI to automatically log and analyze human movements inside vehicles. Their innovation, called the AktiMeter, is ideal for market research, user-centered product development and ergonomic studies.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) have achieved groundbreaking results in generating arbitrary light distributions. These findings are also relevant to atomic quantum computing. Spatial light modulators can be used to hold a large number of atoms in desired positions at the same time via laser beam. Localized in this way, they become switchable information carriers for quantum computers or for other applications in quantum metrology and quantum simulation, marking a major stride toward scalable quantum systems.

Sewage treatment plants do more than just clean wastewater. They are also sources of raw materials. In the KoalAplan project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are working with partners to recover high-quality products from municipal wastewater. These include ammonium, hydrogen and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which can be used to produce bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

People being monitored for chronic kidney disease or heart failure often have high levels of potassium in their blood (hyperkalemia) due to impaired renal potassium excretion caused by kidney damage or by medications. But such medications interfere with urinary potassium excretion. This electrolyte imbalance can be life-threatening and thus must be closely monitored. In collaboration with French start-up Ki'tech, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM want to revolutionize patient monitoring with a minimally invasive solution that measures biomarkers, including potassium, in the subcutaneous interstitial fluid.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT will be presenting a car that can hear at the IAA MOBILITY trade show in Munich. The researchers have developed a prototype that incorporates acoustic sensors into the vehicle technology, thereby enhancing safety and reliability on the road.

A new generation of CAR T cell therapy is bringing hope in the fight against cancer, targeting not only blood cancers but also solid tumors such as ovarian and breast cancer. Fraunhofer researchers teamed up with the University Hospital of Würzburg to streamline the complicated process of manufacturing these therapies as well. This could make them much more available.

Maintaining wind turbines and identifying potential vulnerabilities is expensive and time-consuming, especially when they are located offshore. As a result, rotor blades are often simply replaced, a costly process, when damage is merely suspected. The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, working in concert with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, has developed a solution that can be used to identify cracks and breakage inside the blades remotely at an early stage.

An innovative measurement method enables optimized battery management in electric vehicles, helping to make them safer and extend their lifespans. Impedance spectroscopy from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM analyzes detailed measurement data on the battery’s state in real time during operation. This means batteries can also be used for safety-critical applications.

Cars are still the number one mode of transportation in Germany, in spite of their high carbon emissions. To make ecofriendler alternatives more attractive, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB are working with partners in the DAKIMO project to develop intelligent, intermodal transportation. An AI for multimodal route planning is being developed to help get people to where they are going seamlessly, conveniently, and reliably — and all without privately owned cars.

Less radiation exposure during diagnosis and treatment for breast and lung cancer: New Fraunhofer method combines X-ray imaging and radar.