Inspired by research, Prof. Dr. Volker Bucher discussed the topic with Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs for Baden-Württemberg.
Institute for Microsystems Technology at the microTEC Southwest Cluster Conference 2025
In May, the 20th anniversary of the microTEC Südwest Cluster Conference took place at the Kongresshaus Baden-Baden – a leading industry gathering with over 200 representatives from industry, science, and politics, which highlighted current trends in microsystems technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, and medical technology. The HFU was also strongly represented there with the Institute for Microsystems Technology (iMST), headed by Prof. Dr. Volker Bucher.
In the “Young Talents meet Industry” poster session, four HFU projects were presented. These included two theses by master's students in the Micromedical Engineering programme, who wrote their theses at the institute and as part of a current research project, and a contribution from the KSF (Institute for Advanced Manufacturing). At the same time, Sven Schumayer impressed with his presentation on “Intelligent Intraocular Implant: Design and Testing of an Intraocular Electrode for Biopotential Detection” – a forward-looking contribution to medical technology.
In the accompanying exhibition, iMST presented its latest developments. Among other things, the research project “Maintaining sharp vision even in old age” featured smart contact lenses that use tiny electrodes to measure the activity of the eye muscles and automatically focus on the desired distance, thus counteracting age-related long-sightedness. In the field of medical engineering, a demonstrator of an elastomer balloon, developed as part of the CoHMed funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, was exhibited. The balloon is equipped with strain sensors, whose data can be used to draw conclusions about the tissue properties of the urethra through model-based evaluations. Laser-manufactured microcoils, which were developed as part of an international collaboration with the University of Strasbourg, were also presented, attracting a great deal of attention due to their complex manufacturing process. Overall, the slide show of the nano and micro lab generated many inquiries about the lab's capabilities, with the new FIB-SEM (focused ion beam scanning electron microscope), which is also used for collaborations, being mentioned repeatedly.
A special highlight for the iMST was the VIP lunch on Monday, where Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, discussed research and industry with Prof. Dr. Volker Bucher, Dr. Julien Petit, Dr. Andras Kovacs, and others.
