Press / Newsroom

Is it possible to recover plastic recyclates from previously unused waste streams in order to produce high-quality fibers and films? How can bio-based polymer fibers be manufactured so as to allow adjustable biodegradability? These are the questions being addressed by researchers from the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE in the Zirk-Tex project. As an alternative to mechanical processes, they are jointly developing innovative recycling methods for the production of sustainable roof underlayments and geosynthetics. This involves the analysis of the entire value chain at pilot scale.

Periodontitis is widespread and can have serious consequences for overall health. Researchers at Fraunhofer have identified a substance that selectively inhibits only those bacteria that cause periodontitis, thereby preserving the natural balance of the oral microbiome. This technology has been further developed and commercialized as a range of oral care products by the spin-off company PerioTrap.

Pests that spread as a result of climate change pose an increasing threat to fruit farming and viticulture in Germany. Fraunhofer researchers are working with partners to develop methods for the early identification of infestations in grapevines and in apricot, apple and pear trees so as to enable timely countermeasures to be taken. A mobile lab, the PhenoTruck®, supports rapid and reliable identification of harmful organisms directly on site. The platform provides a highly mobile system for analyzing disease symptoms, combining machine-learning methods, drone-based multispectral sensing, hyperspectral sensing and molecular biological tests.

The partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden in September 2024 was a wake-up call for Germany’s infrastructure policy. At least 8,000 highway bridges and roughly 18,000 kilometers of railroad in Germany are now considered in need of repair, with the cost of necessary renovations currently estimated at up to 100 billion euros. Continuous infrastructure monitoring is expensive, so it has been neglected. The Engineering of Adaptive Systems institute branch at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is working on an efficient and cost-effective solution: leveraging robust radar sensor technology originally designed for the automobile sector to monitor bridges, rail tracks, and other structures.

Counterfeit or low-quality products – such as olive oil made from dyed rape-seed oil – are often difficult or impossible to identify at a glance. A mobile gas chromatography sensor system is now being developed to help detect falsely labeled products directly on site. Three Fraunhofer institutes are working together to create an affordable, easy-to-use device that enables even non-experts to perform rapid, on-the-spot assessments.

Electronics exposed to radiation can be prone to failure. Satellites and medical devices such as CT scanners are especially sensitive. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Dresden are working on an open-source tool that can be used to better prevent radiation-related loss of function.

How can we ensure reliable communication during a disaster when mobile networks are congested? Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT have found an answer to this increasingly relevant question. A mobile, self-organizing communication network based on Fraunhofer technology connects emergency services with each other, the incident command and the internet. Private 5G networks make it possible to quickly restore communication, without relying on traditional infrastructures.

Inland waterway transportation has played a limited role in Europe so far, with a share of around six percent. Together with 15 partners, Fraunhofer researchers are seeking to change this with the EU project CRISTAL. Björn Krämer and Tammo Märtens, both research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, explain in the interview how digital twins and smart sensor technologies can help increase transportation capacities and make logistics processes more reliable.

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena today. As part of his inaugural visit to Thuringia, he toured one of the institute’s quantum laboratories and was given a presentation by researchers on the core components of a photonic quantum computer and state-of-the-art systems for global quantum communication.

Parking spots are scarce in densely populated areas. To plan parking efficiently, authorities need precise data on the number of spots available on the streets. Street width is an important factor here, as it determines whether vehicles can park on one or both sides of a street. Fraunhofer researchers have developed new software that enables automatic and comprehensive street width detection.