From Research to Application: Projects at Fraunhofer EMFT

The Internet of Things (IoT) offers huge potential for the healthcare sector - from diagnostics and patient safety to optimized logistical processes. A total of 21 European partners are working in the SERENE-IoT project to create elementary basics for IoT applications in healthcare. As part of the project, the German consortium coordinated by Fraunhofer EMFT is developing an IoT-compatible mobile analyzer for detecting multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

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.

Unlooc is a project that focuses on the development of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies. These technologies aim to improve the efficiency of drug testing while reducing the need for animal testing. The Fraunhofer EMFT research team is supporting the development of the organ-on-chip multiwell plates, which offer precise control of cell culture conditions and enable animal-free pharmaceutical testing.

How can we succeed in counteracting incessantly rising costs in the healthcare system while at the same time ensuring patients receive the best possible care? Researchers from 66 companies, universities and institutes in 12 European countries are meeting this challenge in the joint project Moore4Medical.

In the "Active Implants" project, the use and a possible safety risk of implants in medical applications are examined. The focus is on two fundamental safety-relevant topics: Interaction between micropump and conveyed medium (e.g. drugs) and a reduction of the operating voltage. Intelligent implants have an enormous potential in medical applications with high added value for affected patients, making research on this topic highly relevant.

The APECS pilot line aims to be Europe’s leading platform for advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, driving next-generation integrated systems.

How can the vision of a highly connected society be realized with minimum impact on future energy resources? One possible answer is provided by the Fraunhofer lead project Towards Zero Power Electronics. This involves nine Fraunhofer institutes engaged in building a technology and methodology platform to realize highly integrated, extremely energy-efficient modules for the Internet of Things. As part of this project, a research team at EMFT is developing a measurement principle for particle mass measurement.

The Fraunhofer EMFT scientists support the development of „bee-friendly“ pesticides by doing research on sensor technologies identifying „bee-harmful“ substances in early phases of pesticide development.

How can supply chains for the chip industry become more independent and better protected? The coronavirus pandemic in particular has highlighted the problems for Germany and Europe. In the "Semiconductor-X" research project on the digitalization of supply chains in the semiconductor industry, Fraunhofer EMFT is working with over 20 partners to make supply chains more sustainable and resilient and to promote decentralized, sovereign data exchange.

In areas where personal or security-critical data is processed in particular – such as medical technology, autonomous driving and critical infrastructures – trustworthy electronic ICT compo-nents and systems are becoming increasingly important as digitalization gathers pace. esearchers at Fraunhofer EMFT primarily focus on the hardware level here.