Fraunhofer technology in market-ready force sensors - Altosens GmbH

Dielectric elastomers are functional materials with actuator, sensory and generator properties that are used in a wide variety of applications. DELTA-C^® technology is a sensor technology based on these materials. With Altosens GmbH, a company was founded that transfers this technology into market-ready force sensors and develops services based on it.

The DELTA-C^® force sensor technology

The digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and Smart Services pose major challenges for industry. Machine learning and artificial intelligence methods are opening up new opportunities for value creation via data-driven business models. Common to all applications and business models is the use of multiphysical sensor data. Sensors are interconnected in networks as part of the Internet of Things (IoT), which contributes to a further increase in the complexity of industrial plants. 

Technology transfer by means of spin-offs

Convinced of the opportunities offered by the technology, Uwe Steinkamp, the current managing director of Altosens GmbH, which was founded in 2022, approached the LBF to discuss the possibility of founding a company using this technology. Convinced by the founding idea, a team was formed, consisting of Sebastian Rieß and Jan Hansmann in addition to Uwe Steinkamp, to drive this project forward. On the way from the idea to the foundation of the company, the team was supported by the Fraunhofer programs CoLab and AHEAD. CoLab brings Fraunhofer technologies and Fraunhofer scientists together with external startups or existing startups. Subsequently, the incubator AHEAD supports the teams formed in this way on the path from idea to company foundation.

The Altosens Ltd.

Altosens develops a cloud-based monitoring system and the Altosens force sensors used for data generation. The sensors contain an integrated evaluation unit, with which, for example, load trends or information about the remaining fatigue life of structures can be made available in a user-friendly manner. The DELTA-C^® technology on which the sensors are based makes it possible to implement application-specific sensors with little effort. With the help of Altosens construction kit, first prototypes can be implemented within a few months. In the founding year 2022, Altosens has realized prototypes of sensors for logistics, kitchen and the force-measuring washer used for wind turbines. In the field of wind power, the goal of Altosens is to increase the profitability of wind turbines by reducing unplanned service calls, which cause high costs, especially for offshore turbines.