RESEARCH NEWS
Heilbronn to become key research hub
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will expand its activities in Heilbronn significantly with funding from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation . From 2025 , a total of eight research and innovation centres will address research topics ranging from cybersecurity to quantum AI . This will provide an important impetus for innovation in Germany and strengthen the country ’ s competitiveness in these fields .
New centres are to be established in addition to the existing ones . In addition to Fraunhofer IAO , Fraunhofer ISI and the Fraunhofer Information Center for Planning and Building IRB , the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Information and Analysis Systems IAIS , the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT ( with its ATHENE Center ) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA will also be included . The various activities conducted in Heilbronn will be subsumed under the name ‘ Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centres ’, or Fraunhofer HNFIZ for short .
Close collaboration with companies , organisations and public-sector institutions in the region is a central focus of the project . Development funding is initially slated to run until 2034 , but the project is planned for the long term . Some 300 full-time research scientists are expected to work for Fraunhofer HNFIZ at the end of the
L-R : Prof . Holger Hanselka , Prof . Reinhold Geilsdörfer and Prof . Wilhelm Bauer . Image : Dieter Schwarz Stiftung / Nico Kurth .
development phase , almost 200 of them directly in Heilbronn . The closely intertwined regional research hub is designed for collaborative , agile work .
Eight centres will conduct research on :
■ Cognitive Service Systems ( Fraunhofer IAO ). AI-based service systems for viable value creation .
■ Future Skills ( Fraunhofer IAO , Fraunhofer IRB ). AI-based innovation activation in continuing education .
■ Innovation & Foresight ( Fraunhofer ISI ). Systemic innovation research and shaping future innovations for innovative futures .
■ Hybrid Artificial Intelligence ( Fraunhofer IAIS , Fraunhofer IAO ). From human-in-the-loop to agent-in-theloop approaches .
■ Transformation & Governance ( Fraunhofer IRB , Fraunhofer IAO ). Governance models and transfer strategies for multiple transformation processes .
■ AI-Based Robotics ( Fraunhofer IPA , Fraunhofer IAO ). AI-based automation for the manipulation and handling of goods and components .
■ Cybersecurity ( Fraunhofer SIT ). Enterprise security as the basis for the digital transformation of the economy .
■ Applied Quantum AI ( Fraunhofer IAO , Fraunhofer IPA ). Co-development of quantum and AI solutions for mutual reinforcement .
The applications and solutions developed in Heilbronn are expected to find their way into the world via Europe , thereby strengthening the region and Germany as a whole .
The Dieter Schwarz Foundation ranks among the large German foundations . n
www
. fraunhofer . de
New U . S . centre to improve robot dexterity
A large multi-institutional collaboration in the United States , led by Northwestern University , received US $ 26 million in late 2024 from the National Science Foundation ( NSF ) to launch a new Engineering Research Centre ( ERC ) dedicated to revolutionising the ability of robots to amplify human labour .
The NSF grant will fund the new centre in the U . S . across five years , with the ability to renew for another US $ 26 million for an additional five years . It marks the first ERC led by Northwestern . Core partners include Carnegie Mellon University , Florida A & M and Texas A & M with additional faculty support from Syracuse University , the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .
“ Dubbed ‘ Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity ’ ( HAND ), the new ERC will develop dexterous robot hands with the ability to assist humans with manufacturing , caregiving , handling precious or dangerous materials and more . The centre aims to build technological
Professor Colgate will lead the new ERC .
tools that are versatile and easy to integrate , creating robots capable of intelligent and versatile grasping , fine motor skills and handeye coordination ,” explained Northwestern University .
An expert in robots and haptics , J . Edward Colgate ( a Walter P . Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern Engineering ) will lead the centre . Kevin Lynch , a professor of mechanical engineering at McCormick and director of Northwestern ’ s Centre for Robotics and Biosystems , will serve as the centre ’ s research director . Researchers also want to ensure that new robotic hands are inexpensive , easy to operate without expertise , robust , durable and mass-manufacturable .
“ The interdisciplinary team will help to develop and prepare a diverse workforce for an entirely new field of study focused on dexterous robots and foster a culture that nourishes inclusivity and ensures equitable access to new technologies . Potential outcomes will include increased worker productivity ; improved job opportunities ; reshoring of manufacturing ; reduced supply chain vulnerability ; enhanced food safety ; improved quality of life and democratisation of the benefits of robotics ” concluded Northwestern University . n
www . mccormick . northwestern . edu
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