Letter inspection with terahertz waves

Does that incoming postal dispatch hold merely a harmless letter – or a bomb? Does it possibly contain drugs? T-COGNITION, the terahertz spectrometer helps to swiftly clear-up the question. This analytical device reliably identifies explosives and narcotics in mail pieces, and is primarily suited for use at embassies, public offices and correctional facilities. Letters can be pushed through an input lid into the spectrometer. These are then exposed on the inside to terahertz waves. Detectors collect the reflected and transmitted waves, and compare the spectra with those on a database. Within a few seconds, the data points light up either red or green on the screen of the device – depending on whether any hazardous substances were detected or not. The use of the technology has multiple advantages: Terahertz waves that lie within the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared and microwave are not dangerous, penetrate packaging materials and produce – depen- ding on what kind of materials they hit – characteristic spectra that can be swiftly analyzed with the aid of intelligent software.

T-COGNITION is the result of a research collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in Kaiserslautern and the Kassel-based Hübner GmbH Co. KG that has since brought the Terahertz spectrometer on the market. The antennas on the inside of the compact device (60 x 72 x 73 centimeters) were engineered jointly by researchers at IPM and the Carnot Institute IEMN (Institut d’Electronique, Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologies) in Lille.

Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM
Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße / Geb. 56 | 67663 Kaiserslautern | www.ipm.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Dr. Joachim Jonuscheit | Phone +49 631 205-5107 | joachim.jonuscheit@ipm.fraunhofer.de
Press: Holger Kock | Phone +49 761 8857-129 | holger.kock@ipm.fraunhofer.de


Transporting living cells safely and securely

Scientists often have to exchange cell cultures with colleagues at other institutions, with their partners in industry or with customers. Frequently, the material is transported in a frozen state. Yet when freezing it (which may take several hours), ice crystals form that could inflict irreparable damage to the cells. But even when eventually thawed, there is still the risk that the cells will die off. Then a new cell culture has to be assembled, before the researchers can begin the scheduled experiments and analyses – a good one to two weeks later.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology (EMB) in Lübeck have constructed an autonomous transportation box with which living cells can be transported in a controlled manner, safely and securely and under optimal culture conditions – such as at 37 degrees (Celsius) and with a carbon dioxide (CO2) content of 5 percent, for up to 48 hours long. Conventional market cell incubators are not suited for this purpose; because of their dimensions (in cubic meters), they are too heavy and too cumbersome. The mini-incubator (patent pending) is lightweight and no bigger than a parcel box. An internal Lithium Iron battery operates the electronically regulated heating and the CO2 supply. Integrated sensors monitor and store these parameters that are variably adjustable as well. The built-in CO2 cartouche can be re-filled from the outside. The researchers have completed their scientific work; the cell transport box is now ready for serial production.

Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology EMB  
Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 1-3 | 23562 Lübeck | www.emb.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Dr. Hans-Peter Spengler | Phone +49 451 384448-61 | hans-peter.spengler@emb.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Dr. Daniel H. Rapoport | Phone +49 451 384448-13 | daniel.rapoport@emb.fraunhofer.de
Press: Dr. Sandra Danner | Phone +49 451 384448-14 | sandra.danner@emb.fraunhofer.de


Online software analyzes sustainability of cities

Plants grow prolifically, creeping upward on the building façades of Singapore; remote heat is flowing through the buildings of Copenhagen – a number of major cities are working on their sustainability. Researchers from twelve Fraunhofer institutes have identified six cities that can do this particularly well: Freiburg, Singapore, Copenhagen, Tokyo, New York and Berlin. The teams identified concrete projects, travelled to the respective cities, analyzed what worked especially well, and derived over 80 fields of action. These include, for example, issues about the organization and structure of the city, or afterwards, how the politics is configured there. This also gave rise to a model for sustainability. Using the online-based tool, cities and communities themselves can analyze what constitutes their sustainability, and working together with researchers, develop concrete solutions for their specific needs. For example, they obtain information about how their city acts in terms of sustainability, and which actions work well, which do not, and why this is so.

For project members, a streamlined version of the program is ready: For this purpose, the researchers – under the aegis of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart – categorized and prioritized the fields of action, and summarized the most important ones. Scientists are offering the complete software tool to interested municipalities under the joint program.

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
Nobelstraße 12 | 70569 Stuttgart | www.iao.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Alanus von Radecki | Phone +49 711 970-2169 | Alanus.Radecki@iao.fraunhofer.de
Press:  Juliane Segedi | Phone +49 711 970-2343 | juliane.segedi@iao.fraunhofer.de