Fraunhofer-GesellschaftFraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation CMI
Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation, in collaboration with Boston University, conducts applied research and development that enables the use of technological solutions to improve the productivity and competitive position of its customers while educating engineering students. Fraunhofer USA CMI's activities span three areas, with a focus on automation and instrumentation: Industrial Systems, Energy Systems, and Biomedical Systems. In Industrial Systems, Fraunhofer USA CMI develops next-generation automation systems for the aerospace/automotive, consumer products, photonics, materials processing, and renewable energy markets.
In addition, Fraunhofer USA CMI has a unique combination of expertise that spans both engineering and life sciences. Fraunhofer USA CMI is one of the few places where devices and instruments can be developed and tested under one roof by biologists and chemists developing new assays in safety level 1 and 2 laboratories. Fraunhofer USA CMI leverages its expertise in engineering design and life sciences to develop innovative solutions in the biomedical field and is active in microfluidics, biosensors, medical devices, tissue engineering, and laboratory automation.
Fraunhofer USA CMI's energy systems activities include two main areas: Building Energy Systems and Grid Integration. In the area of building energy systems, Fraunhofer USA CMI focuses on creative and quantitative methods to analyze and use data generated by an ever-increasing number of communicating sensors in buildings, in combination with thermal models, to reduce energy consumption. It is also working on new digital technologies to reduce the cost of deep energy retrofits of residential housing and small buildings. In the area of grid integration, Fraunhofer USA CMI focuses on developing efficient algorithms for integrating distributed energy resources such as solar, wind, hydro, storage, etc. into the power grid and reducing grid load through load balancing.