Newsletter of the Fraunhofer IST

Medical products such as blood bags and tubing are often made from soft PVC, a plastic that contains phthalate plasticizers, which are suspected to be harmful to human health. A new method developed at the Fraunhofer IST prevents these harmful substances from migrating into the surrounding media.

In a team with five other Fraunhofer Institutes, the Fraunhofer IST has developed the vehicle concept “Vision PI” that can be flexibly and individually designed and adapted depending on the application.

Surfaces play a central role in the containment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: from the sterilization of clothing and medical equipment through to the development of diagnostic and biosensor systems. With its expertise the Fraunhofer IST is involved in a number of projects to deal with direct effects and the later consequences of the corona pandemic.

As the planned official event had to be postponed due to the corona situation, the farewell ceremony took place on a small scale within the campus in a hybrid format. 

The city of Salzgitter, Salzgitter AG, MAN Energy Solutions, Bosch, Alstom, WEVG, the Fraunhofer IST, and the Projektbüro Südostniedersachsen have signed a cooperation agreement for the Wasserstoff-Campus (hydrogen campus) Salzgitter - a mutual commitment for the city and the region.

Several Fraunhofer Institutes are working together to develop solutions for the technological challenges of resource-saving and cost-effective lightweight construction as well as for increasing efficiency, reducing traffic-related emissions and recycling vehicle components. The Fraunhofer IST focuses on the further development of smart surfaces such as surface-integrated thin-film sensors.

The research center IoT-COMMs – part of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Internet Technologies CCIT – has developed an intelligent screw connection which enables wireless, energy-autonomous monitoring. A thin-film sensor thereby measures both the forces acting on the screw connection and changes in the ambient temperature at the installation site.