The working group, under the academic leadership of Prof. Ralf Dudde from ISIT and Prof. Michael Berger from FHW, is investigating how machines and other electronic devices can be operated more easily in the future. Thanks to microsystems technology, smartphones, for example, are already capable of detecting movements in space, recognising touch, speech and sounds. With new sensors, these personal assistants will in future also be able to recognise gestures, monitor the ambient environment and perhaps even read speech from the lips. New microsystems will find additional applications in automotive engineering, mechanical engineering, entertainment technology and medical technology.

The Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is supporting this collaboration with €1.2 million over the next four years. Through this commitment, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is also pursuing the objectives of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and aims, in this way, to strengthen the regional networking of Fraunhofer Institutes with universities of applied sciences nationwide, facilitate exchange with graduates of these institutions, and enhance the research expertise of universities of applied sciences. This is because universities of applied sciences in particular are attractive research partners for Fraunhofer Institutes: the curricula of universities of applied sciences, just like the research topics of Fraunhofer Institutes, take particular account of the future needs of companies in Germany.

The collaboration between ISIT and FH-Westküste is the first of its kind in the whole of northern Germany; seven such joint working groups are being set up across the country.

The new collaboration between FHW and ISIT was organised quickly and easily, as the proximity of these two major research partners on the west coast has fostered a close and constructive working relationship over the years, for example in the training of students and in joint project and public relations work. As part of subcontracts, FHW regularly contributes to ISIT research projects. More than 20 FHW students have completed their six-month work placement at ISIT, and roughly the same number work at ISIT as student assistants. Diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s theses – two to three per year – cover key areas of ISIT’s research and also demonstrate the academic commitment of the FHW’s professors. Various graduates have gone on to pursue careers as staff members at ISIT, and some of them are currently working towards a PhD.

Within the working group, researchers from the FHW and ISIT will develop functional machine control systems to demonstrate, in practical terms, the potential applications of ISIT’s new microsensors. Work will begin with optical systems for gesture recognition in machine control and for distance measurement in motor vehicles. Various experts from the FHW will be working at ISIT, and FHW students will also be involved in the project. The ISIT researchers, who are experts in microsystems technology, will contribute their expertise in the development of silicon microsensors. Using demonstrators produced jointly within the working group, the partners aim to attract new industrial clients and secure their involvement in further research and development projects, thereby enabling the working group to grow

The new working group with the FHW is another important hub through which ISIT is establishing links within the research landscape. It forms part of a wide range of ISIT collaborations with other research institutions in northern Germany and beyond, such as the CAU in Kiel, the HAW in Hamburg, the FH Kiel and the University of Southern Denmark.