Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
RESEARCH NEWS
1. 유연성을 갖춘 웨어러블 기기용 배터리 (프라운호퍼 IZM)
웨어러블 기술은 미래 시장을 주도할 기술로 대두되고 있다. 웨어러블 기기
는 신체 관련 데이터를 수집하는 센서를 포함하는 휴대용 시스템을 의미한
다. 이러한 센서를 무선으로 제어하기 위해서는 특정 소재에 적용 가능하고
시스템이 필요로 하는 전원을 제공하는 유연한 배터리가 필요하다. 프라운호
퍼 신뢰성 및 마이크로집적 연구소(IZM)에서 개발한 마이크로 배터리는 이러
한 유연성을 지닌 배터리에 대한 기술적 기반을 제공한다.
2. [2019 뮌헨 국제건축기자재박람회 특집] 재생골재를 사용한 콘크리트로
만든 건축물 (프라운호퍼 WKI)
섬유보강콘크리트(TRC)는 내구성이 우수하며 다양한 형태로 가공이 가능하여
경량건축에 이상적인 차세대 건축 자재다. 이름에서 알 수 있듯이 전통적인
섬유보강콘크리트는 철강이 아닌 탄소 또는 유리 섬유로 보강되어 있다. 프
라운호퍼 빌헬름클라우디츠 목재연구소(WKI)는 이러한 섬유를 대체할 수 있
도록 기존의 콘크리트 성능을 갖추고 있으면서 탄소발자국이 적고 제작비용
이 낮은 친환경 천연섬유를 개발 중이다. 연구소는 2019년 1월 14일부터 19
일까지 개최되는 2019 뮌헨 국제건축기자재박람회(BAU 2019)에서 천연 섬유
기반 섬유보강콘크리트로 만든 교량의 프로토타입을 선보일 계획이다.
3. 지구 궤도상 양자 소스를 통한 커뮤니케이션 (프라운호퍼 IOF)
머지 않아 양자 컴퓨터를 사용하여 수학적으로 암호화된 코드를 손쉽게 해독
하는 시대가 도래하게 될 것이다. 지구 궤도상의 양자 소스로 생성된 얽힘
광자(entangled photons)는 고도의 보안을 요하는 응용기술을 위해 해킹 불
2018 l 10
Fraunhofer 한국대표사무소
전화: 02-420-3027
www.fraunhofer.kr
가 키 교환을 가능하게 한다. 프라운호퍼 응용광학 및 정밀공학 연구소(IOF)
는 우주에 배치할 수 있을 만큼 강력한 고성능 양자 소스를 개발했으며, 약
4년 후 유럽 최초의 양자 위성을 발사할 예정이다.
4. 계획 활동을 지원하는 스마트 알고리즘 (프라운호퍼 SCAI)
케어 서비스를 조직화하는 것은 많은 계획을 요하는 복잡한 작업이다. 프라
운호퍼 알고리즘 및 과학 컴퓨팅 연구소(SCAI)의 스핀오프 프로젝트인
adiutaByte에서 개발한 adiuta.PLAN은 실시간 교통량, 날씨 등의 변수를 감안
하여 자동으로 계획을 생성하는 소프트웨어 패키지다. 또한, 가용 인력 등 기
타 요인을 고려하여 계획을 최신 상태로 유지한다. 소프트웨어의 혁신적인
알고리즘은 자원의 부족현상을 해결할 수 있는 최상의 방안을 제공한다.
5. 360 도 시야각 탑재 로봇 (프라운호퍼 IAPT)
로봇은 모든 방향으로 이동이 가능하지만 360도 시야를 한 눈에 볼 수는 없
다. 프라운호퍼 적층생산기술연구소에서 개발한 특허 받은 SensePRO 레이저
센서는 이러한 문제에 대한 해결책을 제시한다.
6. [2019 뮌헨 국제건축기자재박람회 특집] 에너지 효율적인 배관 부식
복구 기술 (프라운호퍼 IBP)
독일에서는 매년 배관 부식으로 인해 수백만 건의 수질 저하가 보고되고 있
다. 복구 작업에 사용되는 적외선 난방 패널과 플라스틱 엔클로저(enclosure)
는 많은 에너지를 소비한다. 프라운호퍼 건축물리학연구소(IBP)에서 개발한
유연한 투습 전기 건조 시스템은 건물 구성요소의 습기를 에너지 효율적인
방식으로 감소시킨다. 연구소는 2019년 1월 14일부터 19일까지 개최되는
2019 뮌헨 국제건축기자재박람회(BAU 2019)에서 건조 모듈의 프로토타입을
선보일 계획이다.
Fraunhofer는 유럽 최대 응용기술연구기관으로서 독일 내 72개 연구소에서
25,000여명의 직원이 기업에 유용한 기술을 개발하고 있습니다. Fraunhofer는
유럽, 미국, 아시아 지역에 지부를 두고 국제협력에도 힘쓰고 있습니다.
발행정보
Research News｜매월 발행｜ISSN 09 48 – 83 83
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft 발행｜홍보부｜Hansastraße 27｜80686 München｜
전화 +49 89 1205-1333｜[email protected]
편집: Franz Miller, Michaela Neuner, Britta Widmann｜인쇄무료
모든 발행물과 뉴스레터 서비스는 www.fraunhofer.de/fhg/EN/press에서 이용할 수 있습니다.
Research News는 독일어(독일어판 제목: Mediendienst)로도 발행됩니다.
Wireless power supply
Pliable micro-batteries for wearables There is a new technology gripping the markets of the future - technology to wear. Wearables, as they are known, are portable systems that contain sensors to collect measurement data from our bodies. Powering these sensors without wires calls for pliable batteries that can adapt to the specific material and deliver the power the system requires. Micro-batteries developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM provide the technical foundation for this new technology trend.
In medicine, wearables are used to collect data without disturbing patients as
they go about their daily business - to record long-term ECGs, for instance.
Since the sensors are light, flexible and concealed in clothing, this is a
convenient way to monitor a patient’s heartbeat. The technology also has
more everyday applications - fitness bands, for instance, that measure
joggers’ pulses while out running. There is huge growth potential in the
wearables sector, which is expected to reach a market value of 72 billion
euros by 2020.
How to power these smart accessories poses a significant technical
challenge. There are the technical considerations – durability and energy
density - but also material requirements such as weight, flexibility and size,
and these must be successfully combined. This is where Fraunhofer IZM
comes in: experts at the institute have developed a prototype for a smart
wristband that, quite literally, collects data first hand. The silicone band’s
technical piece de resistance is its three gleaming green batteries. Boasting a
capacity of 300 milliampere hours, these batteries are what supply the
wristband with power. They can store energy of 1.1 watt hours
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 1
and lose less than three percent of their charging capacity per year. With
these parameters the new prototype has a much higher capacity than smart
bands available at the market so far, enabling it to supply even demanding
portable electronics with energy. The available capacity is actually sufficient
to empower a conventional smart watch at no runtime loss. With these sorts
of stats, the prototype beats established products such as smart watches, in
which the battery is only built into the watch casing and not in the strap.
Success through segmentation
Robert Hahn, a researcher in Fraunhofer IZM’s department for RF & Smart
Sensor Systems, explains why segmentation is the recipe for success: “If you
make a battery extremely pliable, it will have very poor energy density - so it’s
much better to adopt a segmented approach.”
Instead of making the batteries extremely pliable at the cost of energy
density and reliability, the institute turned its focus to designing very small
and powerful batteries and optimized mounting technology. The batteries
are pliable in between segments. In other words, the smart band is flexible
while retaining a lot more power than other smart wristbands available on
the market.
Customer-tailored solutions
In its development of batteries for wearables, Fraunhofer IZM combines new
approaches and years of experience with a customer-tailored development
process: “We work with companies to develop the right
battery for them,” explains the graduate electrical engineer. The team
consults closely with customers to draw up the energy requirements. They
carefully adapt parameters such as shape, size, voltage, capacity and power
and combined them to form a power supply concept. The team also carries
out customer-specific tests.
Smart plaster to measure sweat
In 2018, the institute began work on a new wearable technology, the smart
plaster. Together with Swiss sensor manufacturer Xsensio, this EU-sponsored
project aims to develop a plaster that can directly measure and analyze the
patient’s sweat. This can then be used to draw conclusions about the
patient’s general state of health. In any case, having a convenient, real-time
analysis tool is the ideal way to better track and monitor healing processes.
Fraunhofer IZM is responsible for developing the design concept and energy
supply system for the sweat measurement sensors. The plan is to integrate
sensors that are extremely flat, light and flexible. This will require the
development of various new concepts. One idea, for instance, would be an
encapsulation system made out of aluminum composite foil. The researchers
also need to ensure they select materials that are inexpensive and easy to
dispose of. After all, a plaster is a disposable product.
Millimeter-sized lithium-ion batteries with interdigital electrodes © Fraunhofer IZM, Volker Mai | Picture in color and printing quality: www. fraunhofer.de/en/press
Fabrication of micro batteries with side-by side electrodes on silicon wafer © Fraunhofer IZM | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/ en/press
Micro battery with metal foil laminated housing © Fraunhofer IZM | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
Mechanically flexible micro battery stripe made from segmented battery cells © Fraunhofer IZM | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
2019 BAU trade fair: A concrete bridge supported with natural fibers
Construction using concrete reinforced with renewable materials Tomorrow’s building material is here today. Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is durable, formable in diverse shapes and suitable for lightweight construction. As the name suggests, conventional TRC is reinforced with carbon or glassfiber fabrics rather than steel. A research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI is now replacing these fabrics with eco-friendly natural fibers. These alternatives rival conventional concrete’s performance, but leave a smaller carbon footprint, and cost less to make. Researchers will present a prototype of a natural fiber-reinforced concrete bridge at the BAU 2019 trade fair in Munich on January 14 to 19, 2019. Germany’s bridges are in sad shape. TÜV Rheinland says that one in every
two is decaying. Reinforced concrete corrodes easily. Oxidation takes a toll
on the reinforcing steel well before any telltale sign of damage is visible.
Now the industry is looking to relegate cracks in concrete, and rusting steel,
to history. Engineers and architects are opting for textile-reinforced
concrete, a noncorroding building material with a long service life and the
same structural properties as reinforced concrete. Components made of
this material can be as thin as a few centimeters. It may be cast to make
delicate, lightweight structures with reinforcing textiles that bend into
practically any shape. Alongside bridges, the material is also suitable for
facades and ceilings. Designers use it for seating furniture and sculptures.
The secret to this high-performance concrete is that it is reinforced with
carbon, glass or polymer fibers rather than steel. Researchers at the
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 2
Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig want to replace these fibers with a textile
based on renewable raw materials, a move that would pay big dividends
for the environment and climate. They are going with local products, in this
case flax, which may be spun or woven. The researchers can add strands of
polymer fiber to the flax to create a hybrid fabric tailored to the given
component’s requirements. The scientists at Fraunhofer WKI’s Application
Center for Wood Fiber Research HOFZET® use a double-rapier loom with a
Jacquard attachment to weave this material mix. With this weaving
machine – the only one of its kind in Europe - experts are able to produce
innovative lightweight composite materials with complex, application-
specific textile structures and integrated functions. The machine combines
conventional and sustainable materials in a way that is both cost efficient
and technically sophisticated. They are then embedded in high-
performance concrete with the structural density that protects the fibers
almost completely against weathering. This weave is also modified with
natural resins.
Shrugging off adverse environmental impacts
The flax-based textile is embedded in the given component in layers. Its
stiffness is variable, so it can be arranged in the desired shape. And it could
conceivably be cast to create curved contours such as domes and rounded
wall elements. The liquid concrete, specially developed in-house at
Fraunhofer WKI’s Center for Lightweight and Environmentally Friendly
Buildings (ZELUBA® ), is then poured on the textile. Ecological sustainability
was very much on developers’ minds; they went to great pains to make do
with low quantities of primary raw materials. The material mix consists
of a very fine aggregate, water, concrete additives and admixtures, and a
reinforcing textile made of flax. “The quality of reinforced concrete made
with a flax fabric is higher than that of the reinforced concrete in bridges.
The matrix - that is, the structure - is so dense that harmful substances
cannot penetrate the component. This results in a far longer service life of
several decades,” says Jan Binde, a scientist at the ZELUBA®.
A composite with remarkable longevity
The combination of flax and concrete proved in trials to be an ideal
composite, as confirmed by durability and load-bearing tests on the new,
eco-friendly textile-reinforced concrete. “The natural fibers mesh very well
with the building material, which is also attributable to the fact that we can
control how the textile is fixed in the concrete. The textile’s specific surface
is variable,” says the researcher.
TRC made of renewables enables builders to erect light and lean bridges
that may also be crossed by motor vehicles. “A reinforced concrete bridge
with a span of 15 meters would be about 35 to 40 centimeters thick, while
its flax counterpart would be considerably slimmer at 12 to 16 centimeters.
This saves a lot of material. Thin layers are doable,” says Binde.
Researchers’ efforts to optimize the innovative building material continue
while approval from building authorities is pending.
Binde and his colleagues will be at the BAU trade fair in Munich from
January 14 to 19, 2019, where Fraunhofer’s joint stand number 528 in hall
C2 will showcase a prototype of a self-supporting, flax fiber-reinforced
bridge with a cross-section of five centimeters that sits on timber
abutments.
Flax/carbon hybrid twill © Jana Winkelmann | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
Plain-woven flax fabric © Jana Winkelmann | Picture in color and printing quality: www. fraunhofer.de/en/press
Quantum communications
Space-borne quantum source to secure communication Soon, powerful quantum computers will be able to easily crack conventional mathematically encrypted codes. Entangled photons generated by a spaceborne quantum source could enable hack-proof key exchange for ultra high security applications. A Fraunhofer research team has developed a highperformance quantum source robust enough for deployment in space. They aim to launch the first European quantum satellite in some four years’ time.
Gold and futuristic looking, but no larger than a bread box, this device has
really been put through its paces - enduring vast leaps in temperatures
from minus 40 to plus 60 degrees celsius, exposure to cold and heat in
vacuum, and jarring rodeo rides on a triple-axis vibrating platform.
Throughout this excruciating campaign, the device had to demonstrate its
unwavering robustness and high performance. When this quantum source
passed the last of a grueling battery of stress tests conducted to the
European Space Agency’s stringent standards, it was deemed space-
worthy. Clearly, this rugged little box would survive a rocket launch and
hold up under harsh off-planet conditions.
For the first time researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics
and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena succeeded in developing a remarkably
stable yet powerful quantum source. It can generate 300,000 entangled
photon pairs per second when the light from a laser beam hits a non-linear
crystal. These twinned light particles enable sensitive messages to be
securely encrypted. Here is how it works: The two photons’ polarization
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 3
remains entangled - that is, correlated - no matter how far apart they may
be. This allows two communicating parties to produce and share keys and
immediately detect if a third-party attempts to intercept their
communication. If an unauthorized party tampers with the message, the
two photons disentangle to reveal that a hacking attempt is underway.
A robust, high-output source
But why does the quantum source have to be in space? Entangled photons
could also travel via fiber optic cables such as telephone lines. But this
would cut the range short and impede the important process of photon
entanglement. A far better option is to piggy-back the quantum source on
a satellite and send it into low Earth orbit, where it can transmit the
twinned light particles down to the planet from an altitude of 400
kilometers with minimal disturbance.
“The quantum source’s stability and performance presented the greatest
challenges because the loss rate is still high on the way through the Earth’s
atmosphere. This is why it is so important to generate as many entangled
twin photons as possible to maximize the number of photons that reach
the communicating parties on Earth,” explains Fraunhofer IOF project
manager Dr. Oliver de Vries. One key always requires several pairs of
photons. Expounding further on this, de Vries adds, “We optimized the
quantum source’s stability with a smart design, effective inorganic bonding
processes, and robust materials that do not expand much in the event of
temperature changes.”
First European quantum satellite to come in four years
The technology is already attracting a lot of attention, particularly from
banks and government agencies that rely on secure communication.
However, the infrastructure needed to share keys has yet to be established
before quantum encryption can be implemented in three to five years’
time. The communicating parties would have to receive the light particles
with a device like a telescope. This device, in turn, would have to be
integrated into the IT structure. Dr. de Vries already has a plan in mind. “I
could imagine a business model where Fraunhofer equips the satellite with
a quantum source and outside partners offer the reception infrastructure
and sell the keys.” The research team’s express goal is to send the first
European quantum satellite into space in around four years.
The working group is currently looking at ways to streamline the process
chain for producing the wood foam and to simplify and accelerate the
process for inserting the wood foam into the metal sponge. The goal is to
get HoMe foam into industrial-scale production soon.
The quantum source generates entangled photons and transmits them to Earth from a satellite, where they serve to distribute secure keys for encrypting data. © Fraunhofer IOF | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer. de/en/press
Outpatient care: Optimized processes mean more time for patients
Smart algorithms boost planning Organizing care services is a complex task and a lot of planning goes into ensuring that they operate smoothly. Developed by adiutaByte, a spin-off project of the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI, adiuta.PLAN is a software package that can automatically create plans and factor in variables such as traffic levels and weather conditions in real time. The software also keeps plans updated to take into account other factors such as staff availability. Its innovative algorithms provide the perfect remedy for the grave shortage of care resources.
Every day, companies produce manual plans that are then adapted
throughout the day, costing significant amounts of time and effort. It might
be a service roster for a hospital, fleet planning for a parcel delivery
company, shelf planning in a warehouse, or indeed a service roster for
outpatient care. In this instance, the care service provider has to do their
best to distribute work amongst the carers on duty. Although there are
already tools out there in the marketplace to help care providers with this
time-consuming task, none of them are able to monitor whether the
service roster is actually feasible after the plan is made. What they fail to
offer is a solution that can automatically generate and optimize plans. This
is the gap filled by adiutaByte, a spin-off project from Fraunhofer SCAI, and
its software adiuta.PLAN, which solves complex optimization problems with
new algorithmic approaches, supporting care providers in the daily
planning of care routes and helping them to assign carers to patients.
Sectors such as logistics and warehouse management also stand to benefit
from the solution.
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 4
Combining a range of algorithmic approaches
Four people currently work on the adiutaByte team. The spin-off is planned
for the first half of 2019, and is receiving funding from the Fraunhofer-
Gesellschaft as part of the Fraunhofer INNOVATOR program as well as
through Fraunhofer Venture. Team leader Dr. Dustin Feld explains the
approach that contributes to adiuta.PLAN’s success: “We’re combining a
range of algorithmic approaches, drawing on clustering techniques and
artificial intelligence methods. Isolated conventional algorithms or closed-
loop mathematical modeling are not enough in scenarios in which a system
must react dynamically to unpredictable events such as traffic jams, road
blocks or staff absences.” Using a unique mix of algorithms, the
adiuta.PLAN solution monitors travel and weather data in real time, and
factors it into its planning.
Different applications require personalized solutions. The goal might be to
provide carers with a schedule that guarantees them a stress-free day, or it
might be a tight plan run with military precision. The solution offers a
choice of routes - the fastest, the shortest and the most cost-efficient. If the
chosen plan can be optimized in another way, adiuta.PLAN will also display
possible alternatives and suggestions.
For instance, a road or bridge closure can throw a whole service roster off
schedule. In such a scenario, the priority is to automatically update the plan
as quickly as possible and compare the predicted plan against the actual
situation. Other factors also play a key role in the optimization, including
employee qualifications, customer preferences, staff absences and type of
vehicle. “If a patient has a particular preference for a specific carer, our
algorithms will automatically take that into account,” says Feld.
Significant savings in time and administrative effort
The new automated solution offers great potential for optimization and
savings, both in terms of time and administration, as the research team has
successfully demonstrated in tests run on behalf of a 20-strong care team
operated by the Johanniter humanitarian organization. “Normally, it takes
the heads of the care team two hours each morning to draw up a plan for
the 20 carers. With our solution, all they need to do is approve the
automatically generated plan proposal,” says the computer scientist. The
time needed for carers to get to and from appointments was also reduced
by ten percent.
Using machine learning for real-life planning
Machine learning is another tool that can be used to increase the
optimization potential still further: “Let’s take the example of drawing a
blood sample. We know that the time taken to complete the task may well
vary depending on the carer and the patient. Over a longer period of time,
the algorithms can learn how long it usually takes, meaning that future
service rosters more accurately reflect the reality of the situation,” explains
Feld.
adiuta.PLAN can be integrated into existing software solutions and, first
and foremost, supplies the core algorithms, so that users can continue
working in their preferred environment. Care providers can manage the
optimization target and prioritization via a series of controllers and buttons.
adiutaByte can also supply personalized user interfaces at the customer’s
request. Mobile apps allow carers direct access to the plan while on the
move.
The new software adiuta.PLAN uses graph representations in order to optimize plans. Depicted here is the combination of various graph layout techniques using the example of a Sierpinski-Sieve graph. © Fraunhofer SCAI | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
adiuta.PLAN’s optimization takes into account various variables from a wide range of sources. © Fraunhofer SCAI | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
Care providers have a lot to keep in mind – adiuta.PLAN helps them retain an overview. © Fraunhofer SCAI | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
Production
The robot eye with an all-round field of view Robots can move - but not see - in all directions. The patented laser sensor SensePRO developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT provides a solution to this problem.
Where am I? Like humans, robots also need to answer that question, while
they tirelessly glue, weld or apply seals to workpieces. After all, the
production of precision products depends on robot control systems knowing
the location of the adhesive bonding head or welding head to the nearest
millimeter at all times. This means the robot needs some sort of eye. In the
automotive industry and many other sectors, specialized sensors perform
this function, most of which operate on the principle of laser triangulation.
A laser diode projects a line of red light onto the workpiece, from which the
light is reflected at a specific angle before being detected by a camera. From
the position of the light striking the camera chip, the position and distance
of the sensor with respect to the workpiece within the coordinate system
can be calculated.
However, there is a problem with such systems: “Shadowing effect limits
the flexibility of existing sensors. They also restrict the freedom of movement
of the robot systems and integrating them is very labor-intensive,” says
Mauritz Möller, head of the additive manufacturing systems department at
the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies
IAPT in Hamburg. The only way to measure height with conventional
sensors is to mount them along the direction of
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 5
processing. With these sensors, however, the robot is blind when it changes
its direction of movement. Having to predefine the processing direction
significantly limits the flexibility of the handling systems. The only
alternatives are to use several sensors or additional axes - either of which,
given today’s state-of-the-art technology, can sometimes cost more than the
robot itself.
Patented measuring technique
Mauritz Möller and his colleagues Malte Buhr, Vishnuu Jothi Prakash and
Julian Weber have developed an innovative solution called SensePRO. This
compact sensor system measures 15 centimeters in diameter and is
equipped with specially developed image processing algorithms, thus
providing a shadow-free all-round field of view, and generating a 360°
measurement field, offering complete flexibility with regard to the direction
of measurement. No matter where the robot moves, at least one laser line is
always optimally positioned, supplying precise positional information to the
camera.
This approach also solves another problem - shadowing of the laser light by
components with complex shapes. The researchers have now patented the
technique. No additional programming is required to integrate the new
sensor system in existing robot systems. It can be employed completely
flexibly and, above all, reliably in all adhesive bonding and welding
processes. The technique significantly simplifies process control and quality
assurance - with just one sensor.
Intelligent thermal management
To operate over long periods in harsh production environments, the sensor
contains a cooling module, which utilizes either water or air. To enhance
cooling, the optical bench on which the laser diodes and cameras are
mounted has an internal cooling structure. Due to its highly complex shape,
the only way to produce it is by 3D printing. This intelligent thermal
management system extends the sensor’s service life. The sensor is designed
to fit robots made by all leading manufacturers, from Kuka to Fanuc, and is
well suited for any conceivable application scenarios. As a result, it can be
easily integrated into existing production systems.
SensePRO is expected to be ready for full-scale production in 2021. Since no
competing systems are currently available, SensePRO has a good chance to
successfully establish itself in the rapidly growing industrial robot market. In
Germany, around 1,300 new robots for welding or adhesive bonding
applications that require such a sensor are sold every year.
For Mauritz Möller and his colleagues Malte Buhr, Vishnuu Prakash and
Julian Weber, the aim of the project is to assess how SensePRO might be
commercially exploited, for example in a spin-off. With this in mind, the four
pioneering researchers have applied for and received approval for EXIST
funding. The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy’s EXIST
program supports start-ups from universities and research institutions
individually with up to one million euros in funding.
Conventional sensors limit the directional flexibility of robots © Fraunhofer IAPT | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
The innovative SensePRO sensor provides a 360° all-round field of view for process control and quality assurance. © Fraunhofer IAPT | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
BAU 2019 trade fair: Vapor-permeable drying system for walls
An energy-efficient means of water damage restoration Over a million cases of water damage due to rotten pipes are reported in Germany every year. Infrared heating panels and plastic enclosures are used to restore damaged walls, but they consume large amounts of energy. A new electric, vapor-permeable, flexible drying system developed by Fraunhofer researchers reduces the moisture evenly throughout building components in an energy-efficient manner. Fraunhofer will be exhibiting the prototype of the drying module at the BAU 2019 trade fair in Munich from January 14 to 19.
Burst pipes, damaged fittings, leaky boilers - every 30 seconds a new case of
water damage is reported in Germany, according to the German Insurance
Association (GDV). As a result, building insurers are faced with costs of 2.3
billion euros every year. When pipes burst, walls and floors have to be
professionally dried; heating and airing them is generally not enough. Before
now, damage to water-soaked walls has been restored using standard
infrared heating panels and a plastic enclosure in combination with
adsorption dryers, which is very energy-intensive. In addition, drying is often
uneven using this method, with the corners of rooms proving hard to reach.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Stuttgart
have developed an alternative: the EDF drying system. The German acronym
EDF stands for energy-efficient, vaporpermeable, and flexible, which
describes the module perfectly. Laboratory tests under identical conditions
on soaked vertically perforated brick walls have shown that the new method
reduces energy consumption
Research News
2018-10 | Topic 6
by over 80 percent compared with IR heating panels over the same drying
period.
Targeted drying of the building component
How it works: Measuring 100x50 centimeters, the system consists of a
fireproof, vapor-permeable insulation material and an electric heater, which
applies the heat directly to the wet interior wall. It also works on curved
surfaces and round walls. A sensor regulates the heating temperature. If the
temperature is increased, the drying process kicks in. Vapor-permeable
insulation on the back of the EDF drying module, for which a patent
application has been filed, minimizes heat loss while letting moisture
through unobstructed. “Our system is particularly efficient, as the heat is
emitted directly onto the wall, whereas IR panels are set up at a distance
from the wall, which means much of the energy goes into heating the
room. Another advantage of our EDF module is that drying is temperature-
controlled,” explains Andreas Zegowitz, a scientist at Fraunhofer IBP.
“To dry a vertically perforated brick wall with a thickness of 11.5
centimeters, we needed 12 to 14 days in our test facility. Usually, a job like
this takes two to three weeks.”
Further advantages of the simple-to-install EDF system are its even, noiseless
drying and its lightweight design, which makes it easy to transport.
With the WUFI® simulation software from Fraunhofer IBP, the team of
researchers is able to calculate the drying processes and predict the drying
duration and the energy required, which helps reduce the development
costs. Zegowitz and his colleagues are using the tool to optimize the
prototype. As the next step, field tests are planned in buildings with real
water damage. They are scheduled to run from the end of September to the
end of December 2018. The market launch of the EDF module is slated for
the summer of 2019.
From January 14 to 19, the prototype of the EDF drying system will be
presented for the first time at the BAU trade fair in Munich. It will be
exhibited at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall C2, Booth 528.
The EDF drying system applies heat directly to the wet interior wall. © Fraunhofer IBP | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/en/press
The vapor-permeable insulation on the back of the drying module lets moisture through unimpeded. © Fraunhofer IBP | Picture in color and printing quality: www.fraunhofer.de/ en/press
