Tech News

As part of the EU-funded PROACTIF project, 42 European partners from research and industry are collaborating with Nokia to develop a new multi-sensor system designed specifically for drones. The German consortium, led by Fraunhofer IZM, is developing an innovative multi-sensor module that automatically detects heat. This compact unit combines radar and infrared technology. The combination of short- and long-range radar with three innovative packaging technologies results in a lightweight, robust system that can detect the precise location of pockets of embers in forest fires, even beneath the tree canopy.

Many innovative European companies working on edge AI technologies have, until now, been dependent on international supply chains. To reduce this dependence, research organizations from four EU countries – including Fraunhofer – are setting up a European pilot line for next-generation edge AI technologies.

It slips on like a normal vest: Fraunhofer IZM has created a smart sensor system in cooperation with the Charité and the Technical University of Berlin. The vest records a vast array of cardiovascular parameters, which an AI-based system uses to support medical diagnostics and spot potentially dangerous developments.

A gentle tap on the knitted lampshade is enough to switch on the light. The lamp developed by Fraunhofer IZM in cooperation with WINT Design Lab works with a revolutionary conductive ink. Visitors can find out more and try the lamp themselves at the Berlin Science Week on November 1st and 2nd.

PFABO and its innovative deposit and returns system is taking sustainability to the next level in the food industry. Its founders, Juliane and Adrian Spieker, and their team have not only developed a new type of packaging, but invented a complete system for reusable packaging that covers production, logistics, cleaning, and digital tracing. Their mission: To drastically reduce the amount of one-way packaging in the food industry and establish reusable packaging as the new normal. With the team at Start-A-Factory, which brings hardware startup entrepreneurs and researchers together at Fraunhofer IZM, the PFABO containers are made fit for the hygiene standards of the food industry - all thanks to an AI-driven monitoring system.

By sharing technological expertise on TGVs and RDL on glass, 15 leading companies are driving forward the development of glass-based substrates. The kick-off event for the Glass Panel Technology Group took place on October 1, 2025, at Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin.

On the occasion of the 58th International Symposium on Microelectronics (IMAPS Symposium 2025) in San Diego, CA, USA, Fraunhofer IZM department head Professor Ivan Ndip was honored with the Sidney J. Stein International Award 2025 for his significant international technical contributions to the microelectronics packaging industry and his extraordinary commitment to IMAPS at the international level.

Together with 24 German research institutions and companies, and under the coordination of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID is working on a complete German quantum computer based on superconducting quantum chips and with reduced error rates. Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID provides innovative packaging technologies and has developed an interposer that optimizes the connection between qubits and control electronics

Within the SPOC project, Fraunhofer IZM and Akhetonics are working on a fully optical quantum processor to make it more efficient and scalable with advanced packaging and interconnection technologies for its optical components.

Which emerging technologies will need most resources by 2045? This is the question that researchers at Fraunhofer ISI and Fraunhofer IZM are trying to answer on behalf of the Germany Mineral Resource Agency DERA. In its fourth inception, the study on „Raw Materials for Emerging Technologies“ is again offering invaluable insights and recommendations for politicians, business leaders, manufacturers, scientists, and the wider public.