Cognitive Sensor Technologies

The purpose of Edge AI is to relocate artificial intelligence to where it is needed: end devices. For this to work, however, processing operations cannot be too energy-intensive. In the ECSEL projects ANDANTE and TEMPO, researchers at Fraunhofer IIS are paving the way for this emerging technology with the development of suitable chips, algorithms, and tools.

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Some challenges are best faced shoulder to shoulder – like developing the chips, algorithms, and the hardware needed to integrate artificial intelligence directly into end devices, a paradigm also known as “Edge AI”. Marco Breiling, chief scientist at the Fraunhofer IIS Communication Systems division and Dr. Loreto Mateu, group manager at the Fraunhofer IIS Smart Sensing and Electronics division, talk about why their collaboration on Edge AI is so fruitful, and the benefits of working in an international team.

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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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Artificial intelligence gives technical systems the ability to learn, thus enabling them to apply what they have learned to new situations. Typically, the “intelligence” is not stored in the system itself, but rather in clouds that provide the high computing power required. The common term is therefore cloud artificial intelligence, or cloud AI. But people are also hearing more and more about edge AI.

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Uwe Veres-Homm is Business Unit Coordinator for logistics, transport and mobility topics in the Fraunhofer Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services SCS. He explains how supply can work in times of crisis.

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Anne Loos explains how companies can benefit from the Saxony consortium project.

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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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Ada Lovelace is the name giver of the ADA Lovelace Center, which combines AI research with AI applications. But who was this Ada and what distinguishes her as a pioneer in the evolution of data processing? In this story, "she herself" tells us how computers and data processing have developed.

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Prof. Alexander Martin is head of the Fraunhofer IIS and also in charge of the co-located ADA Lovelace Center. He and his team are looking into ways to extract information from big data using artificial intelligence (AI).

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Dr. Christopher Mutschler is one of the AI experts at Fraunhofer IIS. He researches machine learning and ensures that scientific findings make their way into industry. In this interview, Ilona Hörath reflects on his career path and field of work.

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Prof. Albert Heuberger, Director of Fraunhofer IIS, explains the significance of research in the development and use of 5G and how it can benefit users.

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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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Using a solution developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, the BMW Group in Regensburg is now giving their production assemblers digital assistants directly on their tools. The case in point: hand-guided electric screwdrivers. For every assignment, the tool tells its operator whether all screwing procedures for a given job were properly carried out. Done!

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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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Imagine your daily life without a smartphone. No emails, no quick online purchases. If that sounds difficult, you’re not alone; most people probably feel the same. It is almost impossible to imagine our society without digitalization now, and the process is set to continue. Our editorial team spoke to the institute’s directors, Professor Albert Heuberger and Dr. Bernhard Grill, to learn about the emerging digital trends and what we can contribute to them.

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Space is teeming with satellites. They allow us to receive TV shows, give us Internet access on planes and ships, and keep communications going during disasters. We are working on a range of developments that will make this kind of communication more efficient, more flexible, and more stable in the future.

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The Internet and containers are two obvious innovations that have revolutionized logistics over the past decades. They linked up the world, created new and bigger markets, and ultimately drove enormous growth in global trade. Thanks to them, the world has become smaller. They also expanded economic opportunities – although only for businesses that recognized the potential of these innovations early on and mastered the full repertoire of possibilities presented by this new age. This is why it is so important to know today what the state of the art will be tomorrow. To do that, however, we have to know what innovations are on the horizon.

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A revolution is coming to factories and assembly halls. It goes by the name of Industry 4.0. First factories were mechanized and the electrified, and then IT systems were introduced to support business processes. Now the fourth generation of manufacturing has arrived in the form of industry 4.0. In this interview, Prof. Albert Heuberger explains what the term means and what Fraunhofer IIS can achieve in this area.

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The quality of cleverness is something we generally attribute to people. Now objects are set to become intelligent too – and not just individual smart objects considered in isolation, but as a networked whole. For ex- ample, objects will be able to determine their “condition” themselves and “talk” to each other. Researchers at Fraunhofer IIS are developing the basic technologies required for this Internet of Things – and are doing so for the entire chain of applications.

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The course is set: now the Leistungszentrum Elektroniksysteme (LZE) (High Performance Center for Electronic Systems) is embarking on its mission to establish itself as the leading center for electronic systems in Germany. Energy saving and energy efficiency – this strategic collaboration between research and industry is focused on nothing less than these key economic and social topics of the future. Something is happening at the heart of the Nürnberg Metropolitan Region about which others can only dream: world- class research with a well-defined practical orientation.

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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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