Press Releases

In modern industrial plants, machines, logistics and products talk directly to each other and require technology solutions for error-free and fast data transmission. The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems presents innovative solutions for industrial communication in the technology fields of Li-Fi, RFID sensors and Communication IP-Cores at the virtual industrial fair "INDUSTRIAL production + handling" from June 17th to July 3rd, 2020.

Fraunhofer IPMS founded the spin-off company Arioso Systems GmbH in October 2019. The aim of founding this company was to launch an innovative sound transducer principle for miniaturized headphones (also known as ‘hearables’) onto the market. These voice-operated, multi-talented devices are worn in the ear and will even be able to completely take over Internet communication in the future thanks to their unique Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) technology from Fraunhofer IPMS. We spoke to Dr. Herrmann Schenk, Chief Operating Officer of the spin-off company, about the reasons behind this.

The Fraunhofer IPMS spin-off company Arioso Systems GmbH has successfully completed its first round of financing. The spin-off company is launching an innovative sound transducer principle for miniaturized headphones (also known as ‘hearables’) to the market. The revolutionary new micro loudspeaker technology made from 100% silicon, is based on the patented Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) principle from the Fraunhofer IPMS. This can considerably extend the functional scope for miniaturized headphones, meaning that hearables may independently take over Internet communication in the future.

The corona pandemic has now reached Europe, and Germany in particular, and presents us with major challenges. Cases of infection are increasing exponentially and in recent days more and more countermeasures have been ordered by the authorities.

From lane departure warning to automatic emergency braking: numerous assistance systems are at work in modern vehicles. These driver assistance systems continuously send large amounts of data, processing more and more information that must be transmitted in real time and sorted according to priority. Fraunhofer IPMS has developed real-time capable IP cores, that meet the Ethernet time sensitive networking (TSN) standard, for the automotive sector.

With billions of minuscule components transmitting important information and signals to progressively smart devices housed on their surfaces, silicon chips are the nerves cells of artificial intelligence. Semiconductor chips are built into every smartphone and are becoming smaller, increasingly powerful and more efficient.

Optical microsystems are forging the path of light. Fraunhofer IPMS photonic systems modulate light via small deflectable mirrors to induce images and structures in a unique way. Expanding on this technique, the Dresden-based Fraunhofer research institute has developed spatial light modulators consisting of up to several million mirrors on a semiconductor chip. These micro mirror arrays are to be used in semiconductor production as well as in micro and laser projection. Fraunhofer IPMS is currently the world leader in this field. Adding to its already impressive list of technologies, Fraunhofer IPMS has now developed a CMOS-integrated micromirror array with two tilting axes per mirror as well as the associated technological platform.

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched its first-ever competition dedicated to the development of an innovative, energy-efficient AI system. The Fraunhofer Institutes IIS and IPMS have entered their joint ADELIA (Analog Deep Learning Inference Accelerator) project into the BMBF’s Sprunginnovationen competition, where their focus is on the design of an analog inference accelerator ASIC. Fraunhofer IIS leads the project.

When we want to talk to each other, we best transfer the information in a short time and without detours. In automation technology, the demands on communication are even higher. There, messages often have to be transmitted in the microsecond range, for example to synchronize machines or drives with each other. The Fraunhofer IPMS has combined Li-Fi and Time Sensitive Networking to enable real-time and deterministic data transmission wirelessly.

They form the central nervous system of the information age: silicon semiconductor chips. Silicon wafers serve as carriers of information that is produced by the most modern methods and processes. The Fraunhofer IPMS based in Dresden offers research and development services for semiconductor production in the 300 mm wafer sector.