Infrastructure Electronic Assistance Systems

For the realization of electronic assistance systems there is a diverse infrastructure available for Fraunhofer IMS, as well as various tools for hardware/software and system development.

Infrastructure business model/product requirement development

With the help of workshops for product requirements and for business model development we support our customers in orientation of the innovation process in the field of electronic assistance systems. For the performance of our workshops there are various materials for idea generation (e.g. idea cards), the elaboration of product requirements (e.g. value proposition design) and their business models (e.g. business model canvas) available. The extensive building equipment with conference and meeting rooms of different sizes allow for innovation workshops with various numbers of participants.

Infrastructure electronics and systems development

For the development of hardware and software for the realization of electronic assistance systems there are fully equipped laboratories and a HF measuring chamber available. For the printed circuit board design the tool Altium Designer® is used at Fraunhofer IMS. With this tool the circuit diagrams are created and the layout is developed that is later adjusted to housing specifications using a 3D simulation. For the fast evaluation of the circuit in the laboratory there is not only a cutting plotter, but also a rework station available. Measurements in the HF area can be performed in the in-house HF measurement measuring chamber. Also there is the possibility to perform ESD examinations in the in-house ESD measuring station. In the field of software there are mostly freely available compiler (GCC) in use that are complemented by our own steadily growing software library AIfES for the development of self-learning systems.

Infrastructure system evaluation

The living lab in the Fraunhofer-inHaus-Center allows for the integration of development results in a realistic application environment and to test and evaluate it on-site. Especially the human-machine interface of such complex systems can be tested with regard to operability and operating comfort with the help of test subjects. In a completely furnished double housing unit there are different infrastructures (e.g. bus systems, building technology) available for the evaluation of smart home components in a private environment. One semi-detached house is being renovated for the examination of assistance system for living in old age. Here, the retrofit for existing apartments is to be tested. Moreover, there are two living labs for testing assistance systems for nursing in care facilities that guarantee a realistic evaluation. For the examination of medical systems there is a separate area is provided for a completely furnished “hospital” from the reception area, over doctor’s and patient’s rooms up to an operating room.

The infrastructure of Fraunhofer IMS for the realization of electronic assistance systems in summary:

• Different development tools for hardware/software/system design
• Software library for machine learning methods on embedded systems
• Test and measuring laboratories
• HF measuring chamber for wireless applications
• Application laboratories and facilities of the Fraunhofer-inHaus-Center