Emerging Applications Lab

The "Emerging Applications Lab" was founded by Infineon together with the MCI in 2016. Infineon Austria and the German parent company have now extended the cooperation agreement for another two years and are providing a total of 800,000 euros for this purpose.

Eight experts are currently working in the innovation lab. They follow Infineon's "from product to system" approach and combine hardware and software to create reference systems. This reduces development times on the customer side and brings applications to market maturity more quickly. So far, more than 20 system demonstrators have been realised in the lab and presented worldwide. At the same time, the lab offers MCI students a valuable practical basis for their applied research and further technical developments.

Innovation incubator for industry and research

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Austria: "In cooperation with the MCI, we have created a true innovation incubator with the 'Emerging Applications Lab'. Here, scientific expertise is professionally combined with the market requirements of industry in order to bring new system solutions into application more quickly. It is an active contribution to practice-oriented education, as well as to more technical specialists for future-oriented innovations."

For MCI Rector Andreas Altmann, the strengthening of the cooperation after the recent 25th anniversary is a groundbreaking signal: "The innovation lab is a magnet for technical talent. Since the lab was established in 2016, more than 120 scientific papers have already been written, always dealing with the latest developments in the technology industry. This close cooperation between science and practice offers an enormous competitive advantage for Austria as a business location as well as excellent career opportunities for our alumni."

CO2 sensor system measures air quality

A CO2 sensor pilot system for measuring and visualising indoor air quality was developed very recently. The sensor warns of bad air and provides the necessary fresh air supply, which is crucial for people's well-being and productivity. In the Covid19 pandemic, the CO2 sensor brings additional benefits. Since the concentration of aerosols through which the virus is transmitted correlates with the concentration of CO2, the CO2 sensor can help ensure that people can safely meet again in buildings and indoor spaces - whether in the office, at school or at home.

The system is based on Infineon's XENSIV PAS technology, which is characterised by its long-term stability, accuracy and small size due to the measurement principle. This is up to 75 percent smaller compared to commercially available CO2 sensors. The CO2 sensor is already in use at the Infineon Campeon in Munich and will also be used in the lecture halls of the MCI in the future. This allows the building management to keep an eye on the air quality at all times and to optimise the room air control.

Ronald Stärz, head of the Emerging Application Lab in Innsbruck: "Especially with the CO2 sensor, we as developers and users have seen the benefits as well as the high demand for smart solutions. That's why we are already working with Infineon on the next platform generation for other areas of application."

Wearables and cobots are in the innovation pipeline

The focus for the next few years is on promising application areas. These include the development of powerful and small electric drives for collaborative robotic systems, so-called "cobots", for example. They work interactively with humans and can be used in industry as service robots, in logistics, in disaster control or in medical care.

Research is also being conducted into the further development of wireless charging systems that can wirelessly charge several devices at the same time. In the future, the reference system will also be used in wearables such as sportswear, smartwatches or mobile devices.