Collaborators Create Free-Form Autonomous Sensors

Nanotron Technologies announces the completion of a three-and-a-half-year collaborative project, led by the Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, to develop compact, intelligent, autonomous sensors, also known as 'smart Items', of any shape or form factor. This collaborative cross-industry project was undertaken by a consortium of German organizations, comprising of prominent members such as AMIC, Fraunhofer IZM, GED, Lust Hybrid Technik, microTech, nanotron, Schaeffler and Technical University Berlin. The project's name 'FreiForm', meaning 'free form' in English, is directly derived from its core development concept: autonomous sensors with arbitrary shapes and forms.

 

With a focus on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the project covered all aspects of sensor system design, i.e. sensor technology, wireless data transmission, location-awareness, power supplies, and signal processing. The project also included an investigation into mechanical, electrical, and software design.

 

One result, nanotron demonstrated its swarm bee technology that employs sensors for tracking and collision awareness of transport equipment. The swarm bee family of smart RF modules utilizes a common API with ready-made anchors that enables a coverage range of up to 500 meters with an accuracy of 10 cm. Swarm bee provides a highly power-efficient approach that extends battery life of mobile devices and smoothly scales up to meet specific customer requirements. For more details, visit nanotron and Sensera Limited.