Fraunhofer IFF Press and Media Service

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and Rolls-Royce Solutions Magdeburg GmbH have successfully completed a joint automation project. The objective of the project was to automate a process of cleaning connecting rods for reuse in fully overhauled engines. The project is a prime example of needs-driven technology transfer against the backdrop of industry’s transformation into a circular economy.

The European research project RoboSAPIENS is reaching its first important milestone. The consortium funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program is developing self-adapting software for robots with the objective of enabling robots to respond flexibly to changing environments while guaranteeing safe and trustworthy collaboration with humans. Fraunhofer IFF’s case study is now available.

Pests that spread as a result of climate change pose an increasing threat to fruit farming and viticulture in Germany. Fraunhofer researchers are working with partners to develop methods for the early identification of infestations in grapevines and in apricot, apple and pear trees so as to enable timely counter-measures to be taken. A mobile lab, the PhenoTruck®, supports rapid and relia-ble identification of harmful organisms directly on site. The platform provides a highly mobile system for analyzing disease symptoms, combining machine-learning methods, drone-based multispectral sensing, hyperspectral sensing and molecular biological tests.

With the Safe Multipass Welding with Industrial Robots SIMMI research project, ATA Anlagentechnik Aschersleben GmbH, Polarith GmbH and Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF are pooling their expertise. The objective of the joint project is to improve process reliability and job safety in automated welding of large and complex steel parts significantly, consequently advancing robot use in a sector that could only be automated to a limited extent until now.

The Construct-X research project will advance digitalization of the construction industry significantly. Around 40 partners from the construction industry, skilled trades, IT, the research community and associations will be working together in the three-year project on developing digital standards, tools and procedures for the whole industry. Fraunhofer IFF is researching two use cases intended to improve communication among the parties involved considerably.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have developed cognitive robot capabilities that can handle complex tasks in manufacturing that were previously impossible to automate. In addition, they are also unveiling PARU and computer-aided safety (CAS), the first safety technologies and planning tools for close human-machine collaboration that can also ensure safety in AI-generated robot movements. The researchers will be demonstrating what cognitive robotics can do and how dynamic workspace monitoring works at the automatica event in Munich from June 24 to 27, 2025 (Hall A4, Booth 319).