We are delighted to announce that our research assistant, Julian Schuler, has been awarded the Sick Science Prize!  The Gisela and Erwin Sick Foundation has presented its Science Prize to young researchers for the twelfth time. The award honors outstanding work that provides a practical and sustainable benefit to humanity and society through innovative technologies - particularly measurement methods and sensors. Julian received the award for his outstanding Master's thesis in the field of acoustic underwater communication. The Innovation: Software-Defined Acoustic Modems (SDAMs) allow researchers to flexibly adapt underwater data transmission via software, but they have traditionally been highly expensive and hard to access. Julian solved this challenge by developing a firmware update that transforms the existing, low-cost "ahoi modem" into a fully functional SDAM. Making Research Accessible: No need for expensive new hardware—existing modems can now be upgraded easily via software. To support the global research community, the software will be released as Open Source following the publication of the upcoming scientific paper. Julian completed both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Sciences here at the TU Hamburg and has been officially part of our team as a research assistant since the beginning of 2026, focusing on acoustic backscatter communication through metallic structures. We are incredibly proud to have such innovative minds shaping the future of maritime technology in our institute. Congratulations, Julian! Read more about the award and the other amazing winners here: TUHH homepage

We are pleased to announce that our joint work with Technische Universität Darmstadt´s Integrated Electronic Systems Lab has been accepted for presentation at the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 (𝗖𝗘𝗘𝗨𝗦). In this research, we integrated our ultrasonic through-metal backscatter communication system into a standard M20 bolt, enabling the wireless readout of sensor data from within the metal structure. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Our approach opens up new possibilities for retrofitting existing machinery with smart, ultra-low-power sensors embedded directly into standardized components. Such sensor-integrating machine elements could enable continuous condition monitoring with minimal installation effort and without the need for radio-frequency based wireless communication, which is often severely limited in metallic environments.   Photo (1) Backscatter-Reader (2) Piezo-Transducer (3) Backscatter-Tag (4) Screw with integrated Piezo-Transducer

Today we held the finals of our Mazebot Challenge at the Institute for Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems at TUHH. The challenge is part of our course Design and Implementation for Software Systems. The Mazebot Challenge gives students the chance to apply the skills they learn in this course not just in simulation, but on real hardware, allowing them to experience first-hand the challenges that arise when software meets the physical world. This winter semester, 16 teams participated, and 6 successfully let a LEGO Mindstorms robot navigate autonomously through a maze using only three sensors: a color and a distance sensor, and a gyroscope. In today's final event, three short-listed teams presented their solutions and competed in an unknown maze. The winning team was determined through public vote of all course participants. Congratulations Lael Schunter and Gunther Söding!