Batteries are indispensable for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. However, challenges remain: their production requires a lot of energy, the materials used are rare, and batteries are difficult to recycle. Several research groups at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) are therefore working on new, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient batteries. From cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles and beyond, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are essential in the daily lives of many. Still, what seems…
Augmented Reality for Tomorrow’s Ship Management. The precisely transmitted image of the quay wall on the ship’s window of the steering bridge, provided with some additional information, for example on current conditions and mooring possibilities – even in fog, darkness and poor visibility – this is what the ship navigation of tomorrow could look like. With the joint project “Smart Window”, Fraunhofer ISIT has worked together with partners from industry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD) on…
Altosens GmbH launches Fraunhofer technology on the market. Whether in the industrial environment, in mobility or at home: “Smart services” require data that is processed and evaluated. Altosens GmbH, a Fraunhofer LBF spin-off, offers novel cloud-based force sensors that measure forces where this was previously not easily possible. This allows unexpected service operations to be reduced and therefore systems that are difficult to access to be operated more economically. Such a monitoring system can, for example, increase the profitability of…
Rapid Part Evaluation develops measurement technology for fast and automated parameter determination. The founding team of Rapid Part Evaluation, based at the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, focuses on the service life of frequently used machine elements such as seals, gears or bearings. Using the specially developed measuring device and software, companies will be able to fast and automatically evaluate application-related parameters when testing components as early as the design phase. The project is currently being funded by an EXIST start-up grant from…
Seawater’s mix of hydrogen, oxygen, sodium, and other elements makes it vital to life on Earth. But that same complex chemistry has made it difficult to extract hydrogen gas for clean energy uses. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University with collaborators at the University of Oregon and Manchester Metropolitan University have found a way to tease hydrogen out of the ocean by funneling seawater through a double-membrane system and electricity. Their innovative…
Artificial muscles are making drive systems small and sustainable. Wherever electric motors or electromagnets are too large or too heavy to be incorporated into a technical component, the novel drive mechanisms being developed by a research team led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki at Saarland University can help to save space, weight and energy. Their shape-memory drives have a diameter of 300–400 microns (1 micron = 1 thousandth of a millimetre) and are ultralight and very energy efficient….
Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are indispensable key components for electro mobility and the success of the energy transition. They offer high energy density and high cycle stability. Eight partners from industry and science are developing technologies and components in the funded project “revoLect” (funding reference: 03ETE041) in order to be able to produce resource-saving and more efficient LIBs. The project is pursuing two key innovations: the replacement of the usual metal foils with a metallized fabric structure and the use of…
New technology is making it possible to control valves and locking devices without the need for any additional sensors. A metal piston, a tiny chip and small pulses of current – that’s all that the drive systems specialists led by Professor Matthias Nienhaus of Saarland University need for their sustainable and cost-effective technology. The continuously adjustable piston can move back and forth slowly or quickly as required, can hold any position and can return softly to its stop position if…
Texas A&M researchers discover storage capacity increase of water-based battery electrodes. Researchers at Texas A&M University have discovered a 1,000% difference in the storage capacity of metal-free, water-based battery electrodes. These batteries are different from lithium-ion batteries that contain cobalt. The group’s goal of researching metal-free batteries stems from having better control over the domestic supply chain since cobalt and lithium are outsourced. This safer chemistry would also prevent battery fires. Chemical engineering professor Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus and chemistry assistant…
– Coupled with Improved Performance. High-performance battery cells are a crucial prerequisite for electrifying the mobility sector. With this in mind, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen have developed innovative laser-based technologies for producing lithium-ion batteries — which, in comparison with those produced conventionally, can be charged more quickly and have a longer service lifetime. Furthermore, laser-based drying in the water-based electrode coating process is significantly more efficient. Fraunhofer ILT will be presenting a demonstrator…
Manufacturing automobiles requires energy and resources on a large scale. Higher vehicle mileage could result in a significant drop in the continuous energy demand during production, while also reducing the extraction of natural resources considerably. This is where the KOSEL research project comes in; a project that has seen the Fraunhofer IWU join forces with partners from industry and research: Vehicle components that have a long service life can be used over several vehicle life cycles and therefore do not…
Force-sensitive, dynamic, energy efficient and with a range of applications – these qualities are what distinguish the new robot gripper created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design IEM. It can transport fragile objects from one production step to the next without damaging them. The gripper is specially designed for the food industry, where careful handling of fragile products helps to avoid waste. The electric drive makes costly pneumatics obsolete. The robot gripper will be presented at the joint…
Researchers at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have designed a novel ultramicro supercapacitor, a tiny device capable of storing an enormous amount of electric charge. It is also much smaller and more compact than existing supercapacitors and can potentially be used in many devices ranging from streetlights to consumer electronics, electric cars and medical devices. Most of these devices are currently powered by batteries. However, over time, these batteries lose their ability to store…
A smart sensor and system capable of detecting imminent ground or structure collapses is now available. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk) developed a smart sensor that detects signs of ground or structure collapses and a real-time remote monitoring system. The development of the sensor and system began with a search for a method of instant sensing of the collapse of slopes or buildings caused by ground movement for immediate response. This led…
The higher the receiver temperature, the more efficiently a solar thermal power plant will operate. Convective thermal losses also have an important effect on yield. The HelioGLOW collaborative project by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and industrial partners is working to address these challenges: The project team investigated a novel ceramic heat-transfer medium including power plant design and air wall for the thermal insulation of the receiver. The trend towards continuously improving production processes is reflected in the…
New research could lead to longer-lasting batteries. Whether in an e-car, cell phone, or cordless screwdriver, many devices used on a daily basis now use rechargeable batteries. However, the trend also has its downsides. For example, certain cell phones were banned from being carried on airplanes, or e-cars caught fire. Modern commercial lithium ion batteries are sensitive to mechanical stress. So-called “solid-state batteries” could provide a remedy. These no longer contain a liquid core – the so-called electrolyte – but…
Feedback
