Research for the future

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits

Press Releases

  • Fraunhofer IIS researchers receive Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 3D Hall sensor

    10.6.2013: Honoring the development of the magnetic field sensor 3D Hall sensor, Michael Hackner, Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Hohe and Dr.-Ing. Markus Stahl-Offergeld of Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen receive the Joseph von Fraunhofer Price 2013. This prize has been awarded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft every year since 1978 in recognition of outstanding scientific work by members of its staff leading to the solution of application-oriented problems. Over 200 researchers have meanwhile seen their work honored with this prize, which is now valued at 50,000 euros. The award ceremony took place in Hannover on 10th of June.

  • GoalRef™ to Become First Goal-Line Technology to Be Used in European Soccer Tournament

    May 17, 2013: Fraunhofer IIS’s GoalRef™ goal-line technology will be used at the Copa Amsterdam soccer tournament from May 18 to May 20, 2013, to guarantee correct goal-line decisions. GoalRef™ uses magnetic fields to reliably determine whether the ball has completely crossed the goal line. To this end, the system will be installed at Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium and used for all 18 games. The Copa Amsterdam will be contested by the world’s best under-19 club teams, including Ajax Amsterdam and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

  • Racing car with electric drive

    Drive technology has an electric future – of this Fraunhofer research scientists are in no doubt. At the Sensor + Test measurement fair in Nuremberg from May 14 -16, they will use an electric racing car to present novel solutions for battery management and electronic sensor systems together with an industry partner. The scientists are right on trend, as even FIA, the governing body for world motor sport, federation of the world’s leading motoring organizations and organizer of Formula 1, is planning a racing series for electric vehicles.

  • Blackmagic Design integrates Fraunhofer IIS easyDCP software in postproduction suite DaVinci Resolve 10

    April 8, 2013: Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Blackmagic Design just announced their cooperation to enhance the post production software DaVinci Resolve at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. Plug-ins for the generation and play-out of digital cinema packages (DCP) – well-known from the easyDCP software developed by Fraunhofer scientists – will be available for the next release of DaVinci Resolve 10. Blackmagic Design and Fraunhofer IIS will be presenting the solution on NAB at the Fraunhofer Alliance Digital Cinema booth, Center Hall (Bavarian Pavilion) C7843, and at Blackmagic Design, South Hall SL218.

  • The Department of Moving Picture Technologies of Fraunhofer IIS Delivers First Camera with Single Shot, Non-Regular Sampling Method for High Dynamic Range Video

    April 8, 2013: Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source for audio and multimedia technologies, today announces the first camera with single shot, non-regular sampling method for high dynamic range (HDR) video. The new method delivers the latest innovation in HDR image and video recording, enabling users to leverage the full dynamic range of a captured scene in the post production process.

  • The Department of Moving Picture Technologies of Fraunhofer IIS Debuts New Camera Array For Next Generation Film and Video Production

    April 8, 2013: The Department of Moving Picture Technologies of Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source for audio and multimedia technologies, today announces the launch of its new camera array for next generation film and video experiences. With its enhanced flexibility, the array enables the use of new creative methods including multi-view, high dynamic range (HDR), high frame rate (HFR) and lightfield capturing.

  • Fraunhofer IIS, Unified Streaming and Partners Collaborate to Extend HE-AAC MPEG-DASH Streaming Ecosystem

    April 8, 2013: Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source for audio and multimedia technologies, and Unified Streaming (USP), the provider of cross-platform video-streaming technologies, today announced their partnership combining USP’s adaptive streaming expertise with Fraunhofer’s High-Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC) multichannel audio codec. This collaboration extends the ecosystem for HE-AAC MPEG-DASH streaming, enabling broadcasters and service providers to deliver the best possible MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) streaming experience for video and audio-only services.

  • Fraunhofer IIS to Showcase Embedded Wireless Technologies at Hannover Messe 2013

    Industry's need for process integration and hence for information about the current status of processes has led to an increase in the use of embedded wireless technologies. The exchange of data and information between plant and machinery, work pieces and components is becoming ever more important. This presents the manufacturing and supply chain sectors with new challenges, which will be one of the themes of Hannover Messe 2013. The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS will be showcasing relevant technologies in the Wireless Pavilion (Hall 8). Its exhibits will demonstrate solutions for object identification as well as for recording and transmitting sensor data.

  • Easy chair and fitness coach in one

    Mar 05, 2013: Demographic trends have been telling the story for years. An increasingly aging society is becoming more and more self-reliant. With this in mind, researchers are working on technologies to help us manage our daily lives in later years. Fraunhofer IIS, based in Erlangen, Germany, will be introducing one such technology at the 2013 CeBIT trade fair in Hannover from March 5 to 9 (hall 9, booth E08): an intelligent easy chair designed not only for lounging comfortably in front of the television, but also for motivating us to stay healthy and in shape. The following partners have been working on this project: ISA Informationssysteme GmbH, himolla Polstermöbel GmbH, Sophia mit P.S. GmbH, Technische Universität München, Chair of Preventive Pediatrics and Chair of Building Realisation and Robotics, Innovationsmanufaktur GmbH and EnOcean GmbH.

  • embedded world 2013: special award for maintenancefree, self-powered wireless multi-hop sensor network

    Feb 27, 2013: On February 26, 2013, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS was honored with the embedded world 2013 special award. The combination of two application-oriented technologies allowed the development of a unique, stateof-the-art innovation: a maintenance-free, self-powered wireless multi-hop sensor network. One of the underlying technologies is the s-net® wireless protocol stack, which requires only a tiny amount of energy to initialize and operate a wireless multihop sensor network. The innovation however also relies on highly-efficient Fraunhofer IIS power management circuits for harvesting energy, thus eliminating batteries and thereby the need to charge and replace them. Together, these two developments enable the implementation of large-scale, distributed and maintenance-free sensor networks, paving the way for costeffective Internet of Things applications.

  • More reliable and accurate localization

    A new algorithm from Fraunhofer IIS detects motion reliably and accurately. It can significantly improve existing localization solutions, is easy to implement, and is independent of external infrastructure. Suppliers of localization technology can test the algorithm in a live demonstration at embedded world in Nuremberg from February 26 to 28, 2013. The demonstration will take place in Hall 4 at Booth 4-128.

  • Embedded systems for secure localization and communication

    Fraunhofer IIS presents new system and sensor innovations at the "Embedded World 2013" trade show in Nuremberg.

  • 3D Positioning: QUALIGON Entering the Indoor Market with awiloc®

    Feb 22, 2013: Pocket size, easy handling: Navigation solutions via smart phones with awiloc® positioning give private users the opportunity to easily and accurately navigate their way through cities and inside buildings. With the help of awiloc®, the required position data can also be determined indoors – in 3D, accurate to the meter and without data communication. The B2B provider QUALIGON will also benefit from the awiloc® advantages. The smart-phone based solution QUALIGON Test Suite (QTS) will be used for cellular networks quality control.

  • Revolutionizing Everyday Communications with AAC-ELD

    Feb 21, 2013: From streaming a favorite TV show on Netflix to listening to music on Pandora, mobile phones have become the Swiss Army knives for enhancing multimedia experiences. However, despite all the advancements in mobile technologies, the audio quality of phone calls has remained stagnant over the last century. It is time for our everyday communications to catch up with the 21st century. At Mobile World Congress, Fraunhofer IIS, the inventor of mp3 and co-developer of AAC, presents audio technologies that significantly improve the communication experience for every type of communication device. Recently, this improved communication technology has been integrated in the popular Android operating system. Fraunhofer IIS now publishes an application bulletin explaining how to boost the audio quality of any Android-based telephony application.

  • Fraunhofer Surround Sound: Redefining Mobile Entertainment in the Home and on the Go

    Feb 20, 2013: Entertainment has gone mobile with phones and tablets acting as mobile media centers for easy, real-time access to music, movies and games. The organization behind ensuring excellent audio quality of most of those multimedia services is Germany’s R&D powerhouse Fraunhofer IIS, the inventor of mp3 and co-developer of AAC. Fraunhofer’s audio technologies not only enable excellent music sound of smartphones and tablets, but also allow them to play back videos with high-quality, movie theater-like surround sound. At CeBIT and Mobile World Congress, Fraunhofer IIS demonstrates how surround sound and mobile devices go hand in hand.

  • Berlinale 2013 Once Again Makes Use of Fraunhofer IIS’s Digital Film Format Know-How

    Feb 18, 2013: February 7 saw the curtain rise once more on what is now the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, which has brought together filmmakers from all around the world to show 890 films across a variety of categories to 250 000 film lovers. For the second time Fraunhofer IIS is the go-to technical expert, as the global tally of digital cinemas rises, more and more festival entries are being submitted in the digital cinema film format. To help, scientists from Fraunhofer IIS are putting their expertise at the Berlinale’s disposal to assist in technical quality control, so that every submission can enjoy its moment of glory up on the big screen.

  • Bang & Olufsen partners with Audi and Fraunhofer IIS to create a revolutionary 3D sound experience in the car

    A unique three-way industry cooperation between Bang & Olufsen, Audi and Fraunhofer IIS has produced a concept car that redefines expectations from car audio. The Audi Q7 uses revolutionary new 3D audio technology and will be unveiled at the 2013 Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.

  • 3D Positioning for Museums

    Fraunhofer IIS will be presenting the awiloc® technology at the MUTEC trade fair in Leipzig from November 22 – 24, hall 2 (booth H30). Convenient pocket size, easy handling: Multimedia guides with awiloc® positioning offer museum visitors behind-the-scenes insight – right there, wherever they are. Just like having a personal guide to show you around. Where typical positioning systems such as GPS run up against their limits when used indoors, awiloc® can determine locations with a level of precision down to a few meters to offer multimedia content exactly where you need it.

  • Redefining the Communication Experience: Fraunhofer IIS Makes Full-HD Voice Available for VoIP Apps

    Full-HD Voice VoIP using the AAC-ELD codec delivers CD-like quality for highly improved communication experiences.

  • Select innovations from research

    The Fraunhofer IIS will be presenting the latest in high-quality microelectronics for integrated sensor systems, energy efficiency, localization, simulation and data transfer applications at the electronica 2012 trade fair in Munich from November 13-16, 2012.

  • Energy monitoring and smart metering reduce industrial and household energy consumption

    Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS will be presenting two highperformance metering solutions at the Metering Europe, October 9 to 11, booth E06 in Amsterdam. The energy consumption in the industrial and manufacturing sectors as well as in private homes can be accurately measured and reduced.

  • Fraunhofer IIS Introduces IMF Software Components for File-Based Workflows at IBC 2012

    07.09.2012 New IMF packaging, play back and multiformat-transcoding components simplify workflow and decrease media production costs

  • Fraunhofer IIS Low Complexity Codec Enables Trans­mission of High-Resolution Video Regardless of Bandwidth Limitations

    07.09.2012 Vast amounts of high-resolution images mean vast amounts of data: The Low Complexity Codec developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS flexibly adapts streams of image data to the available infrastructure and bandwidth without sacrificing high resolution or dynamic range.

  • Fraunhofer IIS Presents 5.1 Surround Streaming with HE-AAC on Android 4.1 at IBCNative HE-AAC multichannel support enables streaming service providers and broadcasters to offer high-quality surround audio to the home theater through Android phones and tablets.

    06.09.2012 Native HE-AAC multichannel support enables streaming service providers and broadcasters to offer high-quality surround audio to the home theater through Android phones and tablets.

  • Fraunhofer IIS and KeyStone Introduce World’s First Journaline on Android Phones by Bluetooth Radio Wizard Technology

    07.09.2012 Fraunhofer IIS and KeyStone Demonstrate Digital Radio Advanced Text Service Journaline on Android Phones by Employing KeyStone’s Bluetooth Radio Wizard Technology at IFA and IBC 2012

  • Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec Version 2 Featuring Apple AAC iTunes Plus Codec and MPEG Surround Support

    06.09.2012 Initially released in 2011 to global praise, the Pro-Codec Version 2 introduces the ability to master for iTunes and supports the latest multi-channel audio codecs.

  • Fraunhofer Showcases HE-AAC Multichannel in Live TV Broadcasting Chain at IBC

    06.09.2012 MPEG HE-AAC audio codec for low bit-rate, high-quality 5.1 surround audio in TV broadcasting.

  • Fraunhofer IIS Presents Next Generation Video Telephony on SmartTVs with Full-HD Voice at IFA 2012

    08/28/2012 Fraunhofer’s AAC-ELD audio codec software to provide high-quality communications in living rooms through TV sets and set-top boxes.

  • Mini-camera with maxi-brainpower

    08/28/2012 Torrential rapids, plunging mud holes and soaring hurdles: in the outdoor competitions at the Olympic Games, athletes pushed themselves to the limit. But it’s hard to depict this in pictures alone. This is why researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS created an intelligent camera that instantly delivers additional metadata, such as acceleration, temperature or heart rate. The new INCA can be seen at the IBC trade show in Amsterdam from September 7 - 10 (Hall 8, Booth B80).