Lumiloop directors Samuel Hildebrandt (left) and Ike Southaw with their measurement technology for electromagnetic fields. Photo: Hikprot
Lumiloop doubles production capacity in Dresden
Dresden, 2nd June 2022. In light of the increasing demand for interferometry technology from Dresden, TU’s “Lumiloop” sub-unit has doubled its development and production capacity in the state capital of Saxony to around 500 square metres. This was announced today by Managing Directors Ike Southau and Samuel Hildebrandt at the Dresden Technology Center. In addition, the company has built a metering room for calibration purposes, procured new equipment and is also increasing its existing workforce of 15.
A look at the fitting room with its screws that scatter and absorb electromagnetic radiation. Photo: Hikprot
Savings Bank subsidiary invests more than half a million euros
The measurement technology manufacturer has obtained growth capital for this from “SIB Innovations- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft” of Dresden. A subsidiary of Sparkasse participates in Lumiloop in a “six-figure high” – which is not exactly quantified. “We were convinced by the technological concept, the senior people on the team and the market potential,” explained SIB President Christian Muller.
Small “golf balls” contain antennas that can detect fields of external interference as well as fields emitted by new cars, home appliances or smartphones. Photo: Hikprot
Even a copper cable would spoil the measurement
The company’s business model is based on photovoltaic technology developed by the founding team at TU Dresden and became self-employed in 2015. These gauges consist of plastic balls the size of a golf ball, each with six receiving antennas. They can detect any electromagnetic radiation between ten and about 40 billion hertz very quickly and determine its transmission strength. This antenna ball is coupled with energy-efficient rating electronics. The highlight of Dresdner is the flexibly controllable power supply of this device: it gets its “juice” in the form of high-powered light, which a laser pumps through the glass fibers into the “golf ball”. Because the classic solution with a power cable is out of the question here: metering requirements are now so high that even a copper cable for the electrical supply can flagrantly falsify the results.
Technology should last five times longer thanks to adaptive power supplies
In addition, the system draws as much power as is really necessary for the current measurement. “If we leave the laser on at full power all the time, it will shut down in time,” Samuel Hildbrandt explains. Lumiloop’s adaptive power supply extends the service life of these core components fivefold, and relatively little energy is wasted as waste heat. By the way, the name of the company is derived from the control rings for high-powered light: “Lumi” means Latin “light” and English “ring” for control rings.
Driving forces in the automotive industry
Dresdner Messtechnik’s clients include automobile manufacturers, home appliance manufacturers and private laboratories that specialize in “electromagnetic compatibility” (EMC) testing of new vehicles, machinery and devices. The driving forces for growth are in particular the trends towards electric and self-driving cars. Given the growing demand, Hildbrandt expects to increase the workforce to up to 100 employees in the next 10 years – if new business areas can be opened up in solar, wind and inverter technology for Lumiloop metering technology.
Author: Hekbrot
Sources: Lumiloop, SIB