The AMI alliance develops multimodal imaging techniques that combine image processing technologies across different spectral ranges from ultraviolet (UV), visual (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) to short-wave (SWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR), as well as real-time 3D images, thus enabling enhanced object and scene description, for industrial growth areas relevant in Central and Southern Thuringia. It consists of 13 partners and links Thuringian commercial enterprises with local research institutions in the field of multimodal imaging and its application. The alliance successfully started work in July 2022.
Fig. 1: The 13 partners of the AMI Alliance in Thuringia (Copyright AMI-Alliance 2022)
Flexible imaging methods are key technologies in the future markets of medicine & health, production & quality assurance, automotive & mobility, agriculture & forestry, food industry as well as recycling & circular economy.
The RUBIN-AMI alliance region is located in Central and Southern Thuringia with regional focal points in Ilmenau, Suhl, Weimar and Jena. From the center of the alliance Ilmenau, all partners are located within distances of < 80 km, with the exception of the Saxon company InfraTec in Dresden. The RUBIN-AMI alliance places itself in the economic sector of electronic and optical products and with its innovation platform of multimodal imaging, it serves central areas of optics such as measurement technology, sensor technology, optoelectronics and lighting technology. The traditionally grown optics location Thuringia has developed into an essential center of the German photonics industry in recent years. The region has the potential to address other high-tech industries with innovative products and to act as a technical pioneer for other growth fields.
Fig. 2: The innovation chain of multimodal imaging by the AMI-Partners (Copyright AMI-Alliance 2022)
Based on societal and technological requirements, the AMI Alliance will create the conditions for novel products & services and exploit multimodal imaging in initial relevant application markets. Taking into account considerable economic growth forecasts and the market access already available to the partners, the recycling of recyclable materials for closed material cycles and the mobility and healthcare industries were selected as priorities.
The first products envisaged in the selected specific target markets are
a single variety system for the retail trade (recognition and differentiation unit for different types of plastic for return systems with robot-based sorting),
an analyzer for construction waste recyclates,
a miniaturized contactless vital and activity sensor.
Together with the Alliance of Holz-21-regio, SpectroNet supports two local Thuringian alliances with different thematic focus. The alliance Holz-21-regio and the AMI-Alliance will be both present at the SpectroNet Collaboration Conference, starting September 7th, 2022 in Jena.
For more information visit our partner website.