Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT

Analyzing plants with a CT scanner may seem like a curious idea, but the Fraunhofer Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT, a research division of the Fraunhofer-Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Dutch company PhenoKey were confident it could work. Now, their joint development project has produced a robust CT scanner specifically designed for use in plant breeding. We talked to department head Dr. Stefan Gerth of the Fraunhofer Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT and PhenoKey managing director Bas van Eerdt to find out how CT data can make life easier for breeders – and why e-resourcing is such an important part of the puzzle.

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The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS sees itself as one of the drivers of innovation within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s strategic research areas. At Fraunhofer IIS, we are conducting research in a wide variety of areas to support today’s agricultural industry, thus fostering the sustainable shaping of society, the economy and the environment. State-of-the-art cognitive sensor systems are no longer found only in high-tech factories. We asked Dr. Norman Uhlmann, division director of the Fraunhofer Development Center for X-ray Technology EZRT, why such systems will also become the tools of the trade for farmers and cultivators.

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Dr. Simon Zabler and his team develop systems for high-resolution computed tomography in the micro- and nanometer range. This allows microscopically fine structures to be examined in three dimensions. His working group is located at the Würzburg location of the Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT.

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Alexander Ennen heads the Application-Specific Methods and Systems department in the Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. He and his team are developing X-ray systems designed for use on conveyor belts in the fields of electronic waste recycling, mining and detecting foreign objects in food.

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At the Fraunhofer Development Center for X-ray Technology (EZRT), Wolfgang Holub designs robotic systems able to perform CT scans of entire vehicles. The innovation earned Holub and his team this year’s User Prize awarded by the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing.

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How the discovery of X-rays changed the Nuremberg metropolitan region and the world

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Michael Salamon was instrumental in setting up the world’s only XXL computed tomography system at the Fraunhofer Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT in Fürth, a division of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. He and his team use it to scan large, often spectacular objects and are developing new applications for high-energy computed tomography.

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Stefan Gerth is a researcher and group manager at the Fraunhofer Development Center for X-Ray Technology in Fürth. He oversees the development of CT systems to aid the selection of heat-tolerant crops. His group's research makes an important contribution to the efforts of plant breeders to respond to the threat of climate change.

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One mummy, one research team, one film crew: An exciting day in December 2018 yielded plenty of new insights. As the film crew from Fraunhofer IIS, we had been eagerly awaiting this day, when we would be filming and documenting a fascinating contribution to digitalization in museums.

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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in research. Dr. Norman Uhlmann, Deputy Division Director at Fraunhofer EZRT, discusses the prospect of using AI at a level close to sensors.

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In collaboration with the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and the University of Bonn, Fraunhofer IIS researchers have succeeded in applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in orthodontics. This gentle method has the potential to replace the current common use of harmful X-ray radiation. We spoke with Dr. Daniel Haddad about this breakthrough that has also been honored by the European Federation of Orthodontics FEO.

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Dr. Theobald Fuchs and his colleagues at the Development Center for X-ray Technology EZRT are working with the Germanisches Nationalmuseum to develop standards for the computed tomography of musical instruments. Fuchs explains why this work is much more important than one might initially think.

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Place the object inside, push the button and collect the CT scan. Taking an X-ray is that simple with ValuCT. Good collaboration among three partners played a crucial role in developing this technology.

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The consequences of climate change are extremely complex and they affect developing countries more than most. For instance, rising temperatures can make regions uninhabitable and cut people off from vital access to drinking water. Even richer countries cannot escape the impacts of climate change and are being forced to change their way of thinking – particularly when it comes to agriculture. Modern plant cultivars cannot adapt quickly enough to the effects of climate change, so farmers need to grow plants that have adapted especially well to the prevailing conditions. This is why we are focusing on non destructive monitoring and plant analysis at the Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT.

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X­ray technologies are excellently suited to the task of revealing even tiny defects or processes inside materials. To provide industry with suitable tools, the Development Center for X­ray Technology (EZRT), a division of Fraunhofer IIS, defines and expands the state of the art in the field of non­ destructive testing all along the product life cycle. Over the past year, re- searchers at the center have published many innovative new concepts. The researchers are especially proud of two new technologies: “HeiDetect Inline CT Compact R” and “MULIX”.

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It’s an attribute normally associated with comic-book heroes, but believe it or not real people can do it too, with the right technology. At a single glance, we can see through the walls of shipping containers and other large objects such as aircraft components and entire cars. Our X-ray eyes penetrate to the farthest corners of these structures and reveal the finest details – without having to open them up or take them apart.

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