Sensor Systems

How do you develop the best radar systems in the world for the application in question?

Creating the best radar systems in the world for the application in question is an ambitious undertaking, But Dr. Christian Tschoban and Paul Perlwitz from Fraunhofer IZM are working on nothing short of that goal: The two scientists have developed…

A bionic sensor skin for semi-autonomous service robots in challenging land and underwater applications

A 50,000 square meter artificial reef off the Baltic coast and a green space following the trajectory of the Berlin Wall: Two places, about 240 km apart from each other and as different as could be. However, only a few…

High speed with optical signals: Will the printed circuit board of the future be made of glass?

The backbone of our digital world is made of glass: A network of optical fibers spans the globe and lets data criss-cross our globe. We also experience the digital world through a pane of glass: We interact with the online…

Mission Impossible? The Art of Measuring Fluid Mechanics on Sails

To improve and enhance the performance of high-performance sails, it is important to know and optimize their fluid mechanical and structural properties. For ultralight textile structures – be it sails for ships or even paragliders and parachutes – it has…

Skipping the Laboratory – Turbotesting with Lab-on-a-Chip for Point-of-Care Diagnostics

With Lab-on-a-Chip technology, testing becomes much faster and more efficient. Not only can these sensors replace reference laboratories, they can even communicate the results directly to a computer for validation and statistics. And, as our expert Manuel Bäuscher wants to…

A Pedestrian Or Just A Beverage Can? Helping Self-Driving Cars Recognize Objects With Cameras and Radars Combined

Autonomous driving is getting better with every technological advance. But for driverless cars to become truly safe in traffic, they need a sensor system that recognises objects in the street – reliably and with no margin for error. Christian Tschoban…

STEP TOWARDS SECURE INDUSTRIAL DIGITALIZATION

Modern society is relying more and more on connected, digitalized, and automated technology – an epochal change that touches on all aspects of business life, including the manufacturing of products. Fraunhofer IZM is at the forefront of this trend, creating…

WHAT MAKES DIGITAL CAMERAS WORK: IMAGE SENSORS

When the first cars hit the road, some people thought they were a fad that would soon disappear, because horses still seemed far superior to these early cars. Not so long ago, a major technology manufacturer thought that three computers…

ROBOTICS 101: HOW SMART MACHINES ARE CONQUERING OUR WORLD

In 2021 alone, robots are expected to generate a turnover of over 41 billion US dollars. That is equivalent to the GDP of a medium-sized European economy. Time to take a look at robotics as a scientific discipline: What makes…

PHOTONIC INSIGHTS – ENLIGHTENING THE MATERIAL WORLD

Mike Richardson has always been a science and technology enthusiast. Having chosen Berlin as the perfect place for founders, not least for those working in the exciting field of spectroscopic solutions, he navigated the difficult world of start-up ventures with…