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Not unlike a professional soccer team, the different players in a production system must work together perfectly. That is why the Fraunhofer flagship project EMOTION researches empathetic technical systems.

Cold spray is considered one of the most modern processes in the field of thermal spraying. A research cooperation has recently equipped Fraunhofer IPK and IWF of TU Berlin with access to a state-of-the-art cold spray manufacturing system.

The members of this panel discussion are working together with other partners – including research institutions, corporations and start-ups – on the biological transformation of industrial manufacturing in the large-scale project »BioFusion 4.0«. Read their thoughts about how environmental impacts are operationalized and measured in the project and how people can be made aware of the issue .

The mobility of the future is already being powered by a variety of drive technologies. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. Kurt Blumenröder, CEO of T-Cell AG, Dr. Rüdiger Schwarz, Head of Strategic Communication PtX Projects at EDL Anlagenbau, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Eckart Uhlmann and Prof. Dr. Julian Polte from Fraunhofer IPK discuss which technology will ultimately win the race.

Current headlines on the automotive industry in Germany are mostly a cause for headaches. Meanwhile, experts at Fraunhofer IPK are paving the way out of the crisis.

A single car contains thousands of components of different geometries. Soon, robots will be able to handle their delicate assembly – flexibly and autonomously.

Necessary evil or an opportunity for more sustainability? A case for battery passports as a value-creating application of data ecosystems

Steel as a sustainable lightweight material? What appears contradictory at first could revolutionize the design of battery housings for electric vehi-cles, making e-mobility even more eco-friendly.

A passenger flight in 2050: low-emission, quiet, safe, affordable? The aviation industry faces enormous challenges on the journey to a new generation of propulsion systems.

Hydrogen, batteries or e-fuels – which drive technology will prevail? Research in production science provides industry and politics with crucial insights.

Rail is considered one of the most climate-friendly modes of transport. In Germany, however, it is often criticized. A guest article by Dr. Sascha Reinkober, Head of Large-Scale Machinery Deployment at DB InfraGO AG.

Politicians are calling for a more circular economy. This requires the digitalized, automated disassembly of used parts. And yet innovative, AI-supported solutions are lacking a solid data basis.

80 to 90 percent of all goods worldwide are transported on cargo ships. MAN builds engines for the world’s largest freighters – and thus has a decisive influence on the future of shipbuilding. We spoke to Dr. Johanna Rauchenberger, Head of Group Quality & HSE, and Dietmar Pinkernell, Head of Sustainability & Product Safety at MAN Energy Solutions, about their strategy for sus-tainable maritime transportation.

Artificial intelligence requires large quantities of data? Not necessarily, say scientists at Fraunhofer IPK. They use visual quality control for industrial goods to show how it can work.

Protective medical masks are an essential component for combating the pandemic. Their quality ought to be verified automatically and reliably.

Complaints regarding missing instruments in the operating room are a daily occurrence in hospitals. An AI-based system for automated completeness checks aims to avoid this.

Intelligent decision support systems can help prevent sudden major disruptions caused by absences.

A flexible robot system and an autonomous vehicle all in one: The Tend-O-Bot eliminates the need for rigid automation solutions in production. However, this can only be achieved with a change of perspective.

Big Data is considered the gold standard when it comes to AI. However, high-quality datasets lead to better insights than sheer amounts of data.

Each year, up to seven percent of all end-of-life parts are discarded instead of being reprocessed for remanufacturing. An AI-based decision support system aims to make the identification of end-of-life parts more robust and profitable.

Tend-O-Bot researches the use of mobile robots and intelligent software for autonomous machine tending.

An AI-based assistance system can make the identification of old parts more robust and profitable. This leads to more parts being repaired instead of new parts having to be produced. Using starters as a real-world calculation example from the automotive industry, let us show you the amount of emissions that can be saved as a result.

The first draft rarely is the final one in product development. With the help of artificial intelligence, this labor-intensive but essential stage can be accelerated.

Products and services have had a complicated love story. Can decentralized data spaces give their relationship the room it needs to grow?

Ultra-precision machining is the ultimate in manufacturing technology – it hardly gets any more accurate than this.

Artificial intelligence is one of the key drivers in product creation today. A new online platform’s claim is to make it more accessible for SMEs.

Staying competitive in space is only possible with sustainable and economical launch vehicles.

Within the framework of the research project BioFusion 4.0, data-driven solutions for a more sustainable and resource-efficient production are being developed at Fraunhofer IPK – inspired by principles from nature.

Auction catalogs are an important source for historians and provenance researchers for clearly identifying artworks. AI-based image search algorithms could soon help them.

»Workerbot 1« was the name of the first robot developed by the Berlinbased company pi4_robotics in 2010. Today, the 8th generation of Workerbots support industrial companies in handling, assembly and inspection, but the humanoid helpers are also used for building monitoring, concierge services, catering or the care sector. Founder and CEO Matthias Krinke explains in this interview with FUTUR that good technology needs emotions – especially when humans and machines work together.