TECH OFFERS

With the prevalence of Internet of Things (IoTs), urban cities have evolved into Smart Cities, where information is constantly collected and fed into the cloud. Hence, there is a need for a smart grid system that can analyse these data and use it to provide real-time or predictive assistance to citizens and businesses to improve quality of life. This technology offer is a highly customisable AI system for real-time monitoring, anomaly detection and predictive maintenance. The AI is able to provide real-time monitoring of desired systems from distribution networks (power, water, and gas) to other applications such as fibre optics cable monitoring. This monitoring system includes an automated detection and localisation of network anomalies and defects based on incoming sensor data. Using data-driven forecast, it is able to provide insights for predictive maintenance and minimise the disruption of the monitored system. The use of this technology is suitable for other cases such as route optimisation, smart mobility and CO2 forecasting. The technology owner is interested in pilot projects, R&D collaboration as well as to license this technology.

Direct visual SLAM is the state of the art in 3D computer vision. As compared to traditional feature-based SLAM, this Direct Sparse Odometry approach works reliably in featureless, repetitive and complex outdoor environments. The technology offer presents a software that adopts direct visual SLAM. It can turn 2D images from off-the-shelf cameras into a precise understanding of the position and 3D environment, thereby enabling accurate, robust and safe navigation of autonomous robots or advanced spatial intelligence applications. Additionally, it does not require expensive systems, such as LiDARs, and is more independent and reliable than Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or HD maps. Besides cameras, the input from IMUs, GNSS, wheel odometry or LiDAR may be optionally fused for increased reliability or to address edge cases of particular applications.

A German University start-up has developed an innovative measuring probe for low pressure plasma processes (e.g. CVD, PVD). The problem with these surface-activating plasma processes is that they have to be carried out in difficult-to-access vacuum chambers/reactors. This makes proper monitoring of these processes challenging. Currently, most of the process parameters are monitored through sensors fitted to the wall of the reactor, which is only in the periphery of the actual plasma process and therefore less accurate. The proposed probe design enables real-time and accurate measurement of most relevant process parameters in-situ. It can be flexibly positioned within the reactor without affecting the process. Their technology has been extensively tested and fine-tuned over the last few years and is now ready to be used in industrial processes. The German startup is seeking industrial partners interested in technological cooperation agreements who want to improve their plasma process outcomes, quality and efficiency by developing and adapting the MRP technique to their specific needs. The company is also interested in financial agreement with investors in order to secure future developments and products.

Battery cells must be tested for performance and operational reliability from the design phase to the production process, to safeguard its safety, reliability and cost. As batteries are prone to temperature-related issues, like overheating and overcharging, there can be extreme spikes in temperature known as ‘thermal runaway’. In order to evaluate the thermal performance of the battery, calorimetric testing can produce data that indicates defects at an early stage and thus help to predict a ‘thermal runaway’ at a later stage.  A German research institute has developed a modular, scalable calorimeter to measure the thermal data of batteries of diverse cell sizes. The scalable system is suitable for applications in thermal monitoring from new module designs to new battery materials and quality assurance. The modules are currently in use at the research institute and this calorimeter has German utility model protection. The research institute is searching for partners for the joint further development in research cooperation agreements or for partners interested in a direct license.