Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

How can application-oriented research and technology help solve global challenges? This question will be explored by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and nine other leading European Research and Technology Organisations (RTO) at the "The RTO Innovation Summit" conference on 6–7 November 2018 in Brussels. Under the motto "Impact through research", representatives from the RTOs will be discussing with delegates from European institutions, industrialists and politicians how the future of Europe can be made stronger and more competitive by investing in research, development and innovation. They will also present their vision and technology roadmap until 2030 and beyond for Europe to regain its leading position in the global market. A supporting exhibition will present selected results from applied research.

Prof. Georg Rosenfeld will relinquish his position on the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft effective January 1, 2019, by mutual accord.

More than six million people in Germany suffer from osteoporosis. The disease is characterized by chronic bone resorption, leading to frequent fractures as a consequence of the bone loss. In many cases, treating the condition with drugs does not work well, and people with osteoporosis often suffer from cardiovascular diseases at the same time. Research partners in the OsteoSys project are working toward customized, personalized treatment. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT are contributing, among other things, their development of a sample management system to the project. This system will be presented for the first time at the MEDICA 2018 trade fair in Düsseldorf.

The standard treatment for so-called lazy eye (amblyopia) in children is to cover the nonimpaired eye with a patch. This trains the impaired eye to work harder. Such therapy is successful only when the patient wears the eyepatch for the prescribed period of time. This is often not the case, however, as many children feel self-conscious about wearing the patch and reject this form of treatment. A future alternative is electronic shutter eyeglasses that automatically darken the lens in front of the nonimpaired eye when the context is appropriate. These eyeglasses also have integrated sensors that provide young wearers with feedback on whether they are being worn in the correct position. Fraunhofer researchers will be exhibiting a functional model of the electronic shutter eyeglasses at the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf from November 12 to 15 (Hall 10, Booth G05/H04).