Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Biomimetic hull coatings, radar detection of shipwreck victims, innovative robots with intelligent sensor guidance for shipbuilding – just a few of the many developments that Fraunhofer scientists will be presenting at the Fraunhofer joint booth in Hall B6, Booth 319.

In combination with the right materials, sunbeams can work wonders: they clean building facades and decompose pollutants from the air or in the water. The magic word is photocatalysis. In practice, though, the effectiveness of this „miracle cure“ fluctuates greatly, depending on the material used and the environmental factors. With a new measuring device, researchers now want to determine the photocatalytic effectiveness of surfaces more accurately and quickly, thereby increasing efficiency.

The future is airborne. Drones may soon become the key to relieving the burden of traffic on our streets, optimizing deliveries, and improving the safety and efficiency of firefighting. But there are still a few hurdles to cross before the technology reaches the maturity required for large-scale commercial roll-out. In particular, a suitable communication system to control and determine their location remains a challenge. Drone communications must be stable and widely available, should cost as little as possible, and work reliably even when out of sight. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute, HHI in Berlin have found a solution: call a drone.

Millions of tons of old ordnance and poison gas grenades lie at the bottom of the North and the Baltic Sea – dangerous legacies of two world wars. The old weapons are corroding and releasing the toxic substances they contain. Disposal is hazardous, time-consuming and expensive. This has led Fraunhofer researchers, in cooperation with salvage companies to develop a semi-automated robotic disposal system.