Current Press Releases

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg have developed a new method for collecting and analyzing vital signs from the human body by using radar. The key feature is that the radar can be positioned sideways to collect particularly robust, non-contact vital data such as respiration and heartbeat pulse from various areas of the body. In combination with intelligent analysis methods, this opens new application possibilities ranging from medical to automotive applications.

At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) trade fair in Amsterdam, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT is presenting for the first time a solution that can automatically localize and identify people in large media archives based on their face and voice. For the "Audiovisual Identity Suite", the research institute has combined technologies for face and speaker recognition. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, vast amounts of media content are quickly analyzed for the presence of specific individuals.

Today, Professor Alfred Pecher, Head of Research and Development at Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, was elected as the new chairman of the board of trustees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT. He succeeds the long-time Chair of the Board of Trustees, Professor Dagmar Schipanski, who passed away in September 2022.

Tomorrow’s vehicles will be equipped with a sense of hearing, which will enable them to perceive, for example, bicycle bells, children playing or the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles. Experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg are working on The Hearing Car and developing AI-based system solutions for acoustic event recognition in the vicinity of vehicles. A mobile system for in-vehicle electroencephalography (EEG) for optimizing human-machine interaction and the YourSound assistant for personalizing sound experiences complete the system. The researchers will provide an insight into the latest developments at the IAA MOBILITY trade show in Munich from September 5 to 8, 2023, at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall B1, Booth D11.

Today, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT is able to announce that Active Ambient Lighting with Sound Visualisation, developed by Mercedes-Benz AG in cooperation with the German research institute, has been integrated into its 2023 E-Class series of automobiles. With the new tool, the lighting mood in the vehicle adapts to the music and sounds being played.

The consortium of the "MOND" project followed up a special invitation last week. The German Federal Ministry of Health hosted the high-ranking "Data for Health Conference 2023" on June 20 and 21 in Berlin. Selected AI projects and new technologies were given a stage. Experts from the U.S. and Europe discussed a wide range of health-related topics and their implications at the conference.

Since April of this year, five noise sensors have been installed in a test area of the city of Gelsenkirchen in close vicinity of the VELTINS Arena. The rather inconspicuous boxes embody bundled research expertise from Ilmenau and could soon help to avoid traffic jams and noise pollution around the event area. In a two-year test project, both Ilmenau research institutions have developed acoustic sensors that now measure noise levels and identify noise sources. The aim is to use random noise measurements to gain an impression of the sound level propagation in the 140-hectare large test area and to identify areas of particularly high noise pollution.

Developing an audio device that offers optimum sound experience to all people is not easy. The great challenge is that each person has their own listening preferences. For this reason, the Oldenburg Branch for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology HSA of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT has developed adaptive algorithms as well as intuitive methods for adjusting personal sound. Together with a customer, this technology has now been successfully integrated in headphones as well.

Patient data enjoy extensive protection in Europe. However, this often means that their usability in medical research is restricted. The newly launched »NEMO« project is using the example of EEG data from sleep monitoring systems to investigate the extent to which a person can be clearly identified from biosignals. Anonymisation techniques are then to be developed that allow a use of data in research and development that complies with data protection regulations. Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg is the project coordinator.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT will present a novel monitoring method for industrial production at the most important international industrial trade fair from April 17 to 21, 2023 in Hannover. At the booth of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Hall 16, Booth A12), the Ilmenau-based research institute invites all visitors to test the reliability of the acoustic monitoring method for themselves at an interactive demonstrator. Based on artificial intelligence (AI), acoustic monitoring can be used for the quality assurance of products and the optimization of processes along the entire value chain.

In cooperation with Fraunhofer IDMT and Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, worldiety GmbH, a software company from Oldenburg, has launched the website of the »AudioCAT« research project. The partners use intelligent software to evaluate specialist knowledge and soft skills, with the aim of being able to assess applicants for positions in medicine and patient care even better. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Project Number 16SV8821). The system can be tested on the following website: https://audiocat.de/exam

The car of the future must be able to hear, for example, the siren of an approaching emergency vehicle. That is why the experts at Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg are working on The Hearing Car. From 7 to 9 March, they will present their latest developments for smart acoustic sensor technology on and in vehicles on their stand and in live demonstrations with their own test vehicle at the DAGA 2023 trade exhibition in Hamburg. They will also showcase solutions for personalised sound in the car as well as a monitoring system to document the engaging of plug connections during production.

From March 6 to 9, 2023, the 49th Annual Conference on Acoustics - DAGA 2023 - will take place in the northern German metropolis of Hamburg. This year, the Ilmenau-based Fraunhofer IDMT is participating in the symposium with a total of seven presentations, two scientific posters, and the chairing of a structured session. The scientific contributions will present current research topics of the Ilmenau institute in the fields of sound analysis for music and acoustic events, numerical acoustics, acoustic metamaterials as well as electroacoustic, and audio signal processing.

Five scientists and an engineering service provider explain why audio technology is important for industry 4.0 and a future topic for the world's leading trade fair for production technology »EMO«.

The amount of manipulated audio files circulating on the Internet and on social media channels is increasing steadily. This can have far-reaching social, but also legal consequences. On the one hand, people can be deliberately misled or deceived by false or manipulated information. On the other hand, audio recordings are very often used as evidence in judicial cases. Undetected manipulations in audio data can have serious consequences in all these cases, but are almost impossible to detect without the correct expertise and appropriate tools.

Fraunhofer researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg have developed a speech recognition solution for use in industrial manufacturing. The system works reliably even in noisy environments and can be flexibly adapted to the user’s needs. Employees use intuitive voice commands on the factory floor, allowing them to keep both hands free and work much more efficiently. The Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023, will provide a first look at the research project, including a hands-on demonstration.

Manufacturers often rely on practical plug connections during the production of automobiles. However, time and money are wasted if an incorrectly plugged-in connection goes unnoticed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg has therefore developed a solution. An audio-based technology analyzes the clicking noise that is generated when a connection is plugged in. Should a connection fail to click into place, employees or the »colleague robot« will be alerted via an error message. This technology will be presented for the first time with a practical demonstration at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023.

BioMonitor4CAP is a research project aiming to develop advanced biodiversity monitoring to show which agricultural practices and policies work best at conserving farmland biodiversity. The project started on December 1, 2022. Fraunhofer IDMT is one of 23 partner organizations from ten European countries and Peru participating in this four-year-long project funded through the Horizon Europe research and innovation program.

With the speech recognition technology of Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg, contactless and safe voice control is possible - even under challenging acoustic conditions. And even with Christmas workpieces. The use of this technology also brings many advantages in maintenance and quality control, for example when documenting work processes. Fraunhofer IDMT wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Many accidents at sea are due to errors in communication between seafarers. An automatic voice monitoring system for the ship’s bridge will ensure greater safety. With the speech recognition system and support from Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg, Germany, ELNAV, a start-up company based in Split, Croatia, is developing what it calls a »Helm Order Monitor«.