From Research to Application: Projects at Fraunhofer EMFT

Quick tests to detect infection are an important tool in overcoming the Corona pandemic. Together with the Fraunhofer Institutes IME, ISIT, IBMT and ENAS, researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are working on a mobile test system for rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or existing immunity.

The fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires persistence: In addition to the vaccination campaign, effective drugs are needed above all to get a better grip on more severe forms of the disease. As part of the DRECOR (Drug repurposing for Corona) project, researchers from eight Fraunhofer institutes, including Fraunhofer EMFT, are taking a pragmatic approach: The team is drawing on existing drugs with known safety profiles to rapidly develop new therapeutic approaches.

Press-fit technology provides an innovative connection method which, due to its high reliability and robustness, is particularly suitable for safety-relevant connection points. Another advantage is that the method is much more eco-friendly than the soldering technique most commonly used to date. A Fraunhofer EMFT research team is working on a predictive model that relates easily accessible material/process data to the reliability of press-fit contacts.

In patient surveys on insulin dosing, patch pumps score significantly better than conventional insulin injections in terms of comfort and user-friendliness. They are easy to use, comfortable to wear, and do not need to be removed for sports, showering, etc. For safe and comfortable handling, it is essential that the patch pump doses the insulin precisely and evenly. The micropumps developed at Fraunhofer EMFT achieve dosing deviations of less than 4% even with the smallest volumes. Researchers at the institute were able to verify this in a study.

For Bavaria, the agricultural sector has a significant economic importance with a turnover of around 121 billion euros per year. However, conflicts with the economic goals of farmers and the sustainable goals of environmental and animal protection initiatives occur from time to time due to the different interests involved. Especially the emission of ammonia gases leads to social discussions. Researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are developing a more efficient measurement method for detecting ammonia gases in agriculture. The aim is to contribute to more environmentally friendly and animal-friendly agriculture.

Applications in future areas such as autonomous driving, robotics and Industry 4.0 require high-performance IC components for data processing and transmission. In order to meet the rigorous demands in terms of reliability and robustness, application-specific microcontrollers or components of older production generations have mostly been used up to now – but this results in reduced performance of these systems as compared to mobile radio or computer systems with modems and CPUs of the latest production generation, which are capable of processing a vastly higher data rate. This is where the project ROBUSTNE comes in: researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are working with TU Munich and Intel to specifically adapt the robustness and reliability of high-performance, high-volume components at critical points.

Lunar dust is a central challenge in lunar exploration. Fraunhofer EMFT is part of the DEAR research project of the European Space Agency ESA and is working with its partners specifically on the systematic development and testing of strategies for removing lunar dust from optics, mechanisms and astronautical components. Of particular interest are risk assessment, avoidance and cleaning techniques, such as the use of electric fields to remove lunar dust from surfaces.

In the EU project SusFe, Fraunhofer EMFT is working with European partners to develop an efficient and resource-saving design and production platform for medical devices. The aim is to meet both the growing demand for medical devices as well as the aspect of sustainability.

The research project »Velektronik - Vertrauenswürdige Elektronik (ZEUS)« of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), aims to establish a networking platform for trusted electronics as an interface between research and industry.

The Fraunhofer Center for »Biogenic Value Creation and Smart Farming« conducts research and development on innovative technologies for sustainable production and processing of agricultural products along the whole value chain.