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The acronym POCT stands for point-of-care testing – patient-centered testing and diagnostics performed directly at the site of care rather than in a laboratory, for example, in a patient’s home or in an ambulance. POCT is often the method of choice when fast, reliable results are required with minimal effort. Point-of-care technologies are now finding their way into environmental diagnostics as well. Examples include monitoring wastewater and surface waters, sensor-based systems to improve barn climate in livestock operations, and mobile soil analysis for more precise fertilizer application in agriculture. Rapidly available data can also help protect lives in a wide range of hazardous situations.

Robotics can relieve employees from physically demanding, repetitive, and ergonomically unfavorable tasks. However, particularly in assembly environments, numerous factors must be considered before automation solutions can be implemented economically and deliver real benefits for personnel on the production line. A project team from Fraunhofer IWU and Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH is currently demonstrating precisely such an implementation at Fraunhofer IWU: a hybrid-autonomous assembly system (HAutoMont) that enables the cost-effective, semi-autonomous installation of passenger car underbody panels. The team is developing recommendations for adapting assembly processes and component designs to improve automation readiness.

How can sales figures be forecast more reliably, production capacities planned fully digitally, and employee know-how systematically integrated at the same time? To address this issue, Fraunhofer IWU developed an AI-powered demand forecasting tool for frottana Textil GmbH & Co. KG, the company behind the MÖVE brand. The tool intelligently analyzes historical sales data and provides companies with a robust, data-driven basis for sales and order planning; in a subsequent step, production planning could also be adapted.

Microcapsules containing a reactive two-component adhesive can simplify bonding processes in industry and assembly while improving occupational safety: the adhesive is initially safely enclosed in capsules, contact with exposed reactive components can be reduced, and activation takes place only during pressing at room temperature. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam Science Park is looking for partners from industry and research who would like to contribute specific components, carrier materials or assembly processes for application-oriented testing.

In areas of the body where space is extremely limited and delicate nerve or vascular structures must be preserved, so‑called minimally invasive surgery is required. Robotic systems that translate a surgeon’s movements with high precision, in real time, and with millimeter accuracy – while also filtering out even the slightest tremor – are already being used successfully in clinical practice. Now, combining this technology with smart glasses promises a further leap in innovation. In spatial computing, these devices visualize information directly within the surgeon’s field of view, displaying what cannot be seen from the outside. Precise, high-resolution patient imaging data – such as MRI scans – serve as the basis for guiding the path to the target area.

When properly planned and sized, energy storage systems in production (ESiP) can optimally utilize renewable energy produced in-house. The ESiP Analyzer, introduced at the ees Europe trade fair in 2025, has since successfully proven itself in real-world applications with utilities and industrial companies: the tool helps factories improve the integration of renewable energy and reduce peak loads. Experience to date shows that targeted simulations and optimized operating strategies can, in some scenarios, enable the use of close to half of the electricity generated on-site. Grid stability also benefits from the “smoothed” consumption resulting from the use of storage systems.

Since 2025, Fraunhofer IWU has been heading the Lightweight Design Research Field. This alliance brings together the expertise of 16 Fraunhofer institutes, creating a powerful, interdisciplinary platform along the entire lightweight engineering value chain—from material development to validated application in products. The goal is to provide companies with integrated research and development services “from a single source” and to transform innovations into industrial applications.

Pultrusion is a fully automated manufacturing process in which fibers are guided through a resin bath and then pulled as an impregnated material through a heated die. In the cured state, the result is a profile that shows exceptionally high mechanical strength. Profiles can be pulled directly into the desired geometry and produced with virtually any wall thickness, including hollow chambers or undercuts if required. By combining different fibers and resin systems, specific properties can be precisely tailored. High production speeds, low manufacturing costs, and consistently high quality make pultruded profiles attractive for entirely new applications – for example, in solar systems, wind turbine rotor blades, or electric vehicle batteries. In reinforced concrete structures, these profiles far exceed corrosion-prone steel as reinforcement material.

Until now, fine particulate matter generated by tire and brake wear has not been addressed in European emissions legislation. Only with the introduction of the Euro 7 standard – taking effect at the end of 2026 for newly developed (type-approved) vehicles and at the end of 2027 for all newly registered passenger cars and light commercial vehicles – will binding limit values be introduced. The goal is to restrict the emission of fine particulate matter with diameters less than 10 micrometers, particles that can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract and are considered particularly harmful to human health. A project consortium involving Fraunhofer IWU has now introduced a stainless-steel brake disc that easily meets the strict EU requirements.

Wind turbines are typically designed for about 20 years of service, with a maximum of 30 years before replacement. Since the early 2000s, Europe has accumulated several tens of thousands of tons of composite wind turbine waste yearly. Decommissioned glass fiber – reinforced rotor blades are especially problematic: current disposal options like thermal recovery or minor reuse in cement are unsustainable, and EU regulations rightfully prohibit landfilling. Thus, end-of-life management is a key challenge for a circular economy in wind energy. For future wind turbines, Fraunhofer IWU, together with partners in the EU-funded RECREATE project, is demonstrating new approaches to material selection, joining technologies, and design. The goal is to enable wear-prone components to be replaced and to manufacture them from recyclable materials.