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Each year, the Free State of Bavaria and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft award the Hugo Geiger Prize to young scientists in recognition of outstanding doctorates in applied research. On March 21, 2023, Roland Weigert, State Secretary at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi), presented this year’s prize to researchers from Munich, Freiburg and Jena.

At the embedded world Exhibition&Conference from March 14 to 16, 2023, five Fraunhofer institutes will present their developments in the fields of edge AI, sustainable systems, and sensor and system design in Hall 4, Booth 422. Under the motto “intelligent. efficient. sustainable,” the Fraunhofer experts will showcase their latest technologies and projects at the international trade show for embedded solutions in Nuremberg.

Lines in natural gas grids have to be maintained and serviced regularly. This entails using flares to vent the natural gas. With FlareSimulator, research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have developed an assistive tool that calculates the correct distance of flares to houses, trees and other nearby objects. This makes it easy to maintain minimum distances and prevent potential hazards and explosions.

Identifying defects in fiber composite materials during the production process will be possible in the future thanks to a novel radar method that automatically and non-destructively monitors the manufacturing process of fiber composite materials such as wind turbine rotor blades. Until now, monitoring has consisted of visual inspections. The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR collaborated with consortium partners Ruhr University Bochum, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences and Aeroconcept GmbH to develop an innovative method in the FiberRadar project.

One challenge facing the widespread adoption of renewable energies is the fluctuating output of photovoltaic systems — for energy-intensive companies, this means that their distribution networks are rapidly becoming inadequate. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a solution that combines power from renewable sources with electricity from the public grid and uses batteries to compensate for fluctuations. This approach will particularly benefit companies that aim to invest in sustainability with photovoltaics — and reduce their energy costs in the process. A living laboratory, which mimics practical conditions, will give industry customers the opportunity to test components and system solutions. The solution also allows for a more efficient management of e-car charging stations.

Large quantities of hydrogen will be needed to ensure a successful energy transition. As part of the HighHy project, an international team of researchers from Germany and New Zealand is working on improving the efficiency of the emerging AEM electrolysis technology to produce green hydrogen. To make this possible, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden have turned to the readily available and resource-saving metals manganese and nickel in a bid to introduce this promising electrolysis process to large-scale industry. The new technology offers a number of other advantages in addition to reduced costs when compared to the existing processes.

The seismic reflection method involves sending acoustic waves thousands of meters under the Earth’s surface. The reflected signals provide scientists with information about the characteristics of the subsurface. This is how oil and gas deposits can be discovered. While these will eventually no longer be extracted as we move away from fossil fuels, accurate knowledge of rock structures is important for better understanding known reservoirs. The Earth’s subsurface could be a key place to store greenhouse gases. With improved machine learning algorithms and new high-performance computing concepts, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM are now able to process seismic data in greater detail. The technology could also be useful for constructing wind farms.

In the worst-case scenario, getting chemicals in your eyes can lead to blindness. Until now, the eye irritancy potential of chemical substances has had to be assessed using the Draize test on live rabbits – a standard implemented worldwide. Researchers at the Translational Center for Regenerative Therapies TLC-RT of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC want to work with partners to replace animal testing: Tissue models of the human cornea cultivated in the laboratory are expected to completely replace the Draize test. It is hoped that this new test procedure will become the future standard.

In the future, ammonia could play a decisive role in the transition from fossil fuels to climate-friendly alternatives — as long as it is produced from green hydrogen, for example, using renewable energy sources. Ammonia is easy to store and transport. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM are developing ammonia-based systems for a mobile, decentralized energy supply in the infrastructure, transportation and industry sectors. The various research projects will be presented for the first time at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023.

Manufacturers often rely on practical plug connections during the production of automobiles. However, time and money are wasted if an incorrectly plugged-in connection goes unnoticed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg has therefore developed a solution. An audio-based technology analyzes the clicking noise that is generated when a connection is plugged in. Should a connection fail to click into place, employees or the “colleague robot” will be alerted via an error message. This technology will be presented for the first time with a practical demonstration at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023.