If you put your hand on the hotplate, it hurts because on average a single square centimeter of human skin contains over 300 receptors that register pain, pressure, heat and cold. In the future, an electronic network modeled on the human nervous system will protect technical structures: aircraft, pipelines and the rotor blades of wind turbines, for example.

The system is called Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and will be presented at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing. Sophisticated systems of sensors, actuators and signal processors detect cracks, rust and other defects at an early stage in order to prevent damage, especially in places that are difficult to access.

The artificial nervous system fulfills a dual task in such cases: it monitors the structure and at the same time delivers data about the occurrences in the structure during day-to-day operation. Data of this kind, which hardly existed until now, will help to optimize future generations of components.

Fraunhofer-Institut für Zerstörungfreie Prüfverfahren (IZFP - Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing) www.izfp-d.fraunhofer.de

Run for the sun: Bremen's Weser Stadium is under reconstruction. The all-purpose arena is being transformed into a football hot spot, powered by solar energy. Energy group EWE, based in Oldenburg, Germany, will present the innovative energy concept for this mega stadium at HANNOVER MESSE 2008. The heart of the arena is an ultra modern photovoltaic system designed to produce 750,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

200,000 solar cells are spread across an area of around 16,000 square meters, the equivalent of two football fields. This intelligent concept from the EWE group will save the environment from more than 400 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Even Werder Bremen football club star Per Mertesacker is joining in: he will present the model of the new stadium on 22 April at the fair. And he is looking forward to winning plenty of home games there in the future!

EWE Aktiengesellschaft www.ewe.de

Visitors to the Volkswagen stand at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will be able to learn about the complete life cycle of a car. The four main themes of the "Automotive Life Cycle" illustrate how important it is that focus be placed on innovation and technical progress.

The first segment, "Research and Development", provides thorough responses to issues such as the feasibility of replacing fossil fuels in the future. And if you think you already know quite a bit about this topic, then, as with the other three segments, you can put your knowledge to the test by taking the Environment Quiz at one of the PC terminals.

The second segment focuses on how environmental protection can be supported by efficient automobile production. In this segment, visitors can obtain information about such concepts as environmental and energy management and lean production processes.

In the third segment, "Product and Use", visitors can pick up tips and tricks on saving fuel, trivia about new generations of engines and information about the eco-fuel and BlueMotion models from Volkswagen. In the fourth and final segment, "Automotive Life Cycle", visitors can find out how vehicles are recycled. And at that point the life cycle begins again - with the development of the vehicles of tomorrow.

Volkswagen AG www.volkswagen.com 

Energy efficiency is one of the trend themes at HANNOVER MESSE 2008. The company Almig will be at the exhibition to demonstrate that energy savings can also be made in the field of compressed air technology. After all, besides electrical power, compressed air is the main energy source for modern workshops and industrial plants.

At this point in time, there are more than 60,000 compressed air systems operating in Germany. However, these systems consume up to 40-50% more energy than is really necessary because the compressors are running at around only 50% of their capacity.

At HANNOVER MESSE 2008, Almig will be presenting an innovative, speed-controlled screw compressor that provides the optimal operating pressure range for the plant, thereby achieving maximum efficiency in compressor operation and offering huge energy-saving potential.

ALMIG Kompressoren GmbH www.almig.de

The car window slides smoothly upwards at the touch of a button. But what happens if a child then sticks his/her fingers out of the partially open window? Will the mechanism stop? It has to!

In the context of their Functional DMU (Digital Mock-Up) project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research will illustrate the complex interaction between electrical and mechanical components by means of digital product development for the first time at HANNOVER MESSE 2008. Researchers are adding new functionalities to virtual product development.

With the help of various software packages, Functional DMU can simulate a mechatronic product's software-related components as well as its electronic and mechanical components. This is the only way to quickly establish whether these components work well together, or whether there are safety issues such as the window pane trapping the child's fingers.

Fraunhofer Institut für Graphische Datenverarbeitung (IGD - Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research) www.igd.fraunhofer.de

Using electric motors to power small vehicles such as transport bicycles is a time and energy-saving concept. But there is a catch: you won't get far before you have to find a plug to recharge. At HANNOVER MESSE 2008, Clean Mobile will present a solution to this problem - its electric fuel cell drive.

This energy solution for small vehicles looks like a bicycle trailer and houses a fuel cell, the energy source for the drive system. The electrical energy is produced by an environment-friendly process converting methanol into water vapor emissions, limited heat and a very small amount of CO2. With the help of a battery buffer and a motion controller, the converted electrical energy is supplied to a motor to power the vehicle.

Clean Mobile AG www.clean-mobile.de  

The winners of ART OF ENGINEERING, the Ferchau art competition straddling the fields of art and engineering, will be announced for the first time on the VDI (Association of German Engineers) Stand D36 in Hall 2 at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 on 21 April. A top jury with representatives from museums and universities as well as institutes, research and industry will select six winners to share a total prize fund of 30,000 Euros.

Ferchau is hoping the new ART OF ENGINEERING competition will bridge the gap between the worlds of art and engineering. The aim of the art prize, to be awarded every other year in the future, is to encourage artists as well as engineers and technicians to work in the interdisciplinary area between engineering and art.

FERCHAU Engineering GmbH www.ferchau.de 

- Martina Gebhardt-