Kategorie: eng

NUNOS is a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) that uses the C.R.O.P.® (Combined Regenerative Organic food Production) process—originally developed for space applications—to produce high-quality fertilizers for agriculture. The process is based on a purely biological method and does not use any chemicals or hazardous substances. NUNOS processes manure or fermentation products from biogas plants into a fertilizer that is directly available to plants. The process yields a liquid fertilizer solution containing predominantly plant-available nutrients, as well as a solid fertilizer with a high organic matter content. NUNOS helps reduce the use of mineral fertilizers, protect soils and water bodies from massive nitrogen inputs, and prevent the emission of environmental toxins (e.g., ammonia) from farmland.

Thanks to the innovative biotechnology from NutriSen (formerly LiveSen), it is now possible for the first time to measure plant nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate with scientific precision directly on-site. This enables precise decisions to be made based on data-driven recommendations for sustainable fertilization. With the help of an innovative biosensor test strip, the accompanying measuring device, and a satellite-based app, farmers can determine the levels of key plant nutrients in their fields, optimize fertilization, and make the best use of their cropland.

To date, OoC (organ-on-a-chip) technology has been a very costly endeavor that requires a wide variety of laboratory equipment. VITROFLUIDIX is developing an all-in-one, easy-to-use platform that allows OoC experiments to be conducted easily using a single device.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in human life in the near future. To meet the growing demand for AI, conventional computer chip architectures must be reimagined, and processing speed and power consumption drastically reduced. This is where the technology developed by AiML, a spin-off of Forschungszentrum Jülich, comes into play: Computational operations are performed on a neuromorphic analog chip for edge AI applications, eliminating bottlenecks in digital logic and external memory and reducing power consumption by a factor of 100+. Target markets for the AiML chip include robotic assistance systems and autonomous driving.

Electric mobility plays a key role in reducing CO2 emissions, 20% of which are caused by the transportation sector alone worldwide. However, existing battery systems are too heavy to be used in trucks, aircraft, or construction machinery. The DLR startup Alteva has found a suitable solution to this problem: It is developing the next generation of lightweight, high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries for sustainable, electrified transportation.

Firmware is embedded software that is necessary for the operation of electronic devices and serves as the link between hardware and the operating system. Firmware must be tested on hardware, which in most cases is done manually and involves significant time and cost. The Bochum-based startup BlindSpot has developed a SaaS system that enables scalable and efficient testing of firmware on hardware. This reduces manual testing by 75%, making the hardware indirectly more secure and directly more cost-effective.

One-third of global CO2 emissions are caused by the construction and building industry. For example, the production of cement releases more CO2 than all global air traffic combined. The RWTH Aachen spin-off Co-reactive has therefore developed a process for decarbonizing operations in the cement industry. It works by storing the carbon released during cement production in the mineral olivine and reusing it as a low-emission raw material for green cement.

Rising electricity prices, uncertainty in the energy market, conflicts, and supply shortages are driving a steady increase in the demand for home energy storage systems in Germany. Galvani Energy is developing the first smart energy system based on redox flow batteries for the B2C storage market. The combination of a smart fuse box and the redox flow battery enables homeowners to store energy more efficiently, safely, and sustainably and to consume less energy than with comparable lithium storage systems.

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.