BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hannover Messe 2014 | Details of the Exhibitors | Page 1 of 8
Project Overview
Details of the Exhibitors
Basic interdisciplinary research strengthens Germany's position as a
centre for research and technology and is a major driving force for
innovation. Cooperation on a European scale also plays an important role
alongside national research facilities. The results of basic research
carried out by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
and the European Space Agency (ESA) offer a wide range of approaches
that German and European companies are using to transform them into
specific industrial "spin-offs" and bring them to the market. CERN and the
ESA are represented at this year's Hannover Messe with twelve of these
companies and their innovations.
CERN will also present technologies with potentially record-breaking
properties - innovative surface treatments, high performance radiationhard electronics and even the world's best thermal conductor, developed
for stopping stray particles in the Large Hadron Collider and likely to be
used in future thermal management applications (ranging from aerospace
propulsion to microchips cooling).
1
Kinexon enables 3D localisation with centimetre precision – even within
enclosed spaces for the very first time
Space-based sensor technology is revolutionising data collection and
localisation in sport, healthcare, logistics and industry
A precise analysis of ball contact, movements and pass ratios – which could
only be determined with extensive follow-up work through TV channels up until
now – can be collected in future by sports teams in amateur leagues and
displayed in real-time on a tablet. This is made possible thanks to the
localisation system produced by the Munich-based company Kinexon GmbH.
It consists of one – or in the case of a football team eleven – small sensors that
can gather movement and position data of objects and persons. Equipped with
this system athletes and sports teams can not only optimise their tactics during
training. They can exactly quantify their stress and minimise the risk of injuries.
The localisation system based on ESA space technology will not just
revolutionise data collection in the world of sport. Kinexon One is the first
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system to be brought to the market that offers 3D localisation with centimetre
precision, even in enclosed spaces. The new technology therefore opens up
completely new opportunities, particularly in logistics, unmanned aviation or
healthcare.
In the industrial sector the precise gathering of movement and position data of
products, tools and parts enables the intelligent control of operation cycles. The
system can monitor and automate complex production processes. This greatly
improves the production efficiency and makes Kinexon One a valuable
contribution to ‘Industry 4.0’.
For the first time Kinexon One makes it possible for drones or transport robots
to navigate indoors with centimetre precision. With this technology post drones
could approach their goods with pinpoint accuracy. Shipments could be carried
directly out of the logistics depot to the doorstep of the recipient. Exact drone
navigation can also be an asset for rescue workers. In the case of fire incidents
or accidents drones could be used indoors for surveillance.
Within the healthcare sector, for example, Kinexon One can be used for the
very first time to easily locate Alzheimer patients, important equipment and files
within a building. The system can be enhanced by components that record a
patient's state of health and transmit it to the appropriate supervisor together
with the location data.
Technology partner: ESA
Company contact:
KINEXON GmbH
Dr. Oliver Trinchera, Managing Director
Tel: +49 (0)89 46 13 43 00 | E-mail: [email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________________
2
High-precision and portable X-ray equipment thanks to new sensor
technology
Razor-sharp X-ray images created with a handy device – what yesterday was
still a pipe dream is now a marketable product thanks to the new photon
measurement technology (Medipix) developed at CERN.
The Freiburg-based company X-Ray Imaging Europe GmbH has created highly
efficient sensors that can measure gamma rays and X-rays on this basis. These
are not just important in the field of basic research. Materials no longer need to
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be destroyed for materials testing and the technology can be used to develop
portable measuring equipment in safety technology in nuclear power plants.
These can measure gamma rays from nuclear fuel rods and can therefore be
used when dismantling nuclear power plants. In the future, even more detailed
images will be able to be created in this way with just a low dose of radiation.
The X-ray sensors are used in the portable computed tomography system
CTportable, developed by the Fraunhofer Development Center for X-Ray
Technology (EZRT). The system is flexible and can create highly detailed CT
images with just a low dose of radiation.
Various spin-off companies of CERN, including X-Ray Imatek and WIDEPIX,
manufacture X-ray equipment with high image quality and resolutions that are
able to produce detailed digital images without electrical interference, based on
CERN’s Medipix technology. These have primarily been used up until now in
the field of basic physical research. Other applications can be found in the field
of materials research, where they are able to examine lightweight materials,
such as biological samples, plastics, composite materials for the aerospace
industry and special alloys.
Technology partner: CERN
Company contact:
X-Ray Imaging Europe GmbH
Prof. Dr. Michael Fiederle
Tel: +49 76 15 03 91 713 | E-mail: [email protected]
X-Ray Imatek
Mr Victor Sanchez Rojas
Tel: +34 93 58 68 961 | E-mail: [email protected]
WIDEPIX s.r.o.
Mr Jan Sohar
Tel: +42 0 603 44 41 12 | E-mail: [email protected]
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3
Mobile sensors for environmental monitoring
Climate change, earthquakes, tsunamis – precautions against forces of nature
must be continually further developed to protect human life. Only close
environmental monitoring and the collection of detailed data can enable us to
gain a better understanding of nature and make accurate predictions.
The Gilching-based company Spectrum Aerospace Research Corporation
GmbH has developed the "Remote Monitoring System (RMS)" in this regard.
These are portable sensors based on ESA satellite technology that measure
environmental parameters, such as air pressure, light, temperature and
radiation. The system can gather data on a global scale in real time and in-situ.
The areas of application are diverse. For example, the RMS is to be used in the
Copernicus programme, the European earth observation programme. However,
industrial applications are also possible; for example in the logistics sector,
where the system can be installed in postal packages to monitor and track the
transportation of food and medicines, amongst other things. Flexible and
accurate measurement data can also be collected with small devices in safetyrelated environments, such as chemical storage facilities or nuclear power
plants.
A USB stick version of the system is also planned that turns a smartphone into
a mobile scanner when it is connected to it. In the future this type of application
can help to feed user data into environmental databases using crowdsourcing
and thus make a key contribution to comprehensive environmental monitoring.
Technology partner: ESA
Company contact:
Spectrum Aerospace Research Corporation GmbH
Dr. Michael Schlüter
Tel: +49 8105 77 2 77 70 | E-mail: [email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________________
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4
Search 1.3 million data records in under a second:
Digital library and document management system in the Cloud
Order in data chaos: video files, research data, articles, conference material,
personnel files – millions of digital documents merged in just one system and
accessible via the Cloud. The Norwegian company Tind Technologies has
developed Invenio, a digital document management system with an integrated
library function, based on CERN's digital infrastructure that enables researchers
to share a wide range of results, articles and documents with each other.
The system is geared towards libraries, universities, research laboratories and
companies and can be flexibly adapted and networked to exchange data quickly
and easily. Invenio can handle large amounts of data quickly and efficiently: It
completes a search query through over 1.3 million data records in a second. By
storing the data in the Cloud, users can also access the system whilst out and
about, either via a computer or smartphone.
Invenio particularly aids those for whom the search for scientific articles,
development papers and decades-old publications has become detective work.
The system is a first step towards a universal digital network of archives and
today already provides a solution for the flood of data in the future: Because
already by 2020 more than 75 times the current amount of information will have
to be stored and made accessible.
Technology partner: CERN
Company contact:
Tind Technologies AS
Mr Kenneth Hole
Tel: +47 91 62 91 96 | E-mail: [email protected]
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5
Space fire extinguishing system for terrestial IT infrastructures
There are stringent requirements for technology that is to be used in space –
particularly in terms of safety. The Dutch company ExxFire BV is manufacturing
a new fire extinguishing system for servers and IT infrastructures based on the
ESA's Proba-2 satellite drive technology.
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This stores nitrogen in a solid form, requires no maintenance and is not
pressurised. The hardware is not damaged by the extinguishing system in the
event of a fire and there are no harmful side effects for humans and the
environment through the emission of chemical gases in contrast to conventional
systems.
ExxFire is currently working on the development of a safe alternative to
conventional pressurised gas cylinders based on this space technology.
Technology partner: ESA
Company contact:
ExxFire BV
Mr Edvin Verver
Tel: +31 65 15 35 841 | E-mail: [email protected]
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6
Particle accelerator technology increases the efficiency of solar systems
Particle accelerators need empty space – the Higgs particle would probably
never have been discovered without a perfect vacuum. Ultimately, particle
beams can only circulate in the accelerator and be accelerated to high energies
if no particles stand in their way.
A new technology was developed for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN –
which places extremely high demands on its vacuum – combining the
conventional vacuum getter pump technology with innovative thin film coating,
thus converting the entire vacuum chamber into a vacuum pump. This
technology that has been patented by CERN is used in solar cells manufactured
by SRB Energy, which work better under an improved vacuum just like particle
accelerators, because it insulates them against surrounding temperatures better
than conventional technologies.
The solar panels can therefore still be 80° C even if they are covered with snow.
They also work in diffused light, without any direct sunlight. SRB Energy has
already supplied Geneva Airport with one of the largest solar systems in
Switzerland. The technology could also be used in space travel in the future.
Technology partner: CERN
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Company contact:
SRB Energy
Mr Vladimir Ruzinov
Tel: +41 22 48 73 514 | E-mail: [email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________________ 7
Intelligent drone technology for unmanned civil aviation
It could soon be the case that courier or postal services no longer deliver your
shipments to the consignee with petrol-guzzling sprinter vans but instead using
unmanned drones. Advanced autopilot systems, tailored to their respective
tasks, are required to ensure that these intelligent aircraft find their way to their
final destination.
The Dutch company Avionics Control Systems is developing the hardware and
software for these applications based on the ESA's space technology. Whether
it's in logistics, agriculture or for the police, the applications are varied and
require tailor-made solutions.
The vision of Avionics Control Systems is that there will soon be intelligent,
unmanned air transporters, powered by environmentally friendly solar energy.
The company is already developing the basics of this technology today.
Technology partner: ESA
Company contact:
Avionics Control Systems
Mr Mauro Garcia Acero
Tel: +31 (0)6 37 33 77 52 | E-mail: [email protected]
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8
Centring technology
manufacturing
increases
efficiency
in
production
and
IJSPEERT Innovative Technologies is transforming CERN's cutting-edge
"Diaphragm" technology into efficient industrial applications. The technology
was originally developed by CERN for the manufacture of the "Large Hadron
Collider" superconducting corrector magnets. Lamination stacks are used to
achieve very accurate centring and fixation of single or multiple objects of any
shape.
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IJSPEERT Innovative Technologies is continuing to develop the efficient and
versatile CERN technology and granting licences to manufacturers who want to
use it in the production of equipment, such as electric motors, tool holders,
profile fixings, shaft centring, etc. to increase their efficiency.
Technology partner: CERN
Company contact:
IJSPEERT Innovative Technologies
Mr Albert Ijspeert
Tel: +41 22 79 64 001 | E-mail: [email protected]
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9
Where are you driving to? Range determination for electric cars
Electric cars have been predicted a great future as a result of the scarcity of raw
materials in the coming decades. However, the relatively low battery life still
poses a considerable problem.
In order to optimise the available power, ALL4IP TECHNOLOGIES has
developed the mapZero App for Android tablets that reads relevant vehicle data
and calculates precise range forecasts and the ideal route to a destination
based on map and topological data.
Technology partner: ESA
Contact person:
ALL4IP TECHNOLOGIES GmbH & Co. KG
Dr. Peter Conradi, Managing Director
Tel: +49 (0)61 51 39 21 057 | E-mail: [email protected]