- The research team of EMS Osram and Fraunhofer has been awarded the German Future Prize. This prize, presented by the President of Germany, recognizes outstanding innovation in science and technology and is one of Germany's most prestigious scientific achievements.
- Osram's "Digital Light" LED technology is leading the development of intelligent and high-precision traffic lighting, enabling new and safe applications such as projection.
November 29, 2024 — Today, at an official ceremony in Berlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the 2024 German Future Prize (Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2024) to the winners. The winning team, led by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch of ams Osram, and Dr. Hermann Oppermann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), has turned the concept of "transforming automotive headlights into projectors through an LED matrix" into technological reality. The LED technology developed by the team, with its superior high-resolution light distribution and energy efficiency, brings innovative possibilities to automotive lighting design.
As part of the "Digital Light" project, researchers and their team have comprehensively rethought smart LED technology and established a foundational technology that enables numerous new applications, extending beyond automotive headlights. Developed by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch of AMD Osram, and Dr. Hermann Oppermann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), this light source system exhibits smaller size, higher brightness, greater energy efficiency, more advanced intelligent control, and more precise light output compared to traditional light sources. This new technology allows automotive headlights to illuminate the road ahead more accurately, avoiding glare for oncoming vehicles or pedestrians. Traditional low-beam and high-beam combinations cannot achieve this function because they require precise control of the spatial distribution of light to adjust the illumination range according to different driving conditions. This innovative technology eliminates the two light sources used in traditional headlights, employing 25,600 individually controllable LEDs within a 320 x 80 matrix. Each LED can be controlled digitally. Combined with special lenses, it enables automotive headlights to achieve the effect of a video projector.
Compact Design, Exceptional Efficiency <br /> This innovative light source system stands out for its compact space utilization and exceptional energy efficiency, requiring only the activation of the key LEDs to achieve the desired light distribution. In contrast, traditional passive light modulation systems rely on shading techniques, meaning the light source must operate at full power continuously to filter out excess light. This approach is not only inefficient but also generates a significant amount of unwanted light. Furthermore, the resulting heat requires dissipation through a large and costly cooling system. The new technology developed by AMD and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration fundamentally avoids these energy losses and additional costs, demonstrating significant advantages in energy efficiency and environmental adaptability.
Enhancing Safety Through Projected Graphics <br /> To improve road safety, a research team from AMD and the Fraunhofer Institute has proposed an innovative idea: their headlights not only provide precise and efficient illumination of the road ahead but can also function as projectors, projecting graphics directly onto the road surface. For example, snowflake patterns can be projected as a warning when there is a risk of icy roads; specific directional symbols can be displayed for lost drivers, providing additional navigation assistance.
Digital Light – Smart LED Technology for the Future <br /> Light-based information processing technology has opened up numerous innovative applications for the team's LED matrix technology, enabling precise control through digital systems. For example, in data centers for artificial intelligence applications, optical data communication enables high-speed transmission between computer chips, or plays a crucial role in augmented reality (AR). In AR applications, light matrix technology can serve as a virtual display screen for AR glasses, overlaying digital information onto the user's real-world environment. Given the need for lightweight and long-lasting battery life in AR glasses, the compact design and high energy efficiency of the LED matrix are particularly important. These applications demonstrate the immense potential and profound impact of Digital Light technology in transforming how humans interact with electronic devices.
The German Future Prize (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) – Honoring Innovation in Engineering and Science <br /> Aldo Kamper, CEO of ams Osram, extended his warmest congratulations to the winning team: “I sincerely congratulate the team led by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration, on receiving this honor. Following our initial win in 2007, our smart LED solution, ‘Digital Light,’ has once again received the German Future Prize from the President of Germany. This is not only a tremendous recognition of the ams Osram team, but also a special honor from the Fraunhofer Society. This award not only demonstrates ams Osram’s strong capabilities in innovation, but also highlights the crucial role of smart lighting and sensor technology in today’s and tomorrow’s digital society.”
Professor Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society, stated, “I extend my sincerest congratulations to the award-winning teams from AMD Osram and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration. In the Digital Light program, our researchers not only developed a revolutionary technology that opens new horizons for improved efficiency, safety, and design, but they also set an outstanding example of how to combine research findings with industrial collaboration and transform cutting-edge scientific achievements into practical applications. The team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration perfectly embodies the core values of the Fraunhofer Society, which are fundamental to our success, through their dedication, creativity, pioneering research, and entrepreneurial spirit. Winning the German Future Prize is not only a recognition of the team's tremendous achievements but also a testament to our outstanding contributions to this program.”
The German Future Prize, awarded annually since 1997, is one of Germany's most prestigious scientific achievement awards, with a prize of €250,000. The prize recognizes outstanding achievements in technology, engineering, and science, specifically those that can be applied to products. Each year, a jury of leading industry experts selects three research teams and their innovative ideas from numerous candidates to enter the final round, the "winning circle." The jury considers not only innovation but also the economic and social impact of the projects. This award marks the tenth time the Fraunhofer Society has received the German Future Prize, and the first time the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration has received this honor.
About osram <br /> osram Group (listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange, stock code: SIX: AMS) is a global leader in smart sensors and light emitters. We empower light with intelligence and infuse innovation with passion to enrich people's lives.
With over 110 years of history, driven by an imagination for future technologies, and combining profound engineering expertise with strong global industrial capacity, we have long been deeply rooted in the fields of sensing and optical technologies, continuously driving innovation. In the automotive, consumer, industrial, and healthcare sectors, we are committed to providing customers with competitive solutions, improving people's quality of life in terms of health, safety, and convenience, and promoting green environmental protection.
With approximately 20,000 employees worldwide, we focus on innovation in sensing, lighting, and visualization to make journeys safer, medical diagnoses more accurate, and communication easier. We are committed to developing groundbreaking application technologies and have been granted and are currently applying for over 15,000 patents.
The group is headquartered in Premstaetten/Graz, Austria, with a joint headquarters in Munich, Germany. In 2023, the group's total revenue exceeded €3.6 billion. ams-OSRAM AG is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX:AMS; ISIN: AT0000A18XM4).
