1 2 | 3 The corona expert Portrait: Sandra Ciesek What we’re really lacking Raw materials, supply routes, digital sovereignty The relay of knowledge Fraunhofer researchers provide answers Dangers in drinking water How drug residues are broken down

Affordable health care requires innovation 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Editorial Prof. Reimund Neugebauer The pandemic brought home to us all the importance of high-quality health care provision and outstanding biomedical research. Within a very short space of time, German research organizations and companies devel- oped and made available the drugs and vaccines, prac- tical diagnostic tests, life-saving medical devices and digital health care applications that were needed to combat the pandemic. Due to the current wave of dynamic innovation cou- pled with medicine’s rapid development into a high- tech discipline, technology-driven innovations for health care provide an excellent opportunity to create new jobs, harness the potential for long-term value cre- ation and thus strengthen Germany’s position as a business location. In parallel, technological sovereignty and resilience in pharma production are prerequisites for our ability to successfully manage medical crises in the future. Personalized medicine and the associated develop- ment, production and application of pharmaceutical products for new innovative treatments are opening up entirely new opportunities. However, cost and logistics factors mean that widespread deployment of these pharmaceutical products is not yet a given. To ensure the availability of these new treatments for all pa- tients — for the treatment of cancer or diseases of the immune system, for example — new development and production technologies based on robotics, automation and AI are required as well as cross-disciplinary col- laboration between medicine, natural science, comput- er science and engineering. With its network of 23 institutes, the Fraunhofer-Ge- sellschaft has both the medical/biological expertise to produce cell and gene therapy products and the tech- nologies that are needed to ensure automation and flexible management. The objective is to establish a pi- lot facility for modular, automated production process- es for Health Care 4.0. The facility will focus on the de- velopment and production of innovative technologies for use in cell and gene therapies as well as new drugs. The intelligent integration of innovative forms of treat- ment with technological production methods is a key requirement for personalized, effective and affordable prevention, diagnostics, treatment and care. For Ger- many as a high-tech business location, it creates an enormous social and economic opportunity that we must harness to its full potential. Sincerely, Reimund Neugebauer President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft — Learn more about the main research topics of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Prof. Reimund Neugebauer on LinkedIn 3 r e b u H d r a h n r e B / r e f o h n u a r F : o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine 26 Really quite painful How to remove kidney stones in their entirety 28 Sneaking up into the brain New hope in the fight against the widespread diseases of Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease 30 A voice from the business world Dr. Torsten Jeworrek, Munich Re, on the consequences of climate change 32 Trust is good, control is better How artificial intelligence is becoming a reliable tool 35 New series: Knowledge relay Our time poses many questions — Fraunhofer researchers strive to find answers 32 How can we trust AI? Artificial intelligence is providing opportunities in more and more areas — and also creating new risks. Fraunhofer IAIS is working on certification. 58 The pandemic expert Sandra Ciesek is “University professor of the year 2021.” She has teamed up with the Fraunhofer ITMP to search for a corona drug. 55 Dangers in drinking water Germans consume around 30,000 tons of pharmaceuticals. Wastewater treatment plants fail to filter out any residues. Electrolysis combined with ultrasound brings new hope. 50 Fraunhofer worldwide 66 Ticking time bombs at the 52 “Plastic pollution is an existential threat!” Fraunhofer IKTS and the complexity of plastic waste decomposition 55 Drugs in drinking water 30,000 tons of drugs are con- sumed by Germans every year. The residues have been left unfiltered — until now 58 The pandemic expert In portrait: Sandra Ciesek, “University professor of the year 2021” 62 Series: Founding companies with Fraunhofer How photovoltaic systems are becoming cheaper, more effective and greener 64 The chip container hack Dangerous convenience: Bluetooth makes life easier — but creates security flaws bottom of the sea 1.6 million tons of World War II munitions are rusting on the bottom of the North and Baltic Seas. The danger grows from year to year 68 Photo & Fraunhofer Soccer is becoming increasingly dynamic — Fraunhofer high-fre- quency technology supports training using intelligent sensor technology 71 Fraunhofer on the road #building The construction industry is said to be responsible for 38 percent of global CO2 emissions. The potential for reductions is therefore high. According to the German Economic Institute, public procure- ment alone could save as much greenhouse gas as is produced by all domestic air traffic in Germany. The circular economy also offers new approaches to construction (p. 10). 38 r e n t i e L a l i e n a D , f i a l / r e n g e W m T i , l e g n E a n e L , h c o K s a b o T i , r e g ö r K s a m o h T - n a f e t S , j h c O a n o S : t n e t n o C ; f i a l / r e n g e W m T i j , ) 2 ( h c O a n o S : s h p a r g o t o h p r e v o C 5

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine More power for deep dives Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are working with the research group Smart Ocean Technologies SOT to improve battery management for underwater robots. Their aim is to reduce deployment costs and enable Unmanned Under- water Vehicles (UUV) to dive for longer periods of time. Whether inspecting oil rigs, maintaining underwater gas pipelines or detecting cracks in offshore wind farms, dive robots are being used more and more frequently, and for increased periods of time. Compared to electric vehicle batteries, for example, the robots’ energy storage systems must be capable of operating in considerably tougher conditions. Some UUVs can dive to a depth of up to a kilometer. At this depth, the drop in temperature can place significant stress on the technology and accelerate battery discharge. Using piezoceramic sensors, the researchers are col- lating new insights into battery discharge at the cell level. The sensors on the cells oscillate when voltage is applied externally and convert mechanical movements into measurable electrical signals. The more elastic the cell, the better charged it still is. After a number of successful dry runs in the lab, the plan is to test the new sensor technology underwater in a mobile mini lab. Their insights are expected to feed into designs that will ensure more efficient battery management. In the future, underwater robots will need to be able to operate for longer periods of time. 7 Guilt-free guzzling — Fraunhofer researchers investigate what types of milk packaging cause the least harm to the environment. Milk packaging put to the eco test What is the most sustainable type of milk packag- ing? Cardboard cartons, plastic stand-up pouches or returnable glass bottles? The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has just conducted a study in order to find answers to this question. Researchers considered the production, transportation and disposal of various types of packaging. They found that returnable glass bottles are the most environmentally friendly form of packaging — but only if the return distance is short and each bottle is reused more than 20 times. At first glance, returnable glass bottles would seem to have a greater impact on the environment than cardboard drinks cartons due to their higher weight levels during transportation as well as the need to return and clean the bottles for reuse. However, the disadvantages of glass bottles are reversed once they are used on a regular basis and transported within an identified environmental radius. The higher the return rate and the shorter the return distance, the more sustainable glass bottles are. ) 3 ( o t o h p k c o t s i , H b m G c i n o s o r b V i : s o t o h P

Editorial notes Fraunhofer. The magazine, magazine for research, technology and innovation. ISSN 1868-3428 (print edition) ISSN 1868-3436 (online edition) Published by: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Hansastrasse 27c, 80686 München Editorial address as above Phone +49 89 1205-1301 magazin@zv.fraunhofer.de www.fraunhofer.de/magazin Free subscription: Phone +49 89 1205-1301 publikationen@fraunhofer.de Editorial team: Janis Eitner (responsible for content), Josef Oskar Seitz (editor-in-chief), Dr. Sonja Endres, Roman Möhlmann Editorial assistants: Dr. Janine van Ackeren, Marina Babl, Mandy Bartel, Christine Broll, Meike Grewe, Sirka Henning, Dr. Monika Offenberger, Sibylle Schmitt, Tim Schröder, Eric Schütz, Franziska Sell, Beate Strobel, Mehmet Toprak Layout and lithography: Vierthaler & Braun Cover image and cover story photography: Sonja Och Article image Technological sovereignty: Stefan-Thomas Kröger Printed by: hofmann infocom GmbH, Nürnberg © Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft e.V. Munich 2021 Find Fraunhofer on social media: @Fraunhofer www.facebook.com/ fraunhoferde www.instagram.com/ fraunhofergesellschaft www.linkedin.com/company/ fraunhofer-gesellschaft https://www.youtube.com/ fraunhofer 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine The innovative inverter can convert energy between the battery and the motor much more efficiently. Longer ranges on the horizon for electric cars If electric vehicles are to achieve greater distances, it is not just a matter of optimizing batteries — the entire drive chain must be improved, too. H igh-performance semiconduc- tors made from silicon carbide (SiC) help to reduce the loss that occurs in the inverter and its transistors, particularly when the vehicle is accelerat- ing, braking and traveling at high speeds. Optimized inverters are much more efficient at converting the direct current in the battery into alternating current for the motor. These optimized inverters were developed as part of the SiCeffizient project run by a team at the Berlin-based Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in collaboration with industry partners. “By optimizing the drive train in this way, we expect that ultimately the range of electric cars will be extended by up to 6 percent,” says Eugen Erhardt, a research fellow at Fraunhofer IZM. It may not sound like much, but in the field of electromobil- ity, it marks a significant increase in per- formance that would not otherwise be achieved without the use of additional batteries. However, the new semiconductors have a downside: they are relatively expen- sive. The Fraunhofer IZM team therefore cut back on the number of semiconductors used. To prevent the valuable SiC transistors from overheating due to the proportionately higher load, the team developed entirely new high-performance cooling elements. The heat that builds up in the tran- sistors is usually discharged through a solid cooling element. The cooling ele- ment has cooling ducts, known as fins, that dissipate the heat into water. These innovative cooling elements with com- paratively thin walls were developed by the researchers using 3D printing. The transistors sit on a thin metal plate just a few millimeters thick, which causes them to move closer to the cooling water, thus intensifying the cooling effect. The new inverter will be tested by project partner Robert Bosch over the next few months. Porsche will then install the device in a newly designed drive train, which has been precisely adapted to the SiC design. 9 e n i l n o 1 F / y s k c o t S / o k n e h c l y n a D v a l s o r a Y , k c o t S e b o d A , E S I r e f o h n u a r F : s o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Justus von Freeden, a scientist at Fraunhofer IWU, is developing reusable structures: “Fiber-rein- forced plastics with carbon fibers work really well here!” 11

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Around 80% of our rare-earth metals come from China. “Platinum and ruthenium supplies in particular could become critical,” is the concern of Jana Rückschloss, scientist at Fraunhofer IZM. 13

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Balke. Dr. Balke, who leads a department at the Fraun- hofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, is working on recycling basic e-mobility components that contain critical raw materi- als such as cobalt and rare-earth metals, as part of the HydroLIBRec project. To be precise, he’s focusing on the lithium-ion batteries that are used in electric vehicles. Because 90 percent of the energy needed to manufacture these magnets is used for mining, separating and pro- cessing the rare-earth oxides they contain — material and energy costs that can be saved by recycling. The recy- cling process itself is ready; however, Europe still lacks systems for bringing back used batteries, as well as cus- tomers. “There’s a market for this already,” affirms Fraunhofer IWKS scientist Konrad Opelt. The first questions the Fraun- hofer IWKS researchers must ask themselves is, how far do they want to break down the material? The complex intermetallic com- pounds are hard to separate, after all — for example, it would take a lot of energy to break the com- pounds all the way down to the pure elements. “That’s why we prefer functional recycling,” says Balke. For batteries, that means the cathode material is not sepa- rated into the individual metals, but rather is recycled as a complex compound. Disassembly is a fun- damental aspect of cost-effective recycling. Shredding the batteries is not practical, as that leaves the i nd iv idua l f rac t ions m i xed together and it is extremely hard to extricate them again. However, manual disassembly costs too much time and money, so the research teams developed an automated disassembly process. “To crush the entire battery by elec- tro-hydraulic means, we place it in water and apply short high-power pulses of 40,000 volts to the liquid. That induces a shock wave in the water, which acts on the predeter- mined breaking points between the materials and divides them from each other,” explains Dr. Balke. The individual components — copper, aluminum, plastic — are separated out in subsequent sorting steps, leaving behind the black mass, a mixture of materials from the anodes, cathodes and electrolytes. The cathode mass contains crucial ele- ments like nickel, manganese and cobalt. “To process this mass in an eco-friendly, cost-effective way, we run through various processes to determine the best course,” says Dr. Balke. At this point, it’s clear that in terms of quality, the recycled cathode material is already perfectly usable. The next step is to move the recycling process toward indus- trialization. Recycling can also be worthwhile in the case of neo- dymium-iron-boron magnets, found in electric engines, hard drives, cellphones and speakers, among other things. “If Europe wants to become independent, we need a circular economy — after all, we don’t have any cobalt or nickel here, or manganese either.” Dr. Benjamin Balke, Head of Department at Fraunhofer IWKS Under the auspices of the FUN- MAG project, Opelt is working on making old magnets usable again, and above all, on demonstrating that they are still just as powerful. “We want to show that applica- tions that use our recycled mag- nets have just the same properties as with new ones,” says Opelt. “The recycling process can cause some losses in terms of quality, but it’s possible to compensate for those, for example by changing the microstructure.” As the composition of the magnets varies depending on their applications — particularly as regards the kinds and ratios of rare-earth metals they contain — the researchers first sort them by application field and apply hydro- gen to make them so brittle that they are reduced to a coarse powder. This powder can be directly used to pro- duce new magnets. Even non-homogeneous mixtures can be used, but these are usually “downcycled,” meaning they are only suitable for lower-quality use. While FUNMAG primarily concentrates on high-per- formance applications for neodymium-iron-boron mag- nets, the Fraunhofer IWKS researchers in the RecyPer project are investigating other possible uses. “The goal is to investigate as many types of old magnets as possi- ble — even material that can’t be used for a traction motor anymore — and identify new fields of application for them, like holding magnets for whiteboards, for exam- ple,” says Mario Schönfeldt, Project Manager at Fraun- hofer IWKS. Just as with magnets, it’s difficult, and therefore, not cost-effective to recover pure metals from small elec- tronic devices. “A smartphone contains a pure material value of 1 euro,” reveals Karsten Schischke, Group Man- ager at Fraunhofer IZM. “By using metallurgical processes, we can recycle 90 cents worth of materials. The remain- ing 10 cents are made up of gallium, tantalum and 15

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine “Our goal is to establish a technology platform that will allow us to take post-consumer plastics and produce a raw material with virgin-material quality.” Dr. Alexander Hofmann Raw materials that just fall from the sky? Not quite — they still need a little push. Dr. Alexander Hofmann of Fraunhofer-UMSICHT is working on scalable solutions. The plastics recycling solution developed by Fraun- hofer UMSICHT and Fraunhofer Cluster CCPE has signif- icant potential. “Our goal is to establish a technology plat- form that will allow us to take post-consumer plastics and produce a raw material with virgin-material quality,” relates Dr. Hofmann. It’s something they have already achieved with rotor blades from wind power plants, for example — a waste stream with high plastic content. The problem here is that the materials are fiber composites. The experts slice the rotor blades into flakes of just a few centimeters in size, and then proceed as when recovering rare metals. The fiberglass is removed from the plastic matrix and used to make foam glass. Meanwhile, the pyrolysis oil contains the basic building blocks for plastic, either as molecules or monomers, depending on the source material. The researchers then use a suitable purification process to extract pure styrene or phenol from the oil. It is impossible differentiate between the styrene and phe- nol and virgin material based on chemical structure, so these can be used as raw material in the plastics industry. How can fiber composite materials be recycled? The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Tech- nology IWU together with 21 partners from seven EU member states have been working on this question in the EU project FiberEUse since 2017. The team is focusing on three different basic principles: thermal recycling, mechan- ical recycling and component reuse. “Our team at Fraun- hofer IWU have developed reusable structures, in collab- oration with the companies EDAG and INVENT,” says 17

“The method is relatively simple — and the interest in it is correspondingly high.” Dr. Volker Thome, Head of Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in the BauCycle joint project to develop and optimize a process for identifying larger pieces of building rubble by electro-optical means and separating them from the rest with compressed air. This would make it possible to recover fragments between 2 and 8 millimeters in size with close to full purity. Sand: A scarce commodity even in Dubai The sands are running out — even for construction sand. In Dubai, for example, there’s a major shortage of con- struction sand, because desert sand is not fit for purpose, and all their construction sand has to be imported from Australia. With construction sand also at a premium elsewhere, pirates are mining sand illegally off the coast of Africa, causing irreparable ecological damage. Mean- while, 20 Indonesian islands have vanished entirely from the face of the earth due to excessive sand mining. How- ever, if we could recover construction sand from old con- crete, this would create a gigantic source of the material. Because, after water, concrete is the most used substance in the world. However, this is no small endeavor. As yet, sand cannot be separated from its surrounding matrix. “Up to now, concrete has just been crushed mechanically. However, by using electrodynamic fragmentation, we’ve developed the first separation method that can be used to recover sand, gravel and steel fibers from concrete,” reports Dr. Thome of Fraunhofer IBP. In the process, ultra- short pulses are generated underwater; these pulses tend to travel along the phase boundaries in the solid objects, thus breaking the concrete down into its constituent materials. “When the first predischarge alone reaches the counter electrode, it results in pressures in the region of a TNT detonation,” relates Dr. Thome. While this 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine ”Science Sofa” on Tour Concrete recycling: Our solution to support the construction industry in climate and resource protection Fraunhofer researcher Dr. Volker Thome uses lightning blasts to blow up the hardest chunks. Our brandnew ”Science Sofa” will visit his lab on Nov 10, 2021, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please register for the free online event by sending an email to stiftung@fraunhofer.de N e w e v e n t f o r m a t ( i n G e r m a n l a n g u a g e ) www.fraunhofer-zukunftsstiftung.de

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3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Dr. Althusmann, Germany has often been called the land of poets and thinkers. What does the expression “the land of poets” bring to mind for you? Bernd Althusmann: My initial response would be the same association we all have with that partic- ular expression: how lucky we are in Germany to have always had minds with the kind of brilliance that radiated across the world and shaped their respective eras. That’s still true today. Do we still have reason to call Germany “the land of thinkers” today? Undoubtedly yes, because our greatest strengths — apart from industry — have always been and still are education, science and research. You can see that in our country’s inventive spirit in particular. In Germany, 42,000 patents were filed in 2020, with more than 3300 of those coming from Lower Saxony. That’s 40 patents for every 100,000 inhabitants, putting us in third place out of all the German states — after Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. So as you can see, progres- sive thinking has been important to us since long before COVID. Which brings us to your updated ver- sion of Germany’s traditional nickname — the land of poets, thinkers and digitalization. Why are you calling on Germany to make digitaliza- tion a national objective? The answer to this question is multi-layered, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. The question is, what should a modern state look like? In the coming years, online access to public administration pro- cesses is set to replace the piles of paperwork that accompany most dealings with public authorities. We aim to create a user-friendly data infrastruc- ture for our citizens; they will have accounts and electronic IDs. The future of up-to-date admin- istration is digital. The term “national objective” is nothing new. Digitalization is as much a basic requirement as any other public utility or service. In plain English, this service has to be available, just like electricity and hot water, because it will also affect our lives at a fundamental level in other areas. Over the last year and a half, we saw very clearly how important digitalization is. The more digitalized a given national economy was, the better it was able to overcome the crisis. Many people found it quite unsettling to hear that health offices had to resort to ball- point pens, paper and fax machines in the fight against coronavirus infection chains. Digitalization is a basic require- ment: “This service is as vital as electricity and hot water!” The pandemic showed us how long the road to implementation can be sometimes. As soon I took office, I put digitalization on the agenda. In the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, we have had our own dedicated state secretary and office for digitalization since 2018, and they are doing an excellent job. Since mid-2018, we have been implementing our master plan for digitalization step by step. This plan comprises over 90 measures and I’m happy to say that the majority of these have already been completed. What’s more, we are raising our digitalization levels — and I’m not just talking about schools and official buildings here. With our “Digital- bonus Niedersachsen” program for promoting digitalization in Lower Saxony, we are providing up to 10,000 euros in funding for small and medium-sized enterprises that plan to invest in their digital infrastructure. This program has been a real success story. And as far as the pens, paper and fax machines are concerned, it’s worth noting that people love using these terms because they sound so dramatic. But I’d like everyone to ask themselves: Do I still use a pen and paper? Sometimes, another topical issue gets in the way of digitalization: data protection. Can you appreciate why even Germany’s coro- navirus warning app was given such a hard time when it was first launched? I would question whether data protection really gets in the way of digitalization. Because when we’re talking about a national objective, that creates a particular requirement for the best data protection possible. Even data protection needs to be updated. The coronavirus app is a good example of how digital processes can function and be adapted continuously. At first, the app focused on secure risk identification. Now we know that where it can really make an impact is through its check-in and vaccine certification functions. However, as the app continues to develop, we should also keep users informed in an ever more effective way. Ger- many isn’t the only land of poets and thinkers in the history of the world; in Ancient Greece, they had a saying that ran, “Constant dripping wears away a stone.” So what can we learn from the introduction of the coronavirus app? We 23 h c o K s a b o T : i o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Cyberattacks and cybercrime pose a growing challenge. A qualified teacher, Dr. Althusmann hopes to use play to awaken children’s interest in artificial intelligence and start-up culture — through the DigitalSTARTer competition, among other things. I’m talking about hospitals, water supply plants and transportation companies — municipalities are also obliged to report the attacks, provided the operators are sponsored by the munici- pality. But as a general rule, every report filed with the BSI is another step toward increased security for all of us. If it becomes apparent in the future that municipalities are undergoing frequent, targeted attacks, it may make sense to make reporting mandatory for them as well. After all, a multi-week disruption to municipal IT infrastructure means massive restrictions on their ability to provide services. Dr. Althusmann, we started our discussion with poets and thinkers. Can you recommend some reading material that helped you through the pandemic? My guide in this area is a poet from Lower Saxony, Wilhelm Raabe. He once said that being a little foolish every now and again is part of wisdom. For me, this means we should look beyond our own horizons and not be afraid to seek “outside” expertise. This is why I’m recom- mending Martin Schallbruch’s “Schwacher Staat im Netz,” a book on weak states in the internet age. At first glance, it may look like a critical view of states, but Schallbruch is a respected computer scientist who spent 18 years working in various departments within the German Federal Ministry of the Interior. And his book is written in such a way as to be very readable for those without any expertise in computer science — like myself. 2017 Chancellor Angela Merkel fully embraces Dr. Althusmann as a front-runner in the regional elections. 2017 Dr. Althusmann with his family at the wedding of Ernst August Prinz von Hannover. He himself has been married twice. 2019 A toast to the future: As Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Althus - mann enjoys the summer festival for Lower Saxony’s state government. 25 Cyberattacks and cybercrime pose a growing challenge for industry, public authorities and unfortunately, for the political sphere as well. The German Federal Returning Officer, Georg Thiel, declared just recently that he considers the risk of cyberattacks during the coming federal election to be high. The authorities are already preparing, in coordination with each other. Cyber espionage between political parties is also an important issue, and we take it very seriously. It’s well known that CDU servers were hit by cyberattacks during the federal party’s first digital conference in January. However, the party was prepared for this situation and was able to repel the attacks. So with this issue forming a primary concern for us as a party, we will remain vigilant and forge ahead with the continuous improvement of our infrastructure. Anhalt-Bitterfeld, a district in Saxony-Anhalt, suffered a cyberattack that brought the administration to its knees for weeks and months. According to German IT security law, operators of critical infrastructure are obliged to report cyberattacks to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) immediately. After this attack on a district’s administration, should the reporting obliga- tion now apply to all 294 districts and 11,000 municipalities in Germany as well? Unfortunately, Lower Saxony has had its own fair share of cyberattacks at this stage. And as soon as critical infrastructures are affected — ) 3 ( s e g a m i o g a m i , a p d / e t l u h c s n e t a r t S n a i l u J , ) 3 ( s e g a m i p d d , e t a v i r p : s o t o h P

Stone fragments encased in mediNiK are gripped by a grasping tool. “The idea is quite simply excellent.” Prof. Bernd Mayer, Fraunhofer IFAM A pproximately 50,000 kidney stones are removed endoscop- ically in Germany every year. The stones are broken up with a special laser, and a grasping tool is used to remove the larger fragments. However, there is still the question of what to do with the many tiny pieces, often smaller than one millimeter, that can’t be removed this way. Previously, nobody had an effective method to resolve this problem, but the medical tech- nology company Purenum GmbH has now come up with a solution. The Bremen-based spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM injects a transparent liquid into the kidney via a catheter that is passed through the endoscope. This fluid then sur- rounds the tiny stone fragments that could not be removed. A second fluid is then added, which causes a gel to form within a matter of seconds. The grasping tool can then grip the gel and remove it along with the fragments. This technique was developed by a project group at Fraunhofer IFAM led by Dr. Ingo Grunwald, whilst his colleague Manfred Peschka was working on the business concept. “It was a call from a urologist that gave us the idea,” says Grunwald. “He told us about his idea of a type of sticky liquid that could collect the stone fragments left in the kidney. After that, we got to work.” The institute was able to utilize its many years of expertise in materials and, particularly, in the field of bonding. Prof. Bernd Mayer, Institute Director of Fraunhofer IFAM, supported the project. He also didn’t need much convincing: “The idea is quite simply excellent. That’s why we supported the project from the very beginning.” When investigations and laboratory tests showed that the concept should work, Grun- wald and Peschka founded the spin-off Pure- num GmbH in December 2017. The company’s first mission was to develop the mediNiK hydrogel system for removing kidney stone fragments. This hydrogel system is comprised of two thin liquid components. “The catheter that passes through the endoscope and depos- its the fluid inside the kidney has an inner diameter of between 0.6 and 0.7 millimeters. This means the fluid has to be very thin, like 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine water,” Peschka explains. The second liquid is only introduced after the first liquid is applied, and the two combine to form an elastic gel. It is stable enough to hold the kidney fragments, yet flexible enough to be gripped by the grasp- ing tool and pulled out through the urethra. This frees the kidney from any remaining residues, allowing it to heal fully and painlessly. “The Purenum team worked alongside 40 physicians, observing their technique when removing kidney stones and asking them about any practical requirements in order to find the most compatible solution to this problem.” Peschka says, managing director of Purenum. For example, the components must be color-coded so that the physician can use the video screen during surgery to see exactly where the fluids are in the kidney and whether they have successfully captured the small fragments. The first component is dyed blue, the second is dyed yellow. “Developing this dye caused a few problems for us,” says Peschka. The dye had to meet several requirements at once: It must not stain the inside of the organ, must not change the material properties of the fluids, and it had to be transparent. Nevertheless, they managed to overcome this hurdle as well. Authorities are confident of the quality of the hydrogel and, in partic- ular, of its biological compatibility in humans. MediNiK is now a certified medical device and can be used for all kidney stone patients as of 2022. And it will not be the only product to come from the Fraunhofer spin-off. Purenum is working on so-called biomimetic adhesives. These may someday be used to treat bone frac- tures. When dealing with the small bones in the wrist, it is often not possible to attach the splinters using wire to ensure that the bone grows together perfectly. A medical adhesive could enable precise joining of bone splinters and complicated fractures, allowing them to heal perfectly. Video on the topic: https://purenum.com/produkte.html 27 H b m G m u n e r u p ; e i z n e k c a M n i v e K / n e e d r e b A f o y t i s r e v i n U / y r a r b i L o t o h P e c n e i c S : s o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Nose2Brain — directly to the brain through the nose We can circumvent the blood-brain barrier through the olfactory epithelium A new path for medicines The olfactory epithelium is the size of a postage stamp and is located in the roof of the upper nasal cavity. It has a direct connection with the olfactory bulb in the brain. In the N2B-patch project, the research team is using the path through the epithelial tissue to channel medicines into the brain. Bulbus olfactorius (olfactory bulb) Olfactory epithelium Bulbus olfactorius (olfactory bulb) Olfactory nerve Ethmoid bone Nerve fibers Antibodies Olfactory epithelium Olfactory cells Hydrogel Particles 29 Porous cranial bone provides a loophole Therapeutic antibodies are packaged inside particles in order to be channeled to the brain. The particles are adminis- tered to the olfactory epithelium together with a hydrogel. The antibodies are released from the particles and pass through the olfactory epithelium. From there, they take the path along the nerve fibers and permeate the ethmoid bone, a cranial bone with many small cavities. They continue to the olfactory nerve and then into the olfactory bulb in the brain. e u s s i 2 : n o i t a r t s u l l I

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine T he recent extreme weather events seem to be a warning of what’s to come. The scientific community agrees that climate change will increase the frequency of natural disasters such as heat waves, devastating flash floods and forest fires. I believe there are three key areas that we have to address in order to limit climate change and its con- sequences: 1. A global, or initially EU-wide, market for CO2 emission certificates. If structured cor- rectly, it would be the most effective way to reduce emissions whilst sending clear price signals in the process. Companies from all industries will also be in a better position to anticipate the approximate price trend, eliminating the need for ad hoc adjustments. The emission volumes in the EU trading system have been set until 2030, but now it is important to adjust this volume control quickly and in line with the politically set deadlines down to “net zero”. 2. The development of new technologies for a climate-friendly economy. Transition- ing to a low-carbon economy means we have to boost technologies and innovations on an exponential scale. Germany is in des- perate need of an innovative and pioneering mentality, because the know-how for future technologies is already available. 3. Preventive measures to lessen the already unavoidable consequences of global warm- ing. A comprehensive disaster management system aimed at preventing damage and building resilience will not only reduce human suffering, but will also be increas- ingly important in the international com- petition for locational advantages. Things that cannot be reasonably pre- vented can generally be covered by insurance. Whether purely private or in partnership with the state, risk transfer must be linked to prices that accurately reflect the risk. This is the only way consumers, companies and com- munities can understand the risks and have the motivation to reduce them. It is up to insurers to use their expertise and data to provide the underlying basis. “That’s why we often cooperate with Fraunhofer, for example in the operation of test fields for photovoltaic systems or in the develop- ment of a wind energy data pool.” Dr. Torsten Jeworrek Has been a member of the Management Board of Munich Reinsurance Com- pany, now called Munich Re, since 2002. Joined Munich Re in 1990 as an underwriter in the Fire/Treaty department. In 1997, he took over as Head of Section in the Opera- tional Division: Property/ Fire, then as Head of Financial Reinsurance and Retrocession, and in 2001 as Head of Divisional Unit: Netherlands, Nordic coun- tries, UK and Ireland. Born in 1961 in Oschers- leben (Saxony-Anhalt), he studied mathematics at the University of Magde- burg. After obtaining his doctorate, he worked at the university for four years as an assistant lecturer. As a risk carrier, we take climate change very seriously. We have been dealing with the consequences for almost five decades and focus on lower emissions on both sides of the balance sheet — in investments and insurance business. We play an important role in bringing renewable energy and other climate technologies to market and scaling them up, making them easier to finance and invest in using specific risk solutions. A few examples: We have been covering performance guarantees for photovoltaic modules for many years and similar cover- age is now being provided for large-scale energy storage systems. We provide cover for the yield of offshore wind farms when there is too little or too much wind. We are actively working on insurance solutions for hydrogen technologies. In other words, we are focusing on technology trends and the specific requirements of a climate-friendly economy in order to provide know-how, experts and eventually suitable risk man- agement solutions. Having in-house know-how and data is an important foundation for insurers — but it’s not enough. Close ties to research are also required, especially applied research, such as the research being conducted by the Fraun- hofer-Gesellschaft. Their research projects on better water storage in cities during heavy rainfall through “urban greenery” or on storage systems in roads are particularly relevant for us as insurers. That’s why we often cooperate with Fraunhofer, for example in the operation of test fields for photovoltaic systems or the development of a wind energy data pool. All of these projects are very close to implementation and are important for investors in future technologies. These technologies are essential in the fight against climate change; without them, climate protection would only be possible by compromising our prosperity. New technol- ogies also provide an invaluable advantage that goes far beyond meeting climate targets: They would dramatically increase Germany’s and Europe’s competitiveness in key tech- nologies of the future. This would also enable us to take our destiny into our own hands again — something that would do this coun- try a great deal of good. 31 l n n a m h o P s a e r d n A / e R h c i n u M : o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine W hat if you could just get out at your destination and let your car find itself a parking space? Dr. Michael Mock, an associate professor and research fellow at the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS, estimates that this dream could become a reality in another five years thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). But who would leave their vehicle with an AI they can’t trust? After all, you want to be sure your car won’t get damaged as it autonomously makes its way through a city on the hunt for a parking space — or cause any dam- age, either. Plenty of skepticism still. According to a survey by the German digital industry association Bitkom in September 2020, nine out of ten respondents agreed that AI systems must be tested “particularly thoroughly” before being approved. This shows there is concern. However, there is hope, too — two thirds felt the opportuni- ties associated with the technology were enormous. Dr. Mock and his colleagues at Fraun- hofer IAIS are working on improving trust in AI. “Artificial intelligence is the key technology we can use to significantly advance digitalization — so long as we manage to foster trust in it,” Dr. Mock says confidently. While conventional software works on the basis of algorithms provided by developers, AI systems are fed large amounts of sample data from which they learn and derive rules on their own (“machine learning”). But what those rules are, no one knows. Even in retrospect, they can often only be partly determined, or cannot be determined at all — the user must trust that the AI will come to the right conclusions. As part of the Certified AI project, Dr. Mock and the Fraunhofer IAIS team are developing methods and measures to make AI systems more secure. In June, the researchers published a guide to designing trustworthy artificial intelli- gence, which is available for free on the Internet. The EU also sees the need for action. In April, it proposed the world’s first legal framework for AI. “When it comes to artificial intelligence, trust is a must, not an optional extra,” stressed Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age. AI that threatens the safety, livelihoods and rights of people should be banned, and systems that pose high risks must meet strict requirements before they are launched on the market. “The EU has put forward a very good proposal for reg- “When it comes to artificial intelligence, trust is a must, not an optional extra.” Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the EU Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age ulating AI,” Dr. Mock believes. “It sets out sensible requirements — although it men- tions hardly any measures for meeting these requirements. Our guide is much more specific on that front.” The 160-page guide aims to help developers consider all relevant criteria from the offset. “There are a lot of risks to consider — but there are also ways to deal with them,” says Dr. Mock. Every test begins with a risk analysis, which is carried out systematically based on essential requirements, i.e. the six dimensions of trust: fairness, reliability, autonomy and control, transparency, safety and data protection. “Not every dimension is relevant to every application,” Dr. Mock empha si zes. For a n A I- cont rol led paint-mixing machine in an industrial production context, for example, the dimension of fairness, i.e. the question of whether the AI treats all those involved fairly, is not relevant — in contrast to an automated candidate selection process. In that case, it is crucial to provide the AI with the right samples during the training phase to avoid discrimination based on gender, age, religion, skin color or ethnic- ity. For example, in 2018 Amazon made it public that its AI system had favored male applicants because women were under- represented in the underlying sample data. On Twitter, its automatic image-cropping feature favored white women who con- formed to certain beauty standards. The company recently shut down the software as a consequence. “That shows how import- ant it is to carefully select training data for AI. It often conveys human prejudices,” Dr. Mock warns. In addition, there are mathematical methods that can be used to ensure all affected groups are considered fairly. These methods are described in the recently developed guide, as are reviewing methods. In the case of autonomous driving, all six dimensions of trustworthiness come into play. Together with Volkswagen, Mock is deputy head of a project for creating safe AI for automated mobility, and is also responsible for scientific coordination. As part of this project, large German car manufacturers, suppliers, technology companies and research institutes have joined forces and are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The total budget is 41 million euros. Reliability is central to the trustworthi- ness of AI in cars, and it is also Mock’s area of expertise. The samples you use to train the AI are important here, too. For this reason, the Fraunhofer IAIS team first defines the conditions under which the perception modules, such as pedestrian detection, are to function. Like every software system, AI requires a precisely defined operating range; in the context of autonomous driving, this is known as the operational design domain, or ODD for short. “You specify which use cases the AI has been tested for and where it works r e n t i e L a l i e n a D : s n o i t a r t s u l l I 33

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Knowledge relay Climatechange, renewable energies, industrialized region: Prof. Neugebauer, what gives you hope that structural transformation will be successfully achieved? 35

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Knowledge relay Climatechange, renewable energies, industrialized region: Prof. Neugebauer, what gives you hope that structural transformation will be successfully achieved? 35

Fraunhofer activities result in an investment in the economy of more than 15.2 billion euros and a significant increase in full-time employment. Just this year, Fraunhofer established three Hydrogen Labs in Leuna, Görlitz and Bremerhaven as collaborative platforms for research and industry. The only collaborative platforms of their kind inter- nationally, the labs cover the entire process involved in the production and further use of green hydrogen — from carbon-neutral power generation by offshore and onshore plants, to optimization of electrolysis, to the construction of electrolysis facilities through to utilization (e.g. in the chemical industry), storage and transportation. Pioneers of the hydrogen economy To accelerate the market ramp-up required for green hydrogen technologies, the labs’ digitally connected infrastructure provides testing and validation capacity for electrolysis and fuel cell systems of over 25 megawatts. The Hydrogen Labs are therefore important pioneers, paving the way for a future-proofed, sustainable hydrogen economy. In addition to developing new technologies, Fraunhofer has also set ambitious climate protection goals. Our aim is to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. We will do this, firstly, through the low-emission management of our buildings and a climate-friendly procurement strategy, and secondly, through carbon-neutral mobil- ity and technology projects aimed at offsetting remaining emissions. Close collaboration with local industry and municipal stakeholders, as is the case with the Hydrogen Labs, is crucial for technology devel- opment and thus also for successfully shaping structural transformation. According to a representative opinion poll carried out in Bautzen and Görlitz, the majority of the pop- ulation considers it important to involve local people in actively shaping structural trans- formation in order to secure Germany’s future as an energy hub. Among the factors cited as important for economic development are job creation (87 percent) and the establishment of educational and research institutions in the region (68 percent). r e b u H d r a h n r e B : : o s t o o t h o P F 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Close collaboration with local stakeholders ensures that technologies are systematically aligned with industry’s latest needs, and that technology transfer as a concept can be inte- grated into the development process right from the start. By this I mean the transfer of key technologies to industry and the promotion of buy-in among the population in relation to deployment of these technologies. Both are important factors for the success of structural transformation. One example here is the increasing level of digitalization in the health care industry and the bioeconomy; this must go hand Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft As an economic and political partner, Fraunhofer supports companies in dealing with structural change through the adoption of new technologies and business models and their strategic repositioning in the market. Our collective success is measurable. 37

W hen it comes to travel today, it is all about flexibility and independence. A long driving range implies a high degree of independence. Breaking up a journey to fill up or charge your car puts a brake on your flexibility, too. The range achieved by modern diesel cars is around 1000 km, yet for hydrogen-powered vehicles it is about 500 km, and for bat- tery-powered cars, it is even less again. The main reasons for this are energy density and the technical effort involved in integrating energy storage systems into vehicles. It also explains the paradox whereby battery-powered electric vehicles with the highest drive effi- ciency often have the lowest range. If you compare the energy required by the various drive systems to travel a distance of 500 km, a diesel car would need 35 liters of diesel, a hydrogen-powered car would need 6 standard kgs of hydrogen, and an electric car would need roughly 90 kWh in battery charge. However, to produce 35 liters of diesel, 245 kWh of elec- tric power is required, and to produce 6 stan- dard kgs of hydrogen, 200 kWh of electric power is required. Increasing energy density remains the biggest challenge Although we can already fill up on gas, diesel and hydrogen in a matter of minutes, charging a battery-powered car usually takes quite a bit longer. To achieve roughly equivalent refill times, we would need significant electrical charging capacity. If we take our example of a battery-powered electric car a little further, in order to fill up at a charging station in 15 min- utes, we would need a charging capacity of at least 360 kW. If we apply the same basic assumptions, a range of 1000 km would require roughly 180 kWh more in energy storage and 750 kW more in load capacity. If we take 150 Wh/kg as the energy density of a typical car battery system today, an equiv- alent battery for a range of 1000 km would weigh in at roughly 1.2 tons! This crystallizes the main challenge we face for the future — we need to increase the energy density of batteries, from the cell level right up to the system level. This would also U W I r e f o h n u a r F : : o s t o o t h o P F 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine By 2030, we could have roughly 18,750 rapid charging stations. If distributed sensibly based on demand, rapid and flexible travel should become a reality, no matter what type of car you drive. allow us to develop constructive alternatives in the field of vehicle architecture and create a positive impact for resource consumption during production — all prerequisites for achieving climate neutrality in the area of e-mobility. However, this does not address the issue of required charging capacity. The second challenge therefore relates to the development of our mobility infrastructure. Germany has approximately 14,000 service stations for diesel and gas, yet only 750 charging stations with a capacity of more than 250 kW, and a mere 100 stations serving hydrogen. It is therefore clear that a car’s drive system is not the only factor influencing travel speeds; the main factor is infrastructure. Today’s owners of hydrogen and battery-powered electric vehicles therefore need to plan their journeys very well, and have expert knowledge of the many different apps and payment meth- ods available. The good news is that there is already considerable investment going into building out this infrastructure. If we assume that the ratio of rapid charging stations to overall charging stations will stay the same, Germany will have 1 million charging stations (based on federal government targets) and 18,750 rapid charging stations by 2030. If these rapid charging stations are dis- tributed sensibly based on demand, rapid and flexible travel should become a reality, no matter what type of car you drive. Prof. Welf-Guntram Drossel, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU In the next issue: When can we expect the entirety of Germany’s primary energy needs to be met from renewable sources? 39

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine 41

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine “The trick is to use tamper-proof information technology to clearly demonstrate that the system is trustworthy.” Prof. Claudia Eckert, Fraunhofer AISEC 43

The information scientist is also working on com- pletely new approaches to securely transferring, storing and processing data. This includes confidential development and production data, patient data and much more. Nowadays, all of this information is stored on servers in the cloud. “A lot of the time, the user has to blindly trust the cloud provider that stores the data. Normally, they don’t know how well the data is pro- tected, where it is processed or who exactly has access to it,” adds Eckert. She is working on security solutions to put a change to this; these can be broadly referred to as “confidential computing.” They involve creating monitorable areas on storage platforms where data is processed without the threat of unauthorized access. Moreover, when the system receives the user’s data, it will also receive the rules for its usage and transfer. It will then monitor and ensure that these rules are complied with. Confidential computing can increase the level of trust a customer feels when they hand over their data. “The trick is to use tamper-proof information technology to clearly demonstrate that the system is trustworthy,” says Eckert. More security in split production When a business relies on electronic components manufactured abroad, there is always a risk that somewhere along the long production line, one of the companies involved will abuse their trust. For example, it is possible to manipulate the structure of computer chips to incorporate a “Trojan horse.” There is also a risk that the design of valuable chips will be copied and counterfeited. To avoid this, many businesses opt to manufacture chips across dozens of production steps; the chip is partially built by multi- ple different companies, with the result that nobody knows the complete design. This strategy is called split manufacturing. This level of protection is particularly relevant for security-related components used for medical devices or banks, for example. The use of tamper-proof casing on electronic components could prevent them from being manipulated over the course of a long assembly process. Georg Sigl knows exactly how it’s done. Like Eckert, Sigl is Professor of Security in Information Technology at TUM and is part of the leadership team at Fraunhofer AISEC. One of his specialties is PUFs: Physical, Unclonable Functions. This involves using the physical characteristics on the exterior of the electronic component to make the component tamper proof. Among other things, Fraun- “This allows us to adjust the chips easily, and implement various security functions for data encryption.” Carsten Rolfes, Head of the “Trusted Electronics” program at Fraunhofer IMS 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine hofer AISEC has developed a protective film that encases security-related electronic components. “The film contains a double layer of fine wires,” Sigl explains. “In between are small capacitors with a measurable capacity.” This capacity is measured during the production process as a characteristic feature of the component and stored inside it as a security key.” Later, when the device is switched on, the capacity of the film is immediately measured. The key that enables the device to decrypt the software and begin boot-up will then be derived from this. If an attacker has damaged or replaced the film during production in order to manipulate the inside of the component, the key will no longer work. Sigl’s first exposure to information security was in the 1990s. “For me, there was a secret, unknown element to it,” he explains. “The challenge in our area of research is that, as technology, architectures and algorithms become more tightly intertwined, new methods of attack are always being discovered — however, we are also developing new ideas for count- er-attacks.” Ultimately, businesses and researchers are not only concerned with safety and security, but also with sovereignty over their own data and the maintenance of production. To this end, several Fraunhofer Institutes have been working on a new technology for several years: the RISC-V instruction set architecture, which defines the “brain” of the microcontroller as a computer unit. Today, the func- tionality of microcontrollers worldwide is largely based on one procedure, namely the instruction set archi- tecture of the company ARM. You have to pay a license fee to use it. Imagine if an architect could choose different components from a construction kit, from the foundation, to the roof, to the interior fittings. This enables them to build a variety of houses — but the “kit” itself comes from ARM. The individual ele- ments cannot be modified, which limits the freedom of developers. On top of this, there are license fees to consider. That is why ten years ago, information technicians from the University of California developed an alter- native that is available for free worldwide: RISC-V. “With RISC-V, we can adjust the chips easily and implement various security functions for data encryp- tion, in particular post-quantum cryptography,” explains Carsten Rolfes, program manager for “Trusted Electronics” at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelec- tronic Circuits and Systems IMS. The underlying concern is that current encryption procedures could be subverted by super-fast quantum computers 45

in the future. Post-quantum cryptography should allow us to fight back. Processors and microcontrollers with an appropriate level of security could be manu- factured with the help of RISC-V; these could then be used in medical devices, for example, and produced entirely in Germany and Europe. If global supply chains come to a standstill — as was recently the case during the pandemic — then 3D printers could be a lifeline for restoring production, at least for important components. Up to 70 percent faster production In the last few years, a 3D printing process has been developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU that resolves a significant disadvantage of the technology: It is con- siderably faster than conventional processes, which means it can enable flexible production in times of crisis. Researchers at Fraunhofer UWU had the idea to combine a plastic injection unit with 3D printing, which speeds up the process considerably. The sys- tem was equipped with a movable table that quickly moves back and forth beneath the nozzle, which ensures that the liquid plastic is assembled into a 3D component at high speed. This concept, called SEAM, has already been used by a number of manufactur- ers. “With this method, we can produce a strand of material about one meter long every second,” says developer Christopher Schlegel. All in all, it reduces production time by up to 70 percent compared to conventional systems. SEAM technology is especially suited to large, plastic components up to ten meters long. Large struc- tures for vehicles and trains, for example, can be produced quickly and cheaply using this method. The same applies to tools and clamping mechanisms for the production of plastic components. Fraunhofer IWU is cooperating with numerous industry partners involved in automobile and machine construction. The system is so small that it can be packed into a container and brought to the application site in case of an emergency. Once on site, it will be able to produce plastic parts as required. Markus Heilemann from the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT is working on these 3D printing containers together with his team. “The system is tailored directly to the container. In essence, the container itself is the 3D printer,” he explains. Fraunhofer IAPT experts are deploying a variety of printing technologies, “This allows us to produce a strand of material about one meter long every second.” Christopher Schlegel, developer at Fraunhofer IWU 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine including plastic printing, printing with metal pow- der and printing with metal wires. Systems that produce materials by welding together different horizontal layers are of particular interest, as they can be used to repair components in emergencies. The goal of the developers was to design containers that, once fully manufactured and calibrated, would work as simply as pushing a button. “In the future, such containers could produce replacement parts for engines or turbines in factories, oil rigs and poorly developed regions,” says Heilemann. This could help avoid production losses, which often run up to millions of euros. The technology has also proved its capabil- ities. Last year, there was a crisis when the supply of respiratory masks fell short. The team at Fraunhofer IAPT abruptly switched to producing plastic adapter units. “These enabled us to connect simple diving masks used by hobby snorkelers up to ventilators,” says Heilemann. The container used for the produc- tion of medical technology components has been named “MobiMed.” More independence with raw materials The Fraunhofer Innovation Program “Resilient Value Creation Systems (RESYST)” shares the goal of pro- viding for emergencies so production can continue. A secure supply of raw materials is high on their agenda. Germany has relatively few raw materials, which means that the future will be about ensuring that recycling is as complete and high-quality as possible. The new “reProd” approach shows how this could work for metallic substances. The abbreviation stands for “resource-independent production based on secondary products.” Rather than shredding scrap metal and smelting it down in an energy-intensive process, it aims to recycle secondhand components into secondary products and transform them directly into new components — for example, high-strength screws from drive shafts. Other possibilities for the secondary products are sheet metal, boards and tubes. “We want to recycle the material in a way that ensures the highest possible level of value creation,” says Markus Werner from Fraunhofer IWU. But the reProd application still has a way to go. First of all, waste flows in Germany have to be digitalized for it to reach its full potential. What secondary products are available? Where? In what volumes? And what is the quality like? All of this will be captured by digital twins to make production more independent in the future. 47

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine “We have already had very beneficial discussions among entrepreneurs who had previously relied on Excel spreadsheets and their instinct.” Dr. Heiner Ackermann, Fraunhofer ITWM Preventing container downtime is what the Fraunhofer experts are aiming for. years into the future in order to proactively configure its supply chain. However, the automotive industry was not alone in suffering from supply bottle- necks. Medical supplies were also partic- ularly affected. Saskia Sardesai, Senior Scientist at Fraunhofer IML, manages various research projects that use OTD-NET to increase resilience in medical product value creation networks. “Small and medi- um-sized companies in particular started tackling this problem with existing spread- sheet tools. But these can’t be used to identify dynamics.” This is where OTD-NET comes in. The dynamic simulation shows over a long period of time whether all parts are in the right place at the right time. “If all parts are available apart from the one from my transatlantic supplier and there is no delivery alternative within Europe, I would soon have a break of over a month in my chain,” the specialist explains. Using air freight as a fast remedy — a bit like a drug Many companies are now turning to air freight, a tried and tested short-term solu- tion that ultimately proves problematic in the long term. The expert compares it to a drug: It’s fast-acting, addictive and hard to withdraw from. Saskia Sardesai: “You’ve eliminated the short-term bottleneck, but the reduction in pipeline filling happens with a few weeks’ delay and you’re sud- denly tempted to revert to using the plane. The key is to pick the right moment to revert to sea freight — and our simulation depicts that very well.” In the Co-Versatile European research project, which Sardesai is overseeing, everyone is doing everything they can to strengthen the resilience of the European manufacturing industry against future pandemics. The aim is for the supply chain to be able to respond quickly and effectively to a sudden increase in demand in the area of strategic medical products. To achieve this, Fraunhofer IML experts developed a simulation model that considers demand peaks and fluctuations as well as supplier risks. Companies can immediately get an idea of what kind of effects they might face. “We have provided very simple models in order to facilitate quick feedback and application for a large number of compa- nies,” explains the project manager. There is a particular focus on capacities, lead times, transport frequencies and possible delivery restrictions. Users are able to see the interaction between the individual factors — providing an invaluable advan- tage over the old-fashioned Excel solution. In another research project called ResKriVer, the Fraunhofer team is com- bining its simulation tool with artificial intelligence (AI). They evaluate crisis sit- uations and different scenarios for more resilience in supply chains. Saskia Sarde- sai describes this using a recent example: “Consider the flooding in Hagen, which affected many businesses. The flooding gets reported on the platform. As a busi- ness, I am able to check: Are there suppli- ers in this area that are part of my supply chain and will I be missing parts in the future? Next, simulation comes into the picture, paired with AI algorithms: We are looking at what parameters can be changed by AI. The strength of the parameter adjust- ment will be determined using the AI. This will result in a range of what-if scenarios that will be tested in an automated process. The alternatives are then evaluated, fed back to the AI, and a decision is made on which one should be implemented. Again, it’s important that the simulation always takes the dynamic context into account.” Head of department Motta is confident: Tools like this can be used to achieve resilience through transparency about the action mechanisms — while maintaining the same level of efficiency.” e n i l n o 1 F / y s k c o t S / s e b r o F d n o m y a R : o t o h P 49

FRANCE Lift-off at lower prices In 2022, Europe’s newly developed Ari- ane 6 launcher will transport naviga- tion and weather satellites into space. To remain competitive in the future, manufacturing costs must be reduced and production processes must be optimized. This is what the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen is working on, together with the Ariane Group, a joint venture between Airbus and its French partner Safran. The aim is to monitor and improve the processes for manufactur- The name speaks for itself: Medstraum means “with electricity” in Norwegian. This catamaran is being developed as part of the EU project TrAM. The upper stage is prepared for transport at the Ariane 6 tank center in Bremen. ing the upper stage of the launcher by using sensors and self-learning sys- tems. Fraunhofer IPT is largely respon- sible for data analysis and implement- ing AI algorithms. NORWAY High-speed ferries: Pushing the boat out for environment and climate alike In spring 2022, the fully electric high- speed ferry “Medstraum” is set to commence operations in Norway. 31 meters long and 9 meters wide, the catamaran will carry up to 150 passen- gers from the city of Stavanger to the surrounding islands, making it the first emission-free ferry of its kind world- wide. Pollutant-free shipping is also a product of research conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design IEM, which correlates and analyzes the requirements of dif- ferent ferry types. Not only can this kind of system model be used flexibly, but it also reduces development time by 70 percent and manufacturing costs by 25 percent. This holistic methodology is based on systems engineering and helps shipbuilders develop electric ferries on a modular basis, manufacture them efficiently and adapt them to customer require- ments. This lays the foundation for a whole series of environmentally friendly high-speed ferries — a market with definite future potential, with sales of fully electric and hybrid ships set to increase worldwide according to a forecast by British market research company IDTechEx. In 2027, the sales figure is predicted to reach up to 20 billion dollars. 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine AFRICA Award recognizes drinking water technology South of the Sahara, 40 percent of the population have no access to clean water — that’s more than 100 million people. Coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig, the SafeWaterAfrica project is using two demonstration plants to generate 20,000 liters of drinking water per day from river water in South Africa and Mozambique. The purification process is based on Fraunhofer IST disinfection technology, which eliminates germs with particular energy efficiency and and integrates additional technologies from Europe and South Africa. Most of the project partners are based in Africa, with local companies carrying out the design, construction and oper- ation of the plants. The system has now progressed to a point where it can be used in other countries. In recognition of its success, Safe- WaterAfrica has now been awarded the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label. The Swiss Solar Impulse Founda- tion rewards efficient technology solu- tions that combat climate change in a sustainable and cost-effective way. New disinfection technology guarantees clean drinking water aplenty. 51 m u i t r o s n o C M A r T , H b m G a d e M i l l i H / h c o K . T k n a r F , a p d / y a M k n a r F , ) 2 ( k c o t S e b o d A : s o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Determining the origins and condition of this flotsam and jetsam is one of the many tasks the MICRO-FATE project aims to complete, under the leadership of Dr. Annika Jahnke of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig. In particular, they are eager to find objects that can unambiguously be identified as particular products; then the objects can be compared with undamaged source materials, thus allowing researchers to draw conclusions about the decomposi- tion process. Although plastic is lighter than water, not all plastic waste floats on the surface, because over time, the material becomes brittle and breaks down into ever smaller pieces. Once the particles are smaller than 5 millimeters in size, they are considered to be microplastic. “We believe that a large portion of the material sinks and is depos- ited in the sediment as microplastic,” says Dr. Potthoff. That’s why the crew of the SONNE also kept a lookout for underwater plastic during their journey across the Pacific. Special bottles for collecting water and ocean floor samples were lowered to the bottom using a winch, reaching a deepest measuring point of 5700 meters. “Everyone had to pitch in when collecting the samples,” recounts Schneider. His actual task was something else entirely: an exper- iment that simulated the decomposition of plastic under the most realistic condi- tions possible. To do this, he let fresh Pacific “That’s why we consider plastic pollution to be an existential threat; it’s stretching the planet to its ecological limits.” Dr. Annegret Potthoff water run constantly through two stainless steel containers with a holding capacity of 800 liters each. The idea was to create something close to two mini-oceans, known as mesocosms. One of the contain- ers was closed so as to block out the sun and its aggressive UV radiation, while the other was left open. Four different types of plastic — pellets in the form of 5 cm beads and 10 x 10 cm pieces — were immersed in each of the mesocosms and taken back out again after hours, days or weeks. “We are interested in how these materials behave with and without the influence of UV rays,” explains Schneider. “How exactly do they decom- pose? Does their density change? What happens to their surfaces? Do they become corroded? What is deposited on them?” A s these quest ions could n’t be answered on the ship, the materials from the mesocosms were preserved and brought from Singapore to Fraunhofer IKTS in Dresden, just like the sea water samples. There, the team has used a wide range of techniques to investigate the decomposi- tion processes. In what turned out to be a decisive step, the researchers discovered that having started out as water-repellent, the surfaces became noticeably hydro- philic. “We can prove that by measuring the angles of contact,” Dr. Potthoff explains. “The more strongly the surface repels a drop of water, the steeper the angle between the two will be. The more the drop clings to the surface, the flatter the angle. And we have seen that the longer the plastic stays in sea water, the flatter this angle becomes.” 53 n e s r e d n A r o t s A d n a d r a a g t s e r P i r a K : s o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine With its crystal-clear water, the Kreuzpullach catchment basin was built between 1933 and 1936 to supply the city of Munich with drinking water. All at once Pharmaceutical residues pass through wastewater treatment plants unhindered and then spread into the environment via lakes, rivers and groundwater. Intercepting them early on is a great challenge, particularly as the chemicals are very diverse and have to be completely broken down. By Christine Broll 55 l e g n E a n e L : o t o h P

stances in the electrolysis cell. Only CO2, oxygen and small amounts of hydrogen remain. The Fraunhofer IKTS team in Meck- lenburg-West Pomerania has demonstrated that this method can also be used to purify large quantities of water. Here, a deep well was shut down for drinking water produc- tion because the limit value for the weed killer bentazone had been exceeded. As part of a pilot project, scientists installed a system for total electrochemical oxida- tion. It allows modular arrangement of the electrolysis cells so that the size of the system can be easily adapted to the amount of water to be processed. “We were able to completely eliminate the bentazone. The overall cost came to about 50 cents per cubic meter,” Friedrich recounts. The purification is more economical thanks to the combination of both elec- trochemistry and ultrasound. Ultrasound has long been known to destroy molecules. Processes already exist in which an ultra- sound generator is incorporated into the electrolysis chamber. Hans-Jürgen Fried- rich has gone one step further. He and his Munich Cocaine 191 Crystal meth 9 Chemnitz Cocaine 27 Crystal meth 329 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine team have integrated the ultrasound source directly into the electrode of the electrol- ysis cell. This allowed him to accelerate the breakdown of the trace substances by a factor of four and thus increase the throughput, all with only a modest increase in the energy required. Friedrich estimates that operating such a large-scale plant would cost around 30 cents per cubic meter of wastewater. By the time the government adopts the long overdue limits for trace substance levels and wastewater treatment plant operators start looking for a suitable solution, the technology will be in place. — How can antibiotics, beta-blockers or hormonal agents be removed from wastewater? An interview with Hans- Jürgen Friedrich from Fraunhofer IKTS: Click here for the podcast Front-runner in Europe Cocaine 1175 Antwerp, Belgium Crystal meth 703 Ostrava, Czech Republic 57 n o i t c i d d A g u r D d n a s g u r D r o f e r t n e C g n i r o t i n o M n a e p o r u E : e c r u o S ; e b e i r t e b r e s s a W r e n i l r e B / r e g ä J e t l , a M y a b a x i p , k c o t S i , ) 2 ( k c o t S e b o d A : s o t o h P

The woman who clarifies the coronavirus She was one of the first people in Germany to see the novel virus under an electron microscope. Sandra Ciesek, Head of the Institute of Medical Virology at Frankfurt University, has been on the search for a drug to treat SARS-CoV-2 ever since an aircraft first carried the pathogen into the city. By Beate Strobel T he woman sitting across from me is Germany’s Professor of the Year 2021, an accolade bestowed by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers. She received the honor for her podcast “Coronavirus Update” on German radio station NDR where she shares hosting duties with virologist Christian Drosten to explain the pandemic to the people of Germany. She is sitting on the third floor of the virolog- ical institute at Frankfurt University Hospital, explaining things in her distinctly calm manner; just as she did in times of upheaval. Professor Sandra Ciesek reports on the latest developments of the virus we know as SARS-CoV-2. The 43-year- old’s reports also cover why there are sometimes no new developments. “It became clear early on that the coronavirus carries so-called spike proteins in their envelope, and that a vaccine would have to induce the production of the appropriate anti- bodies. Once we had that information, the tech- nical aspects of developing a vaccine became relatively simple. On the other hand,” she contin- ues, “it will take much longer to develop a drug to treat coronavirus.” “A lot of substances look prom- ising when applied to cell cultures, but fall through when it comes to animals or humans. The fail rate is immense. If one substance out of one thousand reaches market maturity, then that’s actually a very good result.” The process is like finding a needle in a haystack — as is often the case in research. Prof. Ciesek is a physician and has qualified as a professor. She serves as Director of the Institute of Medical Virology at Frankfurt University Hos- pital and numbers among the leading coronavirus researchers in Germany. When the first evacuation flight from Wuhan carried 126 passengers home to Frankfurt at the beginning of February, Ciesek and her team were on standby at the airport to test all arrivals for the new SARS virus. None of those who suspected they were sick carried the virus. However, two entirely asymptomatic people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. “That’s when it became clear to us that this virus could grow into a much bigger problem,” Prof. Ciesek recalls. Using the samples taken from swabs given to the arrivals from Wuhan, Prof. Ciesek’s team was able to cultivate the virus for the first time in an intestinal cell line. They were then able to observe their new opponent under an electron microscope. Soon, they discovered the extent to which SARS- CoV-2 alters the host cell. Many other viruses stop the production of protein in their host cell so they can produce their own, viral protein; however, the new coronavirus pathogens actually increase the original protein synthesis. Was this a gateway to a possible drug treatment? Prof. Ciesek’s research team in Frankfurt was indeed able to successfully stop virus proliferation in a cell culture by inhib- iting the production of protein within the cells. Media headlines from May 2020 optimistically read: “COVID-19: A breakthrough in treatment.” We have the vaccine. When will we have the cure? Over a year later, a variety of coronavirus vac- cines are in use. But the world is still waiting for a convincing drug to treat the diverse range of symptoms we call COVID-19. On account of the multi-level process for approving new drugs, a possible shortcut would 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Developing a vaccine? “Relatively simple, technically speaking.” Developing a drug? “That will take much longer.” 59 f i a l / r e n g e W m T : i o t o h P

directly with the virus and represents expert opinion — being, as I am, a board member for the German Society for Virology. That meant I wasn’t just offering an individual opinion and creating false equivalences between arguments. No drivel.” Nevertheless, following research developments in (almost) real-time is not for impatient people — nor for anyone who looks to experts to provide clear answers wrapped in a bow. “People with a scientific background understand that uncertain- ties and inconsistencies are the life force of research; but other people aren’t always the same.” This is something that Prof. Ciesek has learned during the two years of the pandemic. Does she despair about the contrarians and anti-vaxxers? “I don’t despair,” she replies gently. “At most, I am irritated by how aggressive some people are.” She says we must accept that a portion of people will think differently. “All we can do is clarify things honestly — including when the science is uncertain. We can’t do anything more than that.” She wears a face mask. But in her role as a podcaster, her message comes through loud and clear. That is why she was named Professor of the Year 2021. pensing Medicinal Products (Medizinprodukte-Ab- gabeverordnung — MPAV) almost prevented rapid COVID tests from taking place outside the presence of professionals; or the stipulation that tenders for major research acquisitions must always extend across Europe. “Certain bureaucratic structures do not function well during a pandemic. A lot of things must be done differently,” asserts the pro- fessor from Frankfurt. Almost two years of research into SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in many, many hours of overtime for Prof. Ciesek and her colleagues at the institute. “I have never worked so much as I have since the outbreak of the pandemic,” says the mother to one daughter. But that’s just part of the job for the woman who took on the task of explaining the coronavirus to Germany. Because of the coronavirus, virologists from across the country are in high demand for interviews; they have become a new kind of celeb- rity. Prof. Ciesek tries to shy away from the limelight. “I was never really eager to be a public figure,” she assures us. The physician grants interviews in homeopathic doses; and in contrast to other rep- resentatives of her field, she never appears on talk shows. “The format doesn’t suit me,” she says, “too many sound bites, and not enough time to explain — not to mention all the self-promotion.” Prof. Ciesek is not the type to make quips or get into the headlines with bold assertions. She considers her job as Institute Director to be “not very sensational.” At the end of the day, she says, she spends most of her time leading operations from the desk in her office. She ties back her long, blond hair into a low ponytail, and keeps her words and emotions under similarly tight control. For example, she was adamant that her 2020 study on the risk of infection in daycare centers would not be misinterpreted as a prompt for politicians to leave them open. “I am a scientist. Political con- sequences are up to politicians.” “I am irritated by how aggressive some people are.” However, with “Corona Update,” the NDR podcast that she co-hosts with Berlin expert virologist Christian Drosten, Prof. Ciesek sees the chance to inform people in relative detail about the daily work undertaken by scientists the world over since the start of the pandemic — spreading science. “For me, the deciding factor in accepting the job was my ability to speak as someone who both works 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine “I represent specialist opinion as a board member of the German Society for Virology — no false equivalence. No drivel.” Prof. Sandra Ciesek 61 f i i a l / r e n n B n i r t a K : s o t o h P

3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine They account for around 70 percent of the cost of a cell in conventional production techniques. This is partly due to the many steps which are needed to produce them: A high-purity polycrystalline form of silicon is produced from the chemical chlorosilane. This is then melted down and large individual crystals, known as ingots, are extracted from the melted mass. These can be cut into individual wafers using fine wire saws. The drawbacks: These production steps consume a lot of energy. During the melting of the silicon, the ingots become contaminated with oxygen, which in turn hinders the efficiency of the pho- tovoltaic cells. A lot of silicon is lost in the form of dust during sawing. If the wafers are too thin, they break. Low emissions lead directly to success In contrast, NexWafe works with a tech- nology called epitaxy that allows chlorosi- lane to be processed into wafers without any additional steps. It all starts with a single wafer. This is then etched using acid and electricity, resulting in a highly porous thin layer. Subsequent heating up then seals the surface again. “The struc- ture is like a Gothic cathedral,” Siebke explains. “It has a stable roof, is held up by a few columns and is otherwise open.” In high-temperature processes, silicon grows on this roof layer by layer, and a new wafer is created that is a perfect copy of the initial wafer. Both wafers are then separated at the columns and the original wafer can be reused. Fraunhofer ISE has been researching silicon epitaxy for many years and has successfully developed a continuous process, which is now used by NexWafe. Every wafer that is produced is identical, can be thinner than is possible with conventional production methods, and has fewer impurities. This saves a great deal of time and money. Around 70 percent less CO2 is emitted in comparison with conventional production. The manufacturing technology is now undergoing further testing and optimiza- tion at a prototype plant in Freiburg, Germany, where NexWafe’s headquarters are located. The NexWafe team is continu- ing to work closely on the process with Fraunhofer ISE. The plan is then to start mass production in Bitterfeld in 2024. The company brought additional valuable expertise on board last year in the form of Dr. Davor Sutija in order to successfully navigate the transition from the laboratory to the commercial world. Sutija has years of experience in leading technology com- panies. Under his leadership, NexWafe acquired ten million euros in new inves- tor funding in December. One million of this came from the Fraunhofer-Ge- sellschaft. It has generated a great deal of interest from potential customers and investors from all over the world. Now, even the “Silicon Module Super League”, the group of the largest producers in the solar indus- try, is backing high-efficiency n-type monocrystalline wafers like those Nex- Wafe wants to manufacture. “This con- firms that we are working on the right technology and gives us the opportunity to play a vital role in shaping the photo- voltaic market of the future. Now we need to stay on the ball, identify future trends and implement them,” says Sutija. For example, the current industry trend is for larger wafers. NexWafe is therefore plan- ning to modify some of its systems accord- ingly within the next year. Two U.S. companies are also working on new ways to produce wafers which differ significantly from the conventional melt-in-saw process, although these tech- nologies are far less advanced: “The many years of intensive research at Fraunhofer ISE provide an incredibly strong scientific foundation for our company that our competitors lack. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Fraunhofer’s support” Sutija emphasizes, “I am extremely grate- ful of our collaboration. Particularly because it’s not just about the success of our company, but rather something much bigger — the success of the global energy transition.” 63 “The many years of intensive research at Fraunhofer ISE provide an incredibly strong scientific foundation that our competitors lack.” Dr. Davor Sutija, Managing Director of NexWafe GmbH H b m G e f a W x e N : o t o h P

B luetooth padlocks are practical. There isn’t a key to loose. They can be opened using a fingerprint or a smartphone app that connects to the lock via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Very convenient. But not always very secure. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darm- stadt have managed to crack the Bluetooth con- nection on one manufacturer’s lock — with just two cans of potato chips and a lot of know-how. Christian Brandt and Matthias Cäsar, IT and crypto experts in the Cyberphysical Sys- tems Security department, initially launched a man-in-the-middle attack. This involves attackers placing themselves between the user’s smartphone and the lock. Any data that is exchanged between the lock and the smart- phone passes through the attacker’s computer undetected. Once the user leaves, the connec- tion remains in place and the attacker can open the lock. The second security flaw was even more severe. In a so-called replay attack, the data exchange between the smartphone and the lock is recorded, and attackers can use this data to open the lock as often as they like. The attack was only successful due to a poorly implemented random number generator integrated into the security protocol. Two potato chip cans, which were trans- formed into a directional antenna with a wire, were all that the hacker needed. On top of that, two Raspberry Pi mini-computers were used, one for the connection to the lock, the other for the connection to the victim’s smartphone. “Of course, it’s not quite as simple as it sounds,” Brandt says. “Uncovering the vulnerabilities was complex and called on our considerable expertise.” The researchers had to use so-called reverse engineering, which requires know-how in IT security, computer science and electrical engineering. However, the security flaw is not a problem with the Bluetooth standard. It was rather that the manufacturer had failed to implement the Bluetooth functionality correctly. “A separate, in-house protocol was developed by this com- pany for the padlock on the application layer of Bluetooth LE, which was simply not secure,” Brandt explains. T I S r e f o h n u a r F : s o t o h P For those who value security: Bluetooth should remain disabled on notebooks, smartphones or tablets when it is not needed. Christian Brandt, IT and crypto expert at Fraunhofer SIT 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Responsible disclosure: The manufacturers are given time to rectify the situation Fraunhofer SIT notified the manufacturer of the flaw and gave them several weeks to rectify it. “This is the tried-and-tested pro- cedure in a responsible disclosure process,” says Andreas Fuchs, Head of the Cyberphys- ical Systems Security department. The SIT team only issued a public warning after the company provided an update resolving the issue for one of the two models in which the problem had surfaced. Always be aware, as Bluetooth padlocks are by no means the only example of IT devices that can be cracked easily. The Fraunhofer SIT team of experts frequently uncovers security flaws, particularly in wireless devices such as mice, keyboards or presenters, that their own- ers are not aware of. The researchers do not only get involved when manufacturers ask them to evaluate the security of a product before it goes on the market. They often spend their time buying devices, disassembling them, reading memory, detecting signal paths and decoding program codes implemented in the firmware. “Some manufacturers lack IT security awareness, and some are also worryingly sloppy in their work,” comments Christian Brandt. Dangerous convenience Another problem lies in an all-too-human trait. “Many people, including employees, are too lazy to use encryption methods or comply with security measures they consider to be a nuisance,” says Brandt. This complacency can be particularly dangerous when you take the bus or train, pull out your work cell phone with Bluetooth activated, and read emails that are unencrypted. If security is important to you, Bluetooth should remain disabled on notebooks, smart- phones or tablets when it is not needed. This eliminates a potential source of danger. Although it may not be as convenient, it is safer to connect your headphones, keyboards and mice using a cable rather than wirelessly. 65

ticking time bombs of the North and Baltic Seas, releasing toxic TNT, nitroaromatics and mercury into the water as they rust. Even to this day, traces of toxic explosives can be detected in many fish and shellfish. And humans have only made the problem worse. Due to the lack of suitable salvage methods for the munitions on the sea- bed in the past, it was quite common to simply detonate the explosives in order to protect busy sea routes or to avoid endangering the construction of wind turbines. However, seashells found close to detonated explosives contain 50 times higher concentration of these hazardous substances, which not only poses a threat to the marine ecosystem, fish and shell- fish stocks, but also to humans via the food chain. This problem of underwater contam- inated sites is not a new discovery. The German Federal Parliament is now also looking into the issue, a topic of both ecological and economic importance. Experts stood before the Environment Committee and called for a fund of at least 100 million euros. The EU has also already expressed its intention to contribute finan- cially to the search for and disposal of World War II munitions, due to the urgency of the task at hand. From underwater garden to digital reef The challenge is to locate and classify these fragile and dangerous contaminated materials, and to salvage and disassemble them in the safest and most eco-friendly way. While there are already many ideas regarding technologies and processes, opportunities to test them extensively under real conditions — poor visibility, strong currents, loose sediment — are often lacking. “Companies and research organizations will be able to test new tech- nology on the underwater test site’s artifi- cial reef without posing any risk to muni- tions buried at different depths. It will be possible to test image recognition and measurement systems in our munitions garden, as well as crawlers, underwater robots or transport procedures,” explains Peter Menzel, who heads the Digital Ocean Lab. However, these are not the only test D G I r e f o h n u a r F , a p d / r e d h e R n e t s r a C : s o t o h P 3 | 21 Fraunhofer magazine Protection of divers Until unmanned alternatives are technologically refined, professional divers will have to perform the dangerous task of recovering explosive devices. To protect them, Fraunhofer IGD, in cooperation with research partners, has developed a safety concept: Different sen- sors will warn divers of toxic substances and will help them communicate with the surface in real time, which is essential in poor visibility conditions and when assessing hazards. Aug- mented reality diving goggles are being developed to display safety-related information, such as current readings. Research diver Florian Huber regularly encounters the dan- gerous legacy left behind by the world wars during his scien- tific expeditions. We talked about his experiences. — Click here for the podcast: scenarios: New materials, corrosion or anti-fouling systems are tested in other areas. Underwater cables can also be laid and maintained, or autonomous under- water vehicles tested. “The requests we have received are broad: some want to test buoys equipped with sensors, some want to lay cables, while others want to estab- lish artificial coral reefs from 3D printers. But salvaging unexploded ordnance (UXO) will play the biggest role in the foreseeable future,” the marine researcher is certain. The Digital Ocean Lab not only provides companies with the infrastructure, “For each experiment, we also arrange the necessary permits with authorities and provide accurate information on the con- ditions on site,” says Menzel. This precise data is also the basis for the Digital Ocean Lab’s business model: “Our goal is to have a complete digital model with real-time data from the reef within three years — from currents and salt content to sediment structure and temporary ship traffic. This would allow fully virtual simulations of experiments, regardless of location and without the need for costly permits and preparations. The whole system would also be scalable and could be used by several companies simul- taneously,” says Menzel. This could boost global research in the field of munitions solutions, as the problem is by no means unique to Germany. According to nature conservation organizations, dangerous contaminated sites can be found in almost all of the world’s oceans. CABLE AREA PIPELINE AREA MUNITIONS AREA OPEN AREA OFFSHORE AREA UNDERSEA CURRENT AREA OBSTACLE AREA E F F U R & B E T N O R Z A N F E E L R A R U E D R O K B C O R The underwater test site facilitates safe testing of new technology under real conditions. 67

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Fraunhofer on the road Bremen Berlin Düsseldorf Frankfurt Nürnberg Virtual October 26–27, 2021 Smart Country Convention Congress for E-Government and Smart City Düsseldorf November 15–18, 2021 Medica International trade fair for medical engineering Düsseldorf November 15–18, 2021 Compamed International trade fair for the supplier market for medical manufacturing Bremen November 16–18, 2021 Space Tech Expo Trade fair and conference for space technologies Frankfurt am Main November 16–19, 2021 Formnext Trade fair for additive manufacturing technologies and their upstream and downstream processes Nürnberg November 23–25, 2021 SPS drives Trade fair for electric automation, systems & components Berlin November 23–25, 2021 Futuras in Res Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft international conference series for science and technology, this time on the topic of “Quantum Technologies” Last updated: Beginning of October. Changes may occur due to the pandemic. Please keep an eye out for information from the event organizers. Fraunhofer magazine The magazine for people shaping the future Would you like to get the Fraunhofer magazine in your mailbox as soon as it comes out? Order it directly at https://s.fhg.de/of 1 2 | 2 The Methuselah gene Our dreams of longevity are coming true The corona expert Portrait: Sandra Ciesek 1 2 | 3 The era of the founder New impetus for the economy What we’re really lacking Raw materials, supply routes, digital sovereignty Is everything fake? The digital world — A blessing and a curse “Modernization can only be achieved through research!” An interview with chancellor candidate Armin Laschet The relay of knowledge Fraunhofer researchers provide answers Dangers in drinking water How drug residues are broken down What, as Chancellor, would Scholz do for research? An interview with the candidate“I believe in hydrogen” An interview with Nico Rosberg Heavy rain, storms, high temperatures: How we are making our towns and cities more resilientClimate stress“Campus of the senses”Whiskey & science:A meeting of enjoyments