Press Releases

The first IBM Quantum System One installed in Europe is now available to companies and research organizations that wish to develop and test applied quantum algorithms and gather expertise. In a joint project with IBM, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will operate the quantum computer, installed in a center near Stuttgart, under German data protection law. The Fraunhofer Competence Network Quantum Computing will be unveiling its plans to the public at the Hannover Messe Digital Edition from April 12–16.

Eco-friendly flying is on the horizon. All over the world, researchers are developing new technologies to achieve this goal. One focus of developments is the idea of using hydrogen-powered engines for aircraft in the future. The aircraft companies, though, face the challenge of storing this energy source. Hydrogen turns liquid when cooled to minus 253 degrees Celsius, and only then can it be used as a so-called cryogenic fuel. Both tanks and pipe systems in the aircraft have to be absolutely tight at such low temperatures. An innovative new welding process has been developed to help: magnetic pulse welding. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden have now demonstrated that this joining technology can produce extremely resilient, metallic mixed joints for cryogenic applications. They successfully achieved these outstanding joint properties in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich.

In Germany, around twelve million tons of food end up in the trash every year. Over 30 percent of that is already destroyed in the production process. In the Resource-efficient Intelligent Foodchain ("REIF") project, the Fraunhofer Insti-tute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV is working with partners to combat this food waste. In this undertaking, artificial intelligence can be a valuable asset. Cheese, bread, meat, and other food products can be efficiently produced using data-based algorithms. Machine learning methods can optimize sales and production planning as well as process and plant control systems.

Data is the currency of the future. But how can companies access the immense quantities of data generated by their machinery and use it to modernize production? Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA have developed a software called StationConnector that reads out the data and makes it available to any application. These Fraunhofer IPA computer scientists have started an independent company to launch the software on the market: a spin-off called Data Coffee.

At busy transport hubs where cars mix with cyclists, buses, and streetcars, it can be impossible for drivers to keep track of everything around them. A radar sensor system could solve this problem by issuing an early warning for drivers and self-driving vehicles when a pedestrian runs toward the road or the car. The system, developed by Fraunhofer researchers, will even be able to interpret and understand entire situations on a road with the aid of artificial intelligence.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed a technology for the energy-efficient and economic separation of hydrogen from natural gas. This membrane technology makes it possible for the two substances to be routed through the national natural gas grid together and then isolated from one another at their final destination. A major step forward in the transportation and distribution of hydrogen as an energy source.

In today’s world, more and more devices are being wirelessly connected to one another with the aid of intelligent sensors. As this Internet of Things keeps growing, however, it is consuming more and more power. To address this issue, Fraunhofer’s ZEPOWEL lighthouse project has prompted the development of hardware that not only makes the sensors energy-efficient, but even enables them to save energy. As a starting point, the project is focusing on two sensor nodes – one to control machines and one to measure the air quality in the city.

Many companies do not have the confidence to try out artificial intelligence models. These models can, after all, quickly become confusing. As a result, they have a wealth of untapped potential for quality control. The new IDMT-ISAAC software now makes it possible for users without any expert knowledge of AI to also benefit from artificial intelligence applications. IDMT-ISAAC is set to be showcased at the Hannover Messe from April 12-16, 2021.

As connectivity increases in production processes, so does their complexity. Data analysis expertise is required for predicting equipment outages in good time and detecting what causes losses in efficiency. MOEE, the tool that research teams from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA are exhibiting at the Hannover Messe trade fair from April 12 to 16, 2021, identifies the causes of production losses in connected equipment and makes it possible to quickly resolve disruptions.

Delivered components have to undergo an incoming goods inspection to ensure they are correctly dimensioned and everything else is just right. MARQUIS – a software solution comprising machine learning and augmented reality – will be able to inspect components and their assemblies while on the move and in real time. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD are set to showcase the technology at the Hannover Messe from April 12-16, 2021.