There is a huge selection of glass break detectors on the market. Although these detectors reliably trigger an alarm when window panes break, they do not register all other ways in which burglars can interfere with a pane. To counter this, Fraunhofer researchers have created a new type of alarm system that recognizes any attempt […]
Mobile Control With Facial Gestures
Mobile devices play an increasingly important role in our lives; in some situations, though, they cannot be adequately managed and even accepting a call is a real challenge. In a study, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD in Rostock, Germany have evaluated which alternative control concepts are suitable to supplement the […]
MIRPHAB: Sensor Boutique For Early Adopters
Every chemical substance absorbs a very individual fraction of infrared light. Like a human fingerprint, this absorption can be used with optical methods for identifying substances. Such methods are used in the chemical industry, for example, but also in the health sector or in criminal investigation. If a company plans a new project, it often […]
Avoiding Material Inclusions Such As Dross In Wind Turbines
Wind turbines rise into the sky on enormous feet. To ensure these giants can reliably generate electricity for many years to come, the iron processing industry must manufacture their massive components in a stable, resource-saving and yet cost-effective way. However, material inclusions such as dross are often unavoidable while casting. Fraunhofer researchers are currently working […]
Bending Sheet Glass Using Lasers And Gravity
A new Fraunhofer technique makes it possible to bend sheet glass into complex or unconventional shapes with the help of laser beams. This opens up a whole new range of potential products for architects and designers. The researchers are taking advantage of a particular attribute glass has of becoming viscous and therefore malleable when exposed […]
Automatically Darkening Windows In A Wide Range Of Colors
In winter, when the sun sets earlier in the afternoon, people are happy to catch every last sunbeam. On hot summer days, however, office workers are keen to do without extra heat from the sun. Electrochromic glass offers a solution: When it’s gloomy outside, the glass remains transparent and lets through light and heat. But […]
3-D Printing Customized Insoles for Diabetes Patients
In the past, insoles for patients with diabetes were hand-made by orthopedic shoemakers. In the future, these specialist shoemakers will be able to produce insoles more cost-effectively thanks to new software and the use of 3-D printers. This approach means the mechanical properties of each insole can be assessed scientifically and more effectively. Is your […]
Beam Me Up To The Video Conference
When science fiction heroes communicate, they don’t use landlines or cell phones. The caller simply appears in virtual form in the middle of the room; full sized and three dimensional. For researchers at Fraunhofer, this vision is already within reach: At the trade fairs IFA in Berlin and IBC in Amsterdam they will show a […]
New Antireflective Coating Reduces Stray Light and Reflections
Transparent plastic optical lenses can be manufactured cheaply and in any shape. However, a downside is that they reflect light just as much as glass does. At the K trade fair in Düsseldorf, Fraunhofer researchers are exhibiting a new type of antireflective coating that significantly reduces stray light and reflections from plastic lenses. Not only […]
Computer Simulation to Spare Children from Heart Surgery
Children with congenital heart defects often undergo a battery of strenuous examinations and interventions. In the EU CARDIOPROOF project, Fraunhofer researchers have developed software to simulate certain interventions in advance. Preliminary results point to a reduced need to perform numerous interventions. It can come as a shock to parents: when coarctation of the aorta affects […]