Robots, sensors, controllers, and machines continuously exchange data. As they become increasingly interconnected, demands on speed, availability, and response times grow.

In many industrial applications, this creates trade-offs: cables offer high reliability but reduce the flexibility of moving systems. Radio communication enables mobility but can be affected by electromagnetic interference, metal-rich environments, or high device densities.

“In industrial applications, it is not just wireless data transmission that matters, but above all its availability, speed, and predictability. These requirements determine whether flexible production concepts work reliably,” explains Dr. René Kirrbach, Li-Fi group manager at Fraunhofer IPMS.

Fraunhofer IPMS addresses the growing demand for wireless real-time communication driven by increasing automation with Li-Fi solutions for time-critical industrial applications.

Li-Fi: light-based data transmission for industrial applications

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) uses light as the transmission medium, enabling wireless data communication without conventional radio transmission. A suitable optical connection between transmitter and receiver is required. Fraunhofer IPMS has been developing optical wireless communication solutions for more than 15 years.

Depending on their design, the Li-Fi solutions offer different data rates, interfaces, and features for industrial applications:

• High speed: Gbit/s data rates, for example with Li-Fi Grathus^®, for data-intensive applications
• Energy efficiency: compact, energy-efficient data links with Li-Fi TinySpot for applications with limited space and power budgets
• Real-time capability: Li-Fi Grathus^® supports time-critical applications and industrial protocols such as EtherCAT and PROFINET
• Compatibility: integration via suitable interfaces, such as Ethernet or UART/SPI, depending on the solution
• Spatial confinement: optical transmission along a defined line-of-sight connection
• Interference resistance: unaffected by radio interference and electromagnetic influences

Li-Fi solutions for the industrial communication of tomorrow

At SPS 2026 in Nuremberg, Fraunhofer IPMS is presenting selected solutions from its Li-Fi portfolio:

• Li-Fi Grathus^®: Gbit/s optical data transmission over distances of up to 10 m for demanding industrial applications.
• Li-Fi TinySpot: An energy- and space-saving solution for short-range optical data transmission at data rates of up to 20 Mbit/sps.
• Li-Fi Power over Light (PoL): Simultaneous data and power transmission for autonomous sensor nodes.
• Li-Fi GigaCoupler: A light-based optocoupler for Gbit/s data transmission with galvanic isolation, for example on printed circuit boards.

The demonstrators illustrate Fraunhofer IPMS’s development expertise, from optical components and integrated circuits to communication design and custom system development.

From research to industrial application

With different transmission distances, form factors, and data rates, the Li-Fi solutions cover a range of industrial communication scenarios, including machinery and plant engineering, robotics, and sensor applications.

Fraunhofer IPMS will present its solutions at SPS from November 24 to 26, 2026, at the joint booth Automation meets IT in Hall 6, Booth 350D, at the exhibition center in Nuremberg. Appointments with the experts can be arranged in advance via the Fraunhofer IPMS website.