Kategorie: eng

Humobility has developed an energy-efficient and sustainable mobility/vehicle concept for a human-hybrid-powered sports vehicle designed for medium-range travel. What sets it apart is its lightweight construction, its design, and its use case as a high-tech sports vehicle for green mobility in (sub)urban areas. Electric motors propel the vehicle up to 120 km/h, while the driver controls the vehicle using bicycle pedals and generates additional energy. The vehicle combines the health benefits of cycling with the driving experience and fun factor of a sports car.

N-level has developed a highly disruptive modular battery management system with a wide range of applications and significant market potential. N-level’s technology makes it possible, for example, to eliminate the formation process in battery production—which is a major bottleneck—to use rechargeable batteries and battery storage systems until the very end of each individual cell’s lifespan, or that electric vehicles can continue to operate despite a defective battery cell, or that any two electric vehicles can be directly connected to each other for energy exchange.

Quantum computers are capable of breaking conventional encryption codes in data transmission in a short time. QCG is therefore developing a cybersecurity system based on quantum cryptography, consisting of specialized hardware and software algorithms that make data transmission secure against cyber attacks. This creates a completely new level of security for business-critical networks, especially in the area of security-relevant national infrastructure and communication. It is mathematically verifiable that even quantum computers cannot decrypt this system.

Vivalyx GmbH, a spin-off of Aachen University Hospital, has developed a method for the bloodless and gentle revitalization of donor organs. Vivalyx is dedicated to saving the lives of people with organ failure by increasing the vitality and number of donor organs. The Vivalyx solution has proven to be superior in many respects in preclinical trials.

The Bochum-based startup xemX develops customized catalysts for chemical processes, particularly to accelerate key technologies for the energy transition—such as green hydrogen production—and make them independent of expensive precious metals, which are often mined and processed under environmentally harmful conditions. xemX identifies suitable materials for electrocatalysts using AI-driven, data-driven high-throughput research on high-entropy alloys. Based on a knowledge database generated through this research, the team offers consulting services and also independently develops catalysts.

Construction sand has become one of the most sought-after raw materials worldwide. As the global population grows, demand for sand has tripled, but only a small fraction of the world’s sand deposits is suitable for the construction industry. This is because it must meet specific criteria—it cannot be too round or too fine-grained—and therefore cannot simply be replaced by desert sand, which is available in abundance. The startup Zolarize, a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, has tackled this problem and developed a sustainable, carbon-neutral process for producing construction sand from desert sand. The process uses solar energy and consists of two steps: First, the desert sand is baked together in a sintering process and then broken up using a crusher. The material properties of the resulting granulate even exceed those of construction sand approved in Germany.

accensors develops and manufactures flat, flexible SMD film sensors that open up numerous new application areas, such as sensor technology for consumables, flexible sensor technology for wearables, and component-specific and design-free sensors. The focus is on physical sensors (temperature, pressure, conductivity, etc.), electrochemical sensors (pH, sodium, potassium, etc.), and biosensors (troponin, hemoglobin, creatinine, etc.). accensors’ target markets include medical technology, biotechnology, and the entire spectrum of Industry 4.0, aviation, automotive, and agriculture.

Out of the 92 million tons of textile waste generated worldwide each year, 87% is either landfilled or incinerated, placing an enormous burden on the environment and significantly contributing to global warming. The founders of CRCL have developed an innovative process that transforms textile waste and plastic waste into a resource-efficient and circular granulate called Apatura. This granulate is a truly viable alternative to virgin plastic, both economically and ecologically. It opens up a wide range of applications, for example in the furniture industry for the production of high-quality and sustainable interior products.

deeplify specializes in computer vision and artificial intelligence, developing customized algorithms used by industrial companies in the field of non-destructive testing (NDT) to support the automation of inspection processes. NDT is applied across many industries, with test results typically being interpreted “manually” in a time-consuming process. The algorithms developed by deeplify are based on deep learning architectures and enable not only the detection of anomalies and defects but also more precise and faster defect characterization compared to trained quality inspectors. deeplify focuses on the data analysis of complex testing methods such as magnetic particle inspection or ultrasonic testing, integrating them into a user-friendly platform that allows the inspection process to be managed and carried out autonomously. The primary target industries are manufacturing, with later expansion into oil and gas, energy, and aerospace.

FloodWaive’s business concept addresses early warning and real-time risk analysis of heavy rainfall and flood events. FloodWaive has developed a highly innovative algorithm that uses deep learning and transformer models to accelerate flood and inundation forecasting processes (e.g., for flash floods or dam failures) by up to a factor of one million, thereby overcoming the inherent computational time limitations of current flood models. For the first time, this enables comprehensive risk analyses and the evaluation of mitigation measures to be carried out within a very short time, as well as dynamic flood forecasts for entire districts and countries.