Let the sunshine in: Organic solar cells for photovoltaics
Photovoltaics play a key role in the energy revolution. After all, the sun is the most abundant source of energy we have. Photovoltaics are usually based on the use of silicon cells, whose production up to now cannot be considered very "green" because it requires so much energy. This might be about to change: At the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), researchers collaborating on an interdisciplinary project have now discovered a less expensive way to make a new kind of solar cell without the use of silicon, and will be highlighting this innovative new technology at HANNOVER FAIR 2016.

In place of silicon, the research team in Karlsruhe is now opting to use organic solar cells consisting of synthetic materials. Organic solar cells can open up new markets to photovoltaics because solar cells made of plastic offer a wide variety of benefits: They are lightweight, mechanically flexible, and can be made in different colors, thus tapping into such diverse areas of application as integration into building facades and even windows. Up to now, however, the production of these solar cells involved the use of harmful solvents. In cooperation with MJR PharmJet GmbH, the KIT researchers have developed an environmentally compatible process for coating and printing organic semiconductors which also reduces the costs of production. In 2015, the Gips-Schüle Foundation chose the project as the winner of its research award, which included a cash prize of €50,000.

Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT)
Kaiserstrasse 12
76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Tel.: +49 721 608-48126
Fax: +49 721 6084290
www.kit.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Monika Landgraf
Hall 2, stand B16
E-mail: monika.landgraf@kit.edu

It’'s a bird - no, it's a plane!
Airbus planes could soon be flying like a bird. At HANNOVER FAIR 2016, Airbus Operations and its partner, BIOKON, will demonstrate how today’s bionic research is paving the way to achieving this goal in tomorrow’s aircraft manufacturing.

Future aircraft could be built using a bionic structure that mimics the bone structure of birds. A bird’s bones are both light and strong because their porous interior transfers force only where necessary, with the rest consisting of empty space. By applying bionic structures to the airplane’s fuselage, engineers can achieve the required stability while lowering the weight and fuel consumption and maximizing the amount of extra space. This in turn will make it possible to add features like panoramic windows and oversized doors for easier passenger boarding.

Airbus Operations GmbH
Kreetslag 10
21129 Hamburg, Germany
Tel.: +49 40 743 70
Fax: +49 40 743 87070
www.airbus.com/de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Dr. Rainer Erb
Halle 2, Stand A01, Partner bei BIOKON
Tel. +49 30 46 06 84 84
E-Mail: kontakt@biokon.de

Industry 4.0: Innovative pneumatics keep up the pressure
Perpetually increasing efficiency and adding new value - that's a big part of Industry 4.0. Aventics is a company which is making a contribution towards achieving those goals with new novel pneumatics solutions. At HANNOVER FAIR 2016, this Laatzen-based company will showcase their AV (Advanced Valve) valve line equipped with modular AES electronics. The new solution provides for a high degree of process integration along with secure data access and integration into the Internet of Things.

The Aventics concept is straightforward: Networked sensors working decentrally form an information system that increases system availability based on automated analysis and diagnosis. As system components, the innovative AV valves are important building blocks in Industry 4.0 because they weigh less, are more compact and exhibit a higher function density than conventional valves, to name just a few of the key advantages. This in turn leads to a greater range of options in machine design. The structure of the valve system can be adapted to the specific machine requirements. Up to 64 base plate valves can be added modularly to the board, and configurable voltage and compressed air circuits add to the system’s flexibility.

Aventics GmbH
Ulmer Strasse 4
30880 Laatzen, Germany
Tel.: +49 511 2136862
Fax: +49 511 2136269
www.aventics.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Meike Müller-Wiegand
Hall 17, stand B22
E-mail: meike.mueller-wiegand@aventics.com

The multi-talented machine for home, yard and farm
At first glance, MULTIKON - being showcased at HANNOVER FAIR 2016 by the company of the same name - looks just like a regular push mower. But it can do a lot more, including sweeping pathways, mowing meadows, clearing snow, generating electricity and mulching. And, if necessary, it can be adapted to accommodate the needs of handicapped users at the flick of a wrist.

This great diversity is made possible by a number of different accessories, most of which merely need to be screwed on. The MULTIKON is for instance then able to clear up to 10 centimeters of snow. As a power sweeper, it can sweep sidewalks and other paved surfaces. Out on the meadow or a large-sized lawn, it makes itself useful as a sickle bar mower. And as a power generator, it can quickly deliver 1.5 kW at a voltage of 230V in emergencies.

MULTIKON GmbH
Dresdner Strasse 22-24
01558 Grossenhain, Germany
Tel.: +49 3522 364 51
Fax: +49 3522 364 59
www.multikon-tools.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Mike Freudemann
Hall 3, stand B06, a partner of futureSAX
Mobile: +49 162 971 72 65
E-mail: M.Freudemann@multikon-tools.de

Digital workspace saves up to 75 percent of IT costs
Never again will you have to install software on a device - not if you have oneclick. At HANNOVER FAIR 2016, OC Development will present this new product, a platform on which anyone can deploy digital workspaces completely automatically.

Using oneclick, any software can be streamed worldwide from any source to any device. It's a platform designed to make life easier for IT managers, employers and users. And it comes complete with a holistic management tool and the entire infrastructure required for the organization of digital workspaces. This makes it possible to set up workspaces for many different employees, even if they use different applications from a variety of sources. Digital workspaces can offer companies a savings of up to 75 percent of their previous IT costs. At the same time, oneclick helps companies to comply with legal requirements and protects them against sub-licensing and data misuse. The employee work environment is also isolated from the device in terms of technology to allow greater local freedom. Because oneclick uses encryption and architecture similar to that employed in the banking sector, company data is not stored on the user’s device and cannot be saved locally. And last but not least, users are completely independent of any particular work device. Even the loss or malfunction of a device is no problem because you can simply switch over to a replacement device. oneclick is available in three versions with a range of features.

OC Development GmbH
Joseph-von-Frauenhofer-Straße 9
83209 Prien, Germany
Tel.: +49 851 93975 0
www.oneclick-cloud.com

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Domiki Birgelen
Hall 2, stand A52
Mobile: +49 152 090 963 23
E-mail: dominik.bigelen@oneclick-cloud.com

Machines now order their own spare parts
The spare parts you need at the right place at the right time: When something breaks down, this is key because production downtime always costs money. At HANNOVER FAIR 2016, symmedia will present symmedia SP/1 Parts, a new solution that means the spare part you need is always only a click away.

symmedia SP/1 Parts is an intelligent spare parts shop that connects the operator's production machinery directly with the manufacturer. Based on the machine data, Parts automatically creates an intelligent shopping cart with order suggestions. Original spare parts can then be ordered from the manufacturer with a single click. This saves time, makes machine maintenance scheduling easy and provides for maximum production availability in the long run.

Symmedia GmbH
Turnerstrasse 27
33602 Bielefeld, Germany
Tel.: +49 521 96655 50
Fax: +49 521 96655 55
www.symmedia.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Katharina Lantzke
Hall 16, stand A10, a partner of the Ministry for MWEIMH NRW
E-mail: lantzke@symmedia.de

Innovative HVDC systems can transmit more than 10 gigawatts of energy
Even the energy revolution requires a reliable backbone - which is exactly what the high-voltage direct current system (HVDC) can be called. High-performance transistors are at the heart of the system, supporting the connection of DC networks to sources like offshore wind parks. ABB, a leading provider of energy and automation technology, is showcasing a new type of high-performance transistor at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 – BIGT (Bimode Insulated Gate Transistor), which greatly enhances the efficiency of energy transmission.

HVDC systems considerably reduce the amount of transmission loss which occurs when cables are used for long-distance power transmission, since direct current results in significantly lower losses. HVDC converters moreover compensate for so-called "idle power", which arises when more energy is delivered than consumed, and supports the efficient transmission of large quantities of electric power. ABB’s new BIGT chips also improve the energy density thanks to their two-stage integration of transistor and diode functionality on a single chip, making them highly tolerant of leakage currents. At HANNOVER MESSE 2016, ABB will also be displaying a new generation of thyristors, a kind of switchable semiconductor. An optimization of thyristor structures further reduces transducer conduction losses by 13 percent, making HVDC systems capable of transmitting more than ten gigawatts of power.

ABB AG
Kallstadter Strasse 1
68309 Mannheim, Germany
Tel.: +49 621 4381432 / -4381205
Fax: +49 621 4381390
www.abb.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Hall 11, stand A35
Beate Höger-Spiegel
E-mail: beate.hoeger-spiegel@de.abb.com
Alexander Kessler
E-mail: alexander.kessler@de.abb.com

Totally real 3-D vehicle simulations
To develop vehicle products in the virtual world, it is necessary to have exact data on a wide variety of environmental conditions. This is the only way developers can test their ideas on computers with the same results as on real test cars. In Hannover, Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting a system that uses laser scanners to collect real data at normal driving speed, which is then processed quickly and inexpensively in real time for 3-D vehicle simulations.

The new system is made up of a measurement vehicle, a geo-referenced database and a vehicle simulator. The REDAR (Road & Environmental Data Acquisition Rover) measurement vehicle is equipped with two 360-degree laser scanners to collect an enormous amount of data on its environment at regular driving speed. To be more precise, the measuring vehicle records the building facades on the left and right and the street ahead and behind at a distance of 200 meters. The measuring vehicle scans the street profile with a resolution of less than a half a centimeter. Researchers have now been successful in processing the resulting huge volumes of data in the terabytes so they can be used in interactive 3-D vehicle simulations in real time.

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
Fraunhofer-Platz 1
67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Tel.: +49 631 31600 0
Fax: +49 631 31600 1099
www.itwm.fraunhofer.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Dipl.-Math. Steffen Grützner
Hall 7, stand E11, a partner of Fraunhofer Society
E-mail: presse@itwm.fhg.de

Portable mini-hydropower plant – for people on the go
Nearly everyone has been underway with an electronic device and the battery runs out. To ensure this never happens again, the Fürth-based Aquakin company is unveiling its Blue Freedom product at HANNOVER MESSE 2016. With a diameter of only 20 centimeters, a height of 5 cm and a weight of 400 grams, it is the world’s smallest, most lightweight hydropower plant. Fitting inside any backpack, the device uses hydropower to generate electric power which can be used for things like charging electrical devices. Anyone who has access to running or flowing water can generate his or her own energy in an environmentally friendly way. Even in shallow water, energy can still be produced.

The mini-power plant consists of a hydrodynamic turbine with rotor blades, an integrated power plant and a high-performance battery. The rotor blades have a diameter of 12 cm and a height of six cm, and the synchronous generator puts out five watts, at a nominal voltage of 5V. Placed in a river for one hour, Blue Freedom can for example charge a smartphone for 10 hours of operation.

The mini-hydropower plant has a USB charging function, daylight-intensity LED lighting and comes with a wide variety of accessories. The product operates at 5 to 40° Celsius and can tolerate air humidity of up to 95%. While Blue Freedom will not work on Mount Everest (elevation 8,848 meters), it can be used on most other mountains – up to an altitude of 5,000 meters.

Aquakin GmbH
Bruno-Strauss-Strasse 5C
90763 Fürth, Germany
Tel.: +49 8807 9498137
www.aquakin.com

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Benedikt Schröder
Hall 13, stand C16
E-mail: b.schroeder@aquakin.com

Rollator produces good vibrations
The majority of visually impaired people are over 50. And with increasing age, people also develop difficulties walking. A major problem with navigation aids for the blind has been that they fail to take into account the user's potential mobility impairment as well. Blind people who rely on the use of a walking aid such as a "rollator"-type walking frame, have to stop at frequent intervals and check their surroundings with a cane. Now, researchers at the University of Furtwangen have responded by developing an intelligent rollator that supports blind and other visually impaired people who have physical handicaps by recognizing potential obstacles and danger spots in front of them - a solution which it is highlighting at HANNOVER MESSE 2016.

The intelligent rollator is equipped with two laser scanners, vibrating handgrips and a belt with five wirelessly controlled vibration motors. To avoid collisions with obstacles, the rollator communicates information on the distance and direction of obstacles by transmitting vibration signals to the belt and handgrips. The vibration frequency codes the information on the relevant distance and speed of approach.

University of Furtwangen
Institute for Applied Research
Robert-Gerwig-Platz 1
78120 Furtwangen, Germany
Tel.: +49 7723 920 0
Fax: +49 7723 920 2633
www.hs-furtwangen.de

Contact at HANNOVER MESSE 2016:
Prof. Dr. Knut Möller
Hall 2, stand A18, a partner of Baden-Württemberg International
E-mail: moe@hs-furtwangen.de