HERMES AWARD 2025
On 30 March 2025, on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony for HANNOVER MESSE, we will once again be presenting one of the world’s most coveted industrial awards – the HERMES AWARD, now in its twentyfirstconsecutive season.
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An independent jury, composed of leading experts from politics, business, research and society and chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, will nominate three products for the HERMES AWARD, as well as for the HERMES Startup AWARD. These products will be selected from among the entries,
and the jury will determine the winners from this group of finalists. The degree of technological innovation, benefits for industry, the environment and society, as well as cost-effectiveness and implementation maturity are key criteria in assessing which entry merits the award in each case.
Picture Gallery HERMES AWARD 2024
And the Winner is... Schunk
HERMES AWARD Winner 2024
This year saw the German company Schunk honored with the HERMES AWARD at the ceremonial opening of HANNOVER MESSE on April 21, 2024, in recognition of an innovative AI-based project. Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Germany's Minister of Education and Research, presented the award in the presence of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
A high-caliber jury chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected Schunk's 2D Grasping Kit project for this year's award. This application kit comprises a camera with lens, an industrial PC, AI software and an application-specific gripper.
The innovative nature of the project lies in the generic, AI-based modeling of component variants and the transfer to a smaller training data set, which cuts learning times for recognition. Even under changing light, color, or background conditions, the intuitive user interface enables reliable picking and handling of randomly arranged and non-positioned parts from an infeed conveyor belt, tray or preparation table. This allows repetitive sorting or logistics tasks to be automated with little outlay.
"Automation is the key to the future for supplying people and industry in our country. Only with sustainable innovations, especially in the spheres of production and logistics, can we successfully master the economic and social challenges of tomorrow," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka. "Besides ease of use, the robustness of the development for many of the upcoming automation solutions was a particularly decisive factor behind our decision to select the 2D Grasping Kit for this award. On behalf of the entire jury, I am delighted to congratulate Schunk on winning the HERMES AWARD 2024!"
Archigas
HERMES Startup AWARD Winner 2024
This year, the coveted HERMES Startup AWARD goes to Archigas, a young company based in Rüsselsheim, Germany. The award-winning product is a compact, moisture-resistant sensor for fast, precise, and reliable measurement of hydrogen content. The sensor principle is based on an advanced thermal conductivity measurement function on a microchip, and was developed in cooperation with the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences.
In developing the sensor, Archigas is making a valuable contribution toward enabling the safe production, storage, and use of hydrogen. "Hydrogen technologies are playing a central role in the transformation of industry toward sustainability, and are a core element of the energy system of the future. So as to fully exploit their potential, it is absolutely crucial to promptly turn innovative ideas into actual applications.
Start-ups such as Archigas are playing a key role to this end," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka. "The groundbreaking technology developed by Archigas stands out for its ultra-compact dimensions, robust design, rapid measuring capability, and the wide range of potential applications for which it can be used. Archigas perfectly exemplifies the innovation-driven companies that are paving the way toward realization of the hydrogen economy. On behalf of the entire jury, I am delighted to congratulate the company on this richly deserved success."
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