Demo floor

Photonic chips are needed for a range of applications, going from data- and telecom to AI, high performance computing (HPC), sensors and quantum computing.”

 Despite the promising nature of the technology, the photonic ecosystem is still very fragmented. That is why imec’s integrated silicon photonics platform (iSiPP) works with the entire semiconductor supply chain to provide prototyping, low-volume and even high-volume production of photonic wafers to fabless customers. This demo gives researchers, photonic chip design companies, and foundries the opportunity to find out more about the various options the platform offers. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/isipp

Across the semiconductor ecosystem, there is a determination to make more sustainable choices. Imec offers support for this with its sustainable semiconductor technologies and systems (SSTS) program. 

SSTS embodies three pillars: assess, improve, and disrupt. As part of assessment, imec is building a virtual fab — imec.netzero — to quantify the environmental impact of semiconductor manufacturing, with data coming from imec’s own 300mm manufacturing fab. This is supplemented by data from imec’s material and equipment supplier ecosystem. 

The SSTS program operates with the entire semiconductor supply chain to provide partners with better data-driven insights on the impact of the most advanced current and future chip technologies. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/ssts

The continued miniaturization of chips, increasing use of 3D integration, and more demanding computing performance requirements for applications such as AI and autonomous driving, cause chips to overheat and systems to fail. 

Imec’s 3D system integration program develops new high-quality chip cooling solutions to enable future high-performance computing applications. The demo shows a 3D device using impingement cooling with liquid on the chip surface to efficiently lower the temperature.

More info: www.imec-int.com/3d

High-performance computing applications need high-density interconnections between advanced chips – on interposers or on top of each other using through-silicon vias. This implies a need to reduce the interconnection pitch between dies and wafers, enabling advanced chiplet interconnection.

Imec is best-in-class in the development of superior high-density and fine-pitch interconnection technologies. This booth demonstrates some of these improved techniques, such as microbumps and hybrid bonding.

More info: www.imec-int.com/3d

Two demos showcase imec’s research on image sensor technology beyond state-of-the-art, using novel optical stacks, absorber materials, and pixel engines. 

The first demo showcases a modular camera featuring a short-wave infrared (SWIR) image sensor based on thin-film photodetector (TFPD) technology. SWIR image sensors provide see-through vision and are therefore very useful in automotive applications — augmenting vision in adverse weather conditions or tracking the driver’s eyes through sunglasses. Other uses include industrial machine vision such as sorting and inspection.

In the second demo, visitors can use a microscope to explore imec color splitters, new optical components of future imagers. These elements allow sub-diffraction-limited image sensors to capture all incoming photons, resulting in unprecedented quality for applications such as compact consumer cameras, where sensitivity, color brilliance, and compact system size are key parameters. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/pixel

The benefits of spectral imaging are well known. The development of imec’s on-chip spectral imaging technology means that spectral imaging devices can be miniaturized and, because of video-rate imaging capabilities, used in inherently dynamic, difficult-to-control environments. 

The spectral filter-on-chip technology can be applied to any CMOS imaging device wafer, extending their use to new applications, from minimally invasive surgery to global scale imaging from CubeSats in space.

This demo features the classification and discrimination power of imec’s newest system-level prototype, capturing data in 30 spectral channels from 450 to 860 nm simultaneously with true-color RGB.

More info: www.imechyperspectral.com 

In the automotive industry, ultra-wideband (UWB) techniques are being adopted to secure keyless entrance solutions. Resulting from ongoing R&D work on advanced UWB transceiver design and sensing algorithms, imec’s UWB program is extending the UWB radio functionality to include radar for in-cabin sensing.

The interactive demo showcases the next-generation sensing capabilities of UWB in automotive in-cabin presence detection, vital sign sensing, and large gesture recognition. The robust and reliable UWB radio transceivers are a solid alternative to the current costly and power-hungry sensors. Improving child presence detection (CPD), due to be included in Euro NCAP in 2025, is the specifically targeted application.

More info: www.imec-int.com/UWB

This proof-of-concept demo showcases imec’s components for a compact, low-power and potentially low-cost solid-state lidar system which uses integrated silicon photonic technology. Especially automotive applications, such as ADAS, are craving such systems for 3D mapping of a car’s surroundings. Robotics is another application.

This research is a systems-technology co-design project. It includes photonics technology, circuit design and system design across different imec sites in the Netherlands and Belgium. And is supported by the PhotonDelta Growth Fund.

More info: www.imec-int.com/lidar

Radar is known to robustly detect, track and classify objects for ADAS and many other applications, and is, unlike video-based systems, insensitive to lighting conditions. imec has now developed a radar analytics pipeline using advanced signal processing and machine-learning algorithms allowing the interpretation of human actions in dynamic outdoor scenes. It allows 24/7 all-weather operation and can be used in a wide range of applications such as automotive sensing, human-machine interaction, and the analysis of human behavior for surveillance systems.

At the demo booth a set of real-life examples will be shown to illustrate how our radar analytics pipeline is able to provide insight into people's behavior in public environments without the use of cameras. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/sensorfusion

Imec’s 140 GHz radar is a mature offering, which ranges from IC’s (28nm CMOS) to packaging, antennas, system demonstrators and development kits. 140 GHz radar is ready to upgrade 60 GHz radar for in-cabin sensing due to its superior resolution and sensitivity.

In addition to in-cabin sensing for automotive applications, 140 GHz radar is being developed for out-of-cabin applications (ADAS/AD) as well, and for applications in robotics and smaller non-automotive autonomous systems such as last-mile delivery and drones. 

This demo presents the latest 140 GHz hardware and application developments.

More info: www.imec-int.com/140radar 

Sensor fusion, applied to systems such as self-driving cars, improves the perception of the environment by combining multiple sensors and fusing their output.

IPI, the imec Image Processing and Interpretation Research Group at Ghent University, is exploring how sensor fusion can be made resilient to conditions such as heavy rain, snow, and degraded sensors. By making the sensor fusion system context-adaptive, perception accuracy is greatly improved. 

Context-adaptive sensor fusion is a plug-in software module that can be applied to any late or intermediate fusion system. The demo showcases real-time people detection by lidar and camera systems in two different contexts.

More info: www.imec-int.com/sensorfusion

Early detection of road users is key for the further development of autonomous vehicles. Behaviors can be better predicted, and collisions avoided. IPI, the imec Image Processing and Interpretation Research Group at Ghent University, has developed a sensor fusion technology system identifying moving targets with low latency. The solution consists of combining image pairs from different time instances as well as different physical cameras fitted to the vehicle in an array configuration. 

This demo illustrates the value of this technology through scenarios where early detection of pedestrians is difficult yet achievable.

More info: www.imec-int.com/sensorfusion

Imec not only invests in R&D, also in entrepreneurship. Proof of this is the imec.istart accelerator program which provides funding and support for tech start-ups, to help them grow on a global scale. Learn about the imec.istart program and portfolio, trending application fields and new technologies (as presented by some of our portfolio companies). 

More info: https://www.imecistart.com/en  

VoxelSensors
VoxelSensors is blending the physical and digital worlds through a novel category of 3D perception technology, outperforming competitive technologies on power consumption, latency and accuracy.

HeronTrack
With HeronTrack, we track tools and small equipment for the Construction market with a focus on inventory management, theft protection and predictive maintenance.

Intelliprove
IntelliProve is a fast growing MedTech start-up based in Ghent, Belgium. The company is developing a computer technology capable of accurately determining health parameters within a few seconds, based on an optical measurement of the face. A combination of novel signal processing and computer vision technology is at the heart of IntelliProve's technology. IntelliProve measures physiological and mental health parameters with one click on a smartphone. Fast, contactless, no hardware and seamlessly integrated within any healthcare platform or app.

UZE
Uze offers a mobile charging service for EV’s in cities, on parking lots and for fleets.
Trough our app, you allow us to locate your car and to open the charging port of your EV. We connect our mobile charger and in less then 40 minutes your car is charged! With Uze a charging becomes as easy as a pizza delivery!

Tekst.ai
Tekst.ai is a leading NLP tech company that focuses on intelligent routing and reporting. Our AI cores are designed to seamlessly integrate with existing (helpdesk) software, such as Salesforce ServiceCloud, and offer advanced analysis of every incoming ticket/email/case. By accurately labeling each ticket and automatically referring it to the correct solution, Tekst.ai enables businesses to save time and money while improving the overall customer/employee experience.

OTIV
OTIV leads the autonomous revolution in rail. We develop assistance, remote control and autonomous systems for rail, and work with the leading global operators (incl. DB, SNCF) and industrial players (incl. ArcelorMittal). 

Marple
Marple is a B2B SaaS Startup based in Antwerpen that aims to revolutionise the way engineers analyse their data.
We do this by building a web-based time series data analysis platform with a focus on test and measurement data coming from complex systems during R&D.
Marple uses its in-house developed big data algorithm to quickly process data and show results to the user.
It allows for rapid visualisation of the time series data and gives the engineer the right tools to find trends or anomalies in the data.
Currently, Marple is being used by over 400 engineers every month to visualise and analyse their data.
Companies like Atlas Copco, Lilium, Rimac and Tesla rely on the data analysis capabilities of Marple every day.

Datavillage
Datavillage is a Data Collaboration Platform that enables trusted and controlled data sharing between organizations and with their customers.

Imec.xpand is an independently managed value-add venture capital fund that focuses on hardware-based nanotechnology innovations where imec technology, expertise, network and infrastructure will play a differentiating role. 

More info: https://imecxpand.com

Swave
Leveraging advances in photonics and holography based on diffractive optics, Swave’s HXR microchip products are mass-producible, cost-effective and reliable, designed for ultra-high-end holographic display applications and ultra-light-weight wearable devices.

Pulsify Medical
Pulsify Medical is developing the first fully flexible ultrasound patch for accurate high-content continuous monitoring of key vital functions in patients, non-invasively and wirelessly, generating novel patient management options in both the hospital and home setting.

Morrow
By combining Active Liquid Crystal and a corrective lens, Morrow’s autofocal eyewear can electronically transform your vision from nearby to far, and back, at the touch of a button.

Spectricity
Spectricity develops and manufactures miniaturized spectral imaging solutions based on CMOS technologies, which can be effortlessly integrated into countless applications and devices. The fabless company's spectral imagers, camera modules and application algorithms target consumer, high-volume and mobile devices.

Axelera AI
Axelera AI is designing the world’s most powerful and advanced solutions for AI at the edge. Its game-changing MetisTM AI platform – a holistic hardware and software solution for AI interference at the edge – enables computer vision applications to become more accessible, powerful and user friendly than ever before. 

MICLEDI Microdisplays
MICLEDI Microdisplays is a fabless semiconductor design and technology company developing unique, high-performance microLED displays for the Augmented Reality (AR) market, in a 300mm CMOS manufacturing platform.

Azalea Vision
Azalea Vision, a spin-off from Imec and Ghent University, is developing a medical device with an active light management system inside a contact lens. People suffering from ocular disorders or neuro-ophthalmic conditions like chronic migraine, will directly benefit from Azalea Vision’s smart contact lens.

Turning ASIC ideas into real products can be a complex process. Imec.IC-link is a full-service ASIC solution provider managing the full product lifecycle. Its services include design, chip manufacturing, assembly, testing, and qualification. Third-party IP can also be provided where needed. 

Imec.IC-link is a TSMC value chain aggregator (VCA) which, since 2017, has also been giving North American customers access to TSMC technologies.  Imec.IC-link has also long-standing agreements with other key semiconductor foundries.

An imec subsidiary, imec.IC-link also plays an important role in several European projects, three of which are highlighted in the booth:

-          EUROPRACTICE supports customers with design tools and easy access to low-cost prototyping and low-volume fabrication in ASIC, MEMS, and photonics technologies. Extensive customer support and training are included.

-          In PREVAIL, four major European research and technology organizations, namely imec, CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer, and VTT, have set up a Partnership for Realization and Validation of AI hardware Leadership to create a new multi-hub test and experimentation facility for edge AI hardware, useful to EU stakeholders for artificial intelligence applications.

-          ASCENT+ serves as a direct entry point to a European nanoelectronics research infrastructure at a global scale, offering access to key enabling capabilities in state-of-the-art processing, modelling, and simulation data sets, metrology and characterization, and devices and test structures. ASCENT+ helps its user community to accelerate innovation pathfinding. 

More info: www.imeciclink.com

Imec researchers aim to bring quantum computing from the lab to the world, building stable silicon and superconducting qubits and large qubit arrays, and developing the electronics to interface with these qubit arrays, program them, and read out meaningful results. At the same time, they are building models for cryoelectronics, needed to control and read out quantum arrays working at near-zero temperatures. 

The demo showcases some of the quantum technologies currently worked on by imec research groups or external partners, such as qubit technology, quantum amplifiers and converters, and quantum photonic ICs. BeQCI, the Belgian quantum communication network, a branch of the European QCI, is also featured in the demo.

More info: www.imec-int.com/quantum

This demo showcases imec’s unique advanced process design kits (PDK). These pre-silicon PDKs enable virtual design in upcoming technology nodes and give an early access to tomorrow's breakthroughs, such as CFET, Back-side interconnect and STT memory, empowering innovation and fostering talents. These research PDKs are now available to universities, research institutes and fabless companies who want to engage in advanced CMOS research and product development.

More info: www.imec-int.com/cmos

The world’s insatiable appetite for bandwidth led imec to launch its Advanced RF research program. The program aims to lay the foundations for next-gen mobile communications and focuses on creating a roadmap to beyond 5G device technology that enables 100 Gbit/single-link throughput. It combines integrated CMOS and III-V devices with advanced RF system architecture and circuit concepts to achieve end-to-end energy consumption significantly below 1 nanojoule per bit. 

The demo features the first 140 GHz hardware prototypes, illustrating that next-generation high-throughput wireless communication can be low-cost, low-power, and scalable.

More info: www.imec-int.com/arf

 In this demo, visitors can see analog front-end electronics operating at a speed greater than 100 Gbaud, intended for coherent transceivers. Such ultra-high speeds are indispensable in order to keep up with the exploding data-rate needs of future wireline and optical communication applications.

More info: www.imec-int.com/100gbaud

In the agriculture sector, finding skilled workers is challenging, while robotization of complex agricultural systems is not keeping up with demand.

IPI, the imec Image Processing and Interpretation Research Group at Ghent University, is currently building a faithful [AK1] 3D replica of an orchard, using hybrid techniques, and lidar and visual sensor combinations, with the objective of creating a digital twin of the orchard to support tree-pruning.

OnePlanet Research Center, a multidisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Radboud University, Radboudumc, and imec, analyzes the processes in the digital orchard, translating the output into actions for humans or robots.

In the short term, the software and tools help trainee agricultural workers become pruning experts. In the long term, the software will make it possible for robots to take over certain tasks. The digital orchard allows for thorough lifetime monitoring and the future optimization of agricultural processes.

More info: www.oneplanetresearch.nl/innovatie/digital-orchard/

The fact that wireless communication cannot simultaneously be part of low-level control procedures in an Industry 4.0 site and meet quality of service (QoS) characteristics, is deeply rooted in the automation industry.

An imec research group aims to change this by proposing Better than Wired, a low-latency, high-reliability deterministic wireless communication system, consisting of a custom Wi-Fi-compatible physical layer and a patented MF-TDMA based MAC, paired with a spectrum resources allocation protocol. Active spectrum sensing avoids interference in runtime and ensures highly stable links in all environments as long as a part of the spectrum is free for use. Currently, the low-cost decentralized solution fulfils the 5G promise of a maximum latency of 1-2 milliseconds and reliability of 6 nines. 

The demo showcases a robotic arm controlled by a PLC, with Better than Wired nodes forming the wireless communication control link between the PLC and the robotic arm. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/betterthanwired 

With the advent of wearable technology and the ubiquity of smartphones, the way we monitor our health and lifestyle is undergoing a revolution. No longer are we limited to self-reporting our behaviors and health. We can now collect objective data through sensors that monitor our movements, sleep patterns, stress, wellbeing, and more. These behavioral and contextual markers provide a wealth of information about our daily routines and can help to make informed decisions about our health and well-being.  

This demo showcases how we employ explainable AI to automatically derive health insights from these contextual markers and visualize them to patients, caregivers and clinicians in a comprehensible fashion to steer disease intervention and follow-up.  

This is demonstrated through two use cases:  
a mobile application and and clinician dashboard that automatically identifies triggers related to the occurrence of headaches in migraine patients and an operator dashboard & caregiver mobile application for automated assessment, follow-up and assignment of care alarms within homecare settings.  

More info: www.imec-int.com/protego

For situations where pharmacological solutions fall short, artificial organs built using electronics can modulate the human body. The peripheral nervous system, specifically the vagus nerve in the neck, can be used to stimulate and inhibit organs such as the heart, pulmonary system, and the brain. 

An imec research group develops a method of selecting and electrically stimulating a specific sub-bundle of the more complex peripheral nerves such as the vagus nerve. This ground-breaking technology is embedded in an imec IC. It opens the door to nerve stimulation therapies with greater selectivity and thus fewer side effects than current solutions.

More info: www.imec-int.com/pns

Many chronic diseases are linked to the gut, but current methods of monitoring gut health are invasive and not easily accessed by the public. Researchers at OnePlanet Research Center, a multidisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Radboud University, Radboudumc, and imec, are building a digital twin platform to gain live insights into a subject’s health status linked to the gut-brain axis, and to facilitate prevention, early detection and chronic disease management. 

The demo illustrates how Digital Twins integrate and operationalize innovative sensing technologies, such as the ingestible sensor and the smart snackbox, and AI for precision and preventive health. Digital Twinning leads to actionable insights for caregivers, patients / consumers and Food / Pharma / MedTech industry. Since generalized population models for mental well-being, gut health, and lifestyle and behavior are known to be suboptimal, creating customized human digital twins is one of the main objectives. 

More info: www.oneplanetresearch.nl

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) technology is a MEMS technology using thin-film piezo materials to generate ultrasound. Compatible with basic CMOS as well as flat-panel-display technology, PMUTs offer opportunities for low-cost, easy to integrate sensors and actuators allowing existing and new applications and products to be scaled. 

The first demo showcases how PMUT technology is used for vital sign monitoring, while the second demonstrates how ultrasound can manipulate microparticles, illustrating the potential for cell manipulation in lab-on-chips.

More info: www.imec-int.com/ultrasound

Process analytical technology (PAT) encompasses a set of methodologies and technologies for designing, analyzing, and controlling manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, with the aim of enhancing product safety and quality. 

Currently, to monitor manufacturing processes in a confined environment such as a bioreactor, pharmaceutical companies can only use two or three sensors in line. The imec multi-sensing technology makes it possible to implement more sensors in and next to a bioreactor, resulting in better and fast monitoring, improving efficiency, and a higher-quality pharmaceutical product. 

Visitors to the demo will see a prototype of the first multi-sensor device (PATcube) [AK1] [MDG(2] inside a bioreactor. A second demo features lens-free imaging for fast contamination detection. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/biomanufacturing

Following a stroke or an accident, it is important for patients to start retraining some functions as soon as possible. Physiotherapy is a classic solution for this kind of rehabilitation because physiotherapists are professionally trained in how to support patients with their exercises. But therapy resources may be limited, with patients getting less help than they need, leading to less successful rehabilitation.

Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and imec have built a robot that can help therapists re-educate their patients. Integrated AI, sensor technology, and an ingenious sleeve allow the robot to detect what the patient is intending to do and how the patient engages, resulting in more effective therapy. Robot-assisted therapy also allows therapists to treat more patients and evaluate recovery in a data-driven way.

Visitors to the demo can experience the technology by exercising with the rehabilitation robot.

More info: www.imec-int.com/robotics

Using human cells in organ-on-chip devices makes disease investigation and drug development more precise and more predictable. With unique sensor technology and manufacturing know-how, superior and more reliable devices are built. 

The interactive demo features a sensor platform emulating various organs on a chip, as well as systems interacting with the chip, the user interface, and analysis software. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/organ-on-chip

Photoacoustics is a non-invasive sensing technique mainly used in biomedical applications, which combines both light and sound to build up an image. Using color LEDs and imec’s sensitive optomechanical ultrasound sensor (OMUS), the proposed system allows clearer breast cancer imaging and facilitates non-invasive glucose sensing. 

The technology can also be used in other applications such as environmental gas sensing and sensing in urine or blood.

More info: www.imec-int.com/photoacoustics

The Flemish government estimates that more than 76,000 operators in the Flemish manufacturing industry will need to train for new skills by 2030. Due to a lack of expertise in AI, current training simulators are often neither sufficiently automated nor efficient. 

Research groups imec-mict-UGent, imec-IDlab-UA and imec-VUB-Brubotics, both interdisciplinary research partnerships between imec and three Flemish universities, are developing operator training using extended reality (XR) technology. Trainees wearing VR or AR headsets will see visual overlays whenever the system predicts both cognitive and unsafe or non-ergonomic movements, prompting trainees to react appropriately. The trainer receives feedback, via a dashboard, on how the trainees are doing. Imec’s algorithms on action prediction and cognitive assessment are also useful in other use cases. 

The dual set-up allows visitors to experience both VR and AR technologies in the demo.

More info: www.imec-int.com/robotics

Many chemical and manufacturing industries have very fast production or chemical processes, that can benefit from high-speed monitoring to ensure safety and product quality. Yet, companies hesitate to use high-speed camera systems, because the benefits of these camera-systems have not yet been demonstrated, and the investment costs are high.

Imec researchers have developed a smart video upsampling solution by fusing analysis results from a slow, regular camera with signals from low-cost, high-speed sensors, lowering the investment threshold.

The demo shows the technology monitoring a quantity of foam created by a fast chemical reaction and a video of the application in a production area.

More info: www.imec-int.com/sensorfusion

 "Traditional manufacturing robots carry out tasks in predictable and controlled settings. In dynamic environments where there are many objects and a range of human activity, their abilities are limited. IDLab, an imec research group at Ghent University, works on giving robots humanlike data-efficient manipulation skills, applying deep learning, robotics, and sensor technologies. The focus is on difficult-to-perceive objects such as cloth, plastics, and reflective items. 

The demo showcases the robotic learning pipeline which led to an imec robot winning the IROS 2022 cloth folding competition. A robot executes the complete folding process of a random piece of cloth. The robot’s cameras and built-in sensors observe the cloth, using AI to identify the shape while deploying pre-trained folding policies from a digital twin, to complete the folding task.

More info: www.imec-int.com/robotics

AI still faces trust issues when deployed in critical environments. eXplainable artificial intelligence (XAI) expresses the AI decision-making process in a human-understandable language and thus increases its trustworthiness. 

The demo showcases XAI’s value in an AI-driven solvent-switch process in a real-life pilot plant at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. This kind of process is safety-critical in nature, which directly conflicts with the black-box nature of AI models. IDLab, an imec research group at the University of Antwerp and Ghent University, explains how the black box problem is tackled using its XAI expertise. XAI can also be applied to other manufacturing processes and safety-critical control problems. 

More info: www.imec-int.com/ai

Nanotechnology for converting CO2 to valuable moleculesWith net-zero emission the target for 2050, effective CO2 reduction technologies are essential as part of the transition to a low-carbon society. With Power-to-Molecules (P2M), imec, partner in EnergyVille offer a new technology using electrolysis to convert CO2 into valuablemolecules, such as syngas, ethylene, and methanol. 

Imec’s nanomesh, a nanometer-scale scaffold-like structure with highly regular internal dimensions, is ideal for high throughput electrolysis, because of its large surface area and high porosity. The surface area enhancement of >100x and thickness of <10 µm result in a multiplication of the number of reaction sites.

More info: www.imec-int.com/p2m

Photovoltaics (PV) is a key technology in our transition to renewable energy. To meet the energy needs of the future, PV will be everywhere around us, and must be further optimized to be more efficient, affordable, scalable and aesthetically attractive. Integration of PV in buildings, infrastructure and even vehicles are important for Europe.

This demo showcases building-integrated and vehicle-integrated photovoltaic modules using imec’s patented interconnection technology. A lightweight mini-module with advanced PV sensing illustrates how the strain and temperature within PV modules can be measured.

More info: www.imec-int.com/pv

Reducing the cost of photovoltaics by increasing efficiency is important for the evolution of sustainable energy. Research has shown that tandem solar devices are more efficient than single-junction solar cells, with the potential to boost efficiency to more than 30%.

Tandem concepts differ depending on the type of bottom cell and whether the top and bottom cells are electrically connected. The so-called 2-, 3- or 4-terminal tandem configurations already work on small-area lab cells.

This demo shows how combining perovskite thin-film PV technology (top module) with silicon (Si) PV technologies (bottom module) leads to significantly higher performance and is scalable to sizes relevant for actual implementation. Tandem technology is expected to become important for integrated photovoltaic applications.

More info: www.imec-int.com/tandempv

Since cultivating interest among young people, teachers, and citizens in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) has always been important to imec, it co-founded RVO-Society in 2001, in collaboration with the Flemish government. Both imec and RVO-Society believe that chip technology plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges of the 21st century. 

RVO-Society is looking to shape its mission through two initiatives: Scivil, and Brightlab. Because curiosity and eagerness to learn about STEM is best sparked at an early age, Brightlab focuses on 5- to 18-year-olds. With imec’s support, the organization is devising quality and inspirational activities for children of all ages. Selections from the Brightlab offer, including the Brightboxes, the EDUboxes, and massive open online courses (MOOCs), are featured in the demo.

More info: www.brightlab.be 

Multi-sensor LiDAR fusion significantly improves AI’s decision-making capability for multiple tasks, including classification, localization, and distance estimation. Combining measurements of multiple solid-state LiDARs, a cheaper and more reliable solution can be constructed. Multiple sensors also address the problem of blind spots and partial vision. 

The demo highlights the importance of multi-sensor fusion for autonomous navigation planning in vehicle and inland shipping application. In addition, the results of research on graph-based deep learning show that near-sensor AI with extreme edge processing is feasible.

More info: www.imec-int.com/sensorfusion

Imec coordinates the Flanders AI research program. The program engages AI experts from ten partners, including all five Flemish Universities,  and all strategic research centers.. The consortium conducts demand-driven strategic basic AI research, including edge AI/sensor AI and human-centered AI, through 20 use cases in the areas of health, industry, energy and society. 

Visit the booth and find out how you can benefit from this program and from using the new AI methods.

More info: www.flandersairesearch.be

Mobilidata, a Flanders government program, is currently rolling out intelligent traffic light (iTLC) technology at 380 locations in Flanders. IDLab, an imec research group at the University of Antwerp and Ghent University, demonstrates that combining iTLC technology with imec’s sensor fusion algorithms to detect, track, and predict vulnerable road users results in a significant improvement in iTLC performance. 

The output of imec’s learning model for traffic prediction can also be used as additional input in a multimodal context. Making the iTLC technology aware of likely traffic in the future, it manages traffic proactively and intelligently to avoid congestion and unsafe situations as well as achieve lower emissions.

More info: www.mobilidata.be

Everything we do online is tracked and stored, whether through apps on our smartphones or when we turn on our computers and start surfing. As users, we have no control over how companies collect and store our personal data. 

Imec and three leading Flemish universities are joining forces in SolidLab to change the whole system of how we share information over the internet. The idea is to disconnect apps from data and create personal data pods that can move around with the user. These data pods are best seen as a standardized way of storing personal information, giving end users more transparency and ownership over their own data. At the same time, organizations gain the opportunity to build personal services on a much richer set of data.

To illustrate the broad potential of Solid, this demo focuses on career management use cases.

More info: www.solidlab.be

At the center of the ITF Flanders booth are the data-driven technologies digital twins, data tech, data spaces and artificial intelligence. Through specific applications, the demos showcase the potential of these technologies for different application areas relevant to Flemish stakeholders such as preventive health, mobility, logistics, education, and sustainable urban environments. 
More info: www.imecitf.com/2023/flanders 
 
PTRA – digital technologies at the heart of preventive care 

At imec, we aim to improve the quality of life using nano- and digital technology innovations. Taking these innovations to applications in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare system. Combining wearables, implantables and ingestibles to monitor various health parameters with data technology expertise turns our health data into holistic health insights. Meet PTRA at the Flanders booth and discover how nano- and digital technologies can transform healthcare into preventive and patient-centric health management.  

PILL – Physical Internet Living Lab 

The Physical Internet is a disruptive innovation of the logistics sector. In the Physical Internet, all the software tools of supply chain stakeholders are connected through a decentralized network that enables automatic data exchange and interoperability, automating the entire flow of goods across the network. 

GreenMov – multimodal mobility planning with data science 

GreenMov aims to facilitate the use of interoperable data sources to pave the way for the development and rollout of new services that support green mobility. In Flanders, imec, Atos and Digitaal Vlaanderen work together on the reuse of data for the combined use of public and shared transport. 

PRECINCT – exploring the use of digital twins to manage critical infrastructure 

PRECINCT aims to establish an ecosystem platform for connecting stakeholders of interdependent critical infrastructure and emergency services. In Flanders, Living Lab Antwerp will contribute to the PRECINCT reference framework models to establish a dependencies map between CIs in the region of Antwerp, using Multidisciplinary Emergency Operational Command Post (CP-OPS). The use case in Flanders is focused on flooding and disastrous consequences of global warming with cascading effects on the water CI and its impact on the traffic CI.  

URBANAGE – forging the future of age-friendly cities through disruptive technologies 

Within the URBANAGE project, imec and Digitaal Vlaanderen investigate how to make cities more suited to the elderly – using disruptive technologies such as digital twins, big data analytics and artificial intelligence. The use case ‘Green comfort index’ assesses how comfortable urban public space is for the elderly based on parameters such as air quality, noise, heat stress, natural infrastructure, accessibility & the presence of street furniture, etc.  

Digital twin of the city of Bruges – digital decision support for urban planning and real-time monitoring in the physical world 

In the open innovation project with the city of Bruges, imec (in partnership with VITO and Cegeka) developed a digital twin of Bruges and unveiled several data sources pertaining to air quality and traffic streams that were then collected in one single dashboard. Policy makers who want to make predictions within their domains can use this dashboard to assess the potential (cross-domain) impact of their decisions before putting them into practice. 

SYTADEL 

Through SYTADEL, we investigate how technology can help us make the logistics chain more sustainable. The focus is on the development of a logistics data space: a place where data can be shared and consulted with mutual consent to make transportation planning more efficient, flexible and sustainable. 

The Flemish government set up i-Learn as a way for teachers to better understand and implement personalized, digital education for primary and secondary school students. 

Based on the latest research insights, researchers at imec and KU Leuven developed the i-Learn MyWay & Academy portal. I-Learn MyWay helps teachers build personalized learning pathways for their students. Through i-Learn Academy they can register for coaching and training with experts. I-Learn also promotes best practices for interoperability and standardization across the private and public EdTech sector in Flanders.

The demo illustrates how the platform works for teachers and students.

More info: www.i-learn.vlaanderen