TU Ilmenau involved in federal project: High-tech imaging for small and medium-sized enterprises

In multimodal imaging, the different information from several imaging techniques - anatomical, functional and molecular information - is combined. By combining color images with spectral images, temperature images and 3D images, Prof. Gunther Notni, head of the Department of Quality Assurance and Industrial Image Processing at TU Ilmenauhe uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to achieve a new form of representation of the objects or scenes to be captured that goes far beyond the capabilities of the human eye. The new methods of visualization make objects and substances, as well as their properties, visible that remain hidden to us when we simply look.

Multimodal imaging - a revolutionary technology that can create entirely new applications for a wide range of economic sectors - future markets with significant growth forecasts: manufacturing and quality control, medicine and health, the food industry, automotive and mobility, agriculture and forestry, and recycling. In recycling, for example, the technology will provide retailers with a single-sort take-back system: robots recognize and distinguish between different types of plastic to sort bottles and jars accordingly. In recycling, the new way of recognizing objects and substances makes it possible to develop an analysis device for recycling construction waste. And in medicine, it promises completely new diagnostic methods. For example, a miniaturized vital and activity sensor is already being planned that will make it possible to measure a patient's heart rate, breathing rate and temperature without contact.

The "Advanced Multimodal Imaging (AMI)" alliance is coordinated by Prof. Gunther Notni and Steffen Lübbecke from Steinbeis Qualitätssicherung und Bildverarbeitung GmbH Ilmenau. It links two research institutions with eleven small and medium-sized industrial companies in Thuringia in order to open up new growth markets for them. The AMI alliance is integrated into the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's "Regional Entrepreneurial Alliances for Innovation (RUBIN)" funding program, which improves strategic cooperation among companies and with universities and research institutions in order to develop innovations with high application potential. In this way, RUBIN aims to strengthen the innovation and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in particular.

Information on the RUBIN/AMI alliance, the vision, the subprojects and the participating partners from industry and research: www.rubin-ami.de.