Photonics focuses on the use of light with all its possibilities. From light control to laser technologies and data transmission, photonics is used in many fields such as medicine, industry, astronomy, microscopy or traffic safety. One of the leading research institutes in this field is the Dresden Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS.

The remobilization of finger joints that have been damaged by illness or injury is an emerging market in the field of demand-driven patient care. The FingerKIt consortium, which brings together five Fraunhofer institutes, uses AI to develop personalized 3D-printed joint implants so that these delicate finger parts can be replaced when necessary.

Rather than being released into the atmosphere and exacerbating the problem of climate change, CO2 can also be used as a raw material for substances required in industrial processes, such as formic acid or methanol.

Fraunhofer researchers will demonstrate how virtual prototyping can be used for simulations to detect errors and problems in complex electronic control systems.

Fraunhofer researchers have now found a way to harvest enough energy to operate these sensors using vibrations from machines, equipment or buildings, as well as from temperature differences between pipes, lines or valves, and the environment.

In order to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of digital technologies through research and development, the Fraunhofer and Leibniz institutes cooperating in the Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland (Research Factory Microelectronics Germany) are jointly establishing a cross-site competence center for resource-conscious information and communications technology (Green ICT @ FMD).

Highly sensitive electronic components are the drivers of our digitalized world. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) open up new possibilities for miniaturization in wide-ranging application areas.

The rising price and low availability of raw materials, especially silver, are leading to higher costs in producing photovoltaic modules. Fraunhofer researchers have developed an electroplating process that involves substituting silver, an expensive precious metal, with copper, which is more readily available.

At the world's leading trade fair for the process industry, ACHEMA in Frankfurt am Main, the Fraunhofer alliance for the chemistry lead market will present itself to the industry as a strong partner thanks to its combined expertise. From August 22 to 26, 2022, the participating institutes will showcase their current joint research activities, which focus on several areas.

As the world's largest copper exporter, Chile is encountering a growing number of sulfur-based ore layers containing toxic arsenic in its copper mines. Conventional strategies for separating and landfilling arsenic are proving limited in this area.