Hannover Messe

The ICM junior research group "Sensor-based development of H2 fuel cells" presents an entire hydrogen world. Using exhibits from various projects, the researchers illustrate large parts of the process chain that takes place in a fuel cell system. Visitors will be able to understand the interplay between the various components and the importance for design and construction. At the center of the hydrogen world is a newly developed fuel cell concept, which is being exhibited in this form for the first time at the Hannover Messe. The design and shape are such that the researchers can integrate sensors into the main component, the bipolar plate.

In the RoboCable project, four partner institutes of the ICM are researching novel AI methods for robot-assisted manipulation of flexible components such as cables or cable harnesses. They demonstrate their preliminary results at the Hannover Messe with a robot equipped with optical sensors to detect the position of connectors and automatically fit them with cables. The groundbreaking aspect here is the AI approach to spatially detect the connector positions, which enables further automation steps.

Under the ICM umbrella, leading institutes from Baden-Württemberg are researching innovative propulsion systems such as the inductively electrically excited synchronous machine (IEESM). The efficient electric motor does not require permanent magnets made of rare earth metals. Instead, a coil generates the rotor magnetic field, which is supplied with power contactlessly through an inductive transformer. The ICM project GIKEES (Glass Fiber-Integrated Contactless Energy Transmission for Electrically Excited Synchronous Machines) addresses this point. Scientists from the Institute for Electrical Energy Conversion (iew) and the Institute of Aircraft Design (IFB) at the University of Stuttgart have developed a hybrid rotor hollow shaft made of steel and glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP). Since the lightweight material has no electromagnetic interaction, the inductive energy transmitter can be integrated much more compactly into the rotor hollow shaft. The cooling concept of the inductive transmitter in the rotor hollow shaft was developed by the Institute of Product Engineering (IPEK) at KIT.

The ICM's crowd-puller, the "DeVee" test vehicle, already aroused great interest at the last Hannover Messe. The components of the lightweight single-seater are the results of various ICM research projects: Reluctance machines without rare earth metals, a compact fuel cell system, additively manufactured wheel suspensions and an optimized electrical/electronic architecture.

The ICM's partner institutes have succeeded in creating an outstanding example of additive-subtractive manufacturing with their design of a transverse flux machine. Not only because of the ultra-modern manufacturing process, but also because of the innovative design. Slots specifically incorporated into the stator reduce the disruptive eddy currents and thus increase the power density.

As part of the ICM Innovation Challenge, a team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the start-up MoThor Batteries has developed a battery pack with detachable mechanical cell contacts. Defective individual cells can even be replaced by the mechanic in the bike store next door. Originally designed for an e-bike battery, the project is now being further developed for larger batteries under the name BattereVee.

Two ICM projects are presenting their results in the exhibition area at the University of Stuttgart. The Time-Gated Single Pixel Camera (TGSPCam) is a novel sensor concept for object recognition in suboptimal weather conditions such as snow or fog. As part of the HyLine project, the university's Materials Testing Institute tested its innovative friction welding gun on an industrial robot.