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The Fraunhofer name is synonymous with scientific excellence in North Rhine-Westphalia. Ina Brandes, North Rhine-Westphalia Minister for Culture and Science, paid a visit to Wachtberg on Monday to see this excellence for herself. The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE opened up their laboratory doors to give the politician some fascinating insights into the research currently being undertaken by the scientists who work at the two institutes (almost 1,000 people in total).

The Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE in Wachtberg has welcomed several visitors of the highest rank: Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Alfons Mais, Major General Klaus Frauenhoff, Commander of the Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre, and Colonel Rainer Beeck, Chief Digital Officer of the Army, were invited by Institute Director Prof. Peter Martini to gain insights into the current research conducted by the FKIE. The exchange lasted several hours and focused in particular on how FKIE researchers can help digitally transform the German Army.

Securing the future viability and technological innovation of the German Armed Forces — these core tasks are embedded in the military science research carried out at the Wachtberg office in North Rhine-Westphalia. Fraunhofer FKIE has had a number of different guises over the years: it started out as FFM, FAT and IFE, was then one of three institutes incorporated into FGAN, finally becoming known as Fraunhofer FKIE since 2009. For 60 years now, its scientists have been conducting research into the defense and security of Germany and its alliance partners.

The Ukraine conflict confirms that wars are also fought in urban environments. Russia is mainly aiming its attacks at the neighboring country’s large city centers. Reliable, technology-supported reconnaissance is a key factor in gaining the upper hand here. Sensors are an important resource for this. Researchers at the Fraunhofer institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE are looking into the ways that the systems can provide support with recognizing, classifying and pinpointing gunshots and drones, as well as important information to get an overview of the situation. At a multinational experiment conducted in Switzerland, the scientists had a week-long opportunity to put their latest research to the test in realistic attack scenarios.

The European Commission has published the projects selected under 2022 European Defence Fund (EDF). The SWAT-SHOAL project, funded with 25 million euros, has been selected in the category of Underwater Warfare.

Maintenance of modern aircraft is a complex process. The use of AR smart glasses with 3D information visualization should make repair and maintenance work easier for aircraft mechanics. Virtual elements such as instructions, displays and technical tools can be operated by way of gesture, voice and gaze control. With the help of augmented reality systems, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE have developed concepts and solutions for maintaining the Airbus A400M.

The German Navy is making advances in the digitalization of its core processes. For many years now, Fraunhofer FKIE has been providing scientific and technical support in this area. Now, in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Navy Command and the defense technology institute have agreed to further expand their cooperation.

The aim of the lokik project, whose name is a shortened form of the German for “local initial crisis management”, is to create an independent communication network and a flexible picture of the situations that arise in the acute phases of disasters. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE have been working to achieve this since the night in 2021 when Germany’s Ahr Valley experienced a devastating flood. In spring 2022, the institute’s researchers officially presented their project for the first time in the building of the Winzer-Verein, a wine-grower’s association located in the Ahr Valley area of Mayschoß. A lot has happened since then — both in the flood-affected areas along the Ahr river and in the lokik project.

Cyberattacks on industry and critical infrastructure are on the rise across the globe. Targets also include ships, which, by transporting billions of tons of goods around the world each year, form part of international supply chains — yet their on-board IT systems often lack secure protection. To raise awareness of the risks of inadequate cybersecurity at sea and to help develop defensive solutions for guarding against cyberattacks, the Maritime Cyber Security research group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE has teamed up with the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services CML to set up a modular maritime security lab. This simulates cyberattacks on ships to find ways to detect and defend against attacks.

It's a record: for the first time, a total of 14 teams will compete in the European Robotics Hackathon (EnRicH) from 12 to 16 June 2023 - more than ever before. On the site of the nuclear power plant Zwentendorf near Vienna, which never went into operation, participants from Austria and Germany, but also from Poland, Finland and even Canada, will test the current state of their robotic systems. They all face the challenging scenarios developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE and the Austrian Armaments and Defence Technology Agency (ARWT).