Press Releases

Flexible transport robots and intelligent systems for inventory management in supermarkets: from January 12 to 13, the “3Dsensation” research alliance will present the latest solutions for using robots in logistics and retail at the international electronics trade show CES 2021 ALL-DIGITAL.

Highly secure communication and the latest microscopy for medicine: leading-edge technologies from the world of quanta will be presented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF at the International Electronics Show CES 2021 ALL-DIGITAL from January 12 to 13.

An initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been researching new possibilities for tap-proof communication for a year now. The “QuNET“ initiative is working on procedures for exchanging information between authorities or in critical infrastructures - without third parties being able to eavesdrop. On December 2, 2020, German Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek and the participating research institutes presented first results. At a BMBF press conference, they introduced the basics of system architecture and systems for exchanging quantum keys over various distances.

A research project funded by the European Union with about 3 million Euro is dedicated to the development of a chemically selective microscope based on quantum technology (quantum ghost imaging). The “FastGhost” project started with a kickoff event on October 20, 2020.

The Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the winners of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020 (German Future Prize 2020) in a ceremony in Berlin on November 25, 2020. The Federal President honored the team made up of Dr. Peter Kürz from the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment, Dr. Michael Kösters from TRUMPF Lasersystems for Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Dr. Sergiy Yulin from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, bestowing on them his technology and innovation award for their project titled "EUV Lithography – New Light for the Digital Age".

The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF is launching a new international professional development program for managers in the optics and photonics industry. With "Photonics Manager Compact" the institute will provide insights into the current research and development landscape of photonics. The course, that will take place in Jena from February 22 – 26, 2021, thus prepares for questions of the future. In addition, it teaches methods of contemporary personnel management.

The Office of the Federal President today announced the nominees for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020 (German Future Prize 2020) in the Ehrensaal of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The circle of the best - the three projects for the final round of the German President's Award for Technology and Innovation - includes a team of experts from TRUMPF, ZEISS and Fraunhofer IOF: With their project "EUV Lithography - New Light for the Digital Age", Dr. Peter Kürz, ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment, Dr. Michael Kösters, TRUMPF Lasersystems for Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Dr. Sergiy Yulin, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, have been nominated.

In recent decades, micro-optical technologies have made enormous progress and have been able to advance into a wide range of application areas. The automotive sector in particular benefits from the efficient and compact optics, since the size of the components is usually very limited and the energy balance of vehicles must be continuously optimized. These and other applications for micro-optics will be discussed by international experts at the Microoptics Conference MOC2020 in Jena from September 24 to 26, 2020, also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The perpetrator left shoe prints and tire tracks can also be seen. The forensics usually casts such impressions with plaster - a lengthy procedure that also destroys the trace. Using a portable 3D scanner from Fraunhofer IOF, such traces can now be secured non-destructively within seconds. The new "3DF scanner" will be presented at the GPEC police equipment trade fair from 18 to 20th February of 2020 in Frankfurt/Main (Hall 11.1, Stand E120).