Prof. Dr. Georg Fischer

Institute for Electronics Engineering

We research in Medical Electronics, biosignal acquisition (ECG, EMG, …), Sensor design, body area networks, and wearables. Our general objective is to design these electronic systems that they can easily integrate into daily life in a seamless way. We also research the necessary wireless radio connectivity (Bluetooth, 4G Cellular NB-IoT, body confined communication)

Research projects

  • Circuit technology for capacitive ECG works through 2 mm of isolation! Also well suited for ECG with wearables
  • Body confined communication, no easvesdropping of communication
  • Activity monitoring, IMU (inertial measurement unit), Magnetometer, barome

Current projects

  • Elektronik mit neuartigen Materialien für Edge-Computing in Mobilfunknetzen

    (Third Party Funds Group – Overall project)

    Term: 1. July 2022 - 30. June 2025
    Funding source: BMBF / Verbundprojekt

    Motivation

    The increasing number of networked devices and sensors, the "Internet of Things" (IoT), enables diverse and new applications. However, it is also generating a rapidly growing volume of data. Processing data at its point of origin (edge computing) helps to deal with it efficiently. Edge computing strengthens the functionality, sustainability, trustworthiness and cost-effectiveness of electronic applications through the use of artificial intelligence and networking. The goal of the OCTOPUS projects is to provide application-specific, highly innovative electronics to unlock these benefits.

    Goals and strategy

    The aim of the project is to create the technological basis for an AI-supported, flexible, efficient and scalable multi-access edge cloud (MEC) with which future mobile networks can be realized. This should have low latency, high frequency agility and high data rates. To this end, analog and digital circuits will be designed, built and verified to linearize the radio signals to be transmitted using a centralized AI-powered algorithm. New approaches will be used to achieve the energy efficiency, frequency flexibility, bandwidth, scalability and cost efficiency requirements of the system. The focus is on new power amplifier architectures based on gallium nitride (GaN) and a new overall architecture that reduces the complexity of the MEC.

    Innovations and perspectives

    The MEC can be used to build powerful and efficient mobile networks that support complex applications, for example from industry or mobility. A special special focus is on the use of particularly energy-efficient technologies in order to promote not only digital progress as well as promoting the European Green Deal.

  • Peilalgorithmen und gehärtete Hardware (VPX-GPU/FPGA) für den Grenz- und Inlandsschutz

    (Third Party Funds Single)

    Term: 1. November 2020 - 31. October 2023
    Funding source: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie (StMWi) (seit 2018)

    Peil-Systeme zurIdentifikation von Funksignale und damit zur Identifikation von unbekanntenFunkquellen sind ein wichtiges Instrument in der Aufklärung und der Ortungelektromagnetischer Aussendungen.

    Derrechentechnische Aufwand, der in modernen, hochqualitativen Peilanlagenabgedeckt werden muss, ist generell sehr hoch und erfordert eine entsprechendleistungsfähige und aufwändige Infrastruktur (Rechnerressourcen, Netzwerk,Stromversorgung, Kühlung, Systemintegration). Dies spielt bei stationären Systemen- abgesehen vom Preis - eine eher untergeordnete Rolle, da man dieseInfrastruktur vergleichsweise einfach bereitstellen kann. Bei mobilen Systemenhingegen stößt man sehr schnell an Grenzen, die teils durch die mobilePlattform selbst (u.a. Landfahrzeug, Schiff, Flugzeug) und teils durch denEinsatzfall bestimmt werden. Mit verschiedenen Mitteln und unter Hinnahmegewisser Einschränkungen kann man gute Peilanlagen auch auf mobilen Plattformeneinsetzen, allerdings treibt das den Aufwand und die Kosten immens in die Höhe.

    Das Projekt soll einemögliche Implementierung mobiler Peilsysteme analysieren, erforschen underproben. Hierfür werden verschiedene Hardware-Lösungen verifiziert undverglichen. Zudem werden innovative Algorithmen entwickelt, die für mobileSystem mit weniger performanter und weniger effizienter Hardware zugeschnittensind, um ein sowohl mobiles als auch möglichst effizientes System zu erhalten.Hierzu werden in diesem Projekt hochspezialisierte Hardware wie FPGAs oder GPUsverwendet, um die Systeme effizienter, kleiner und leichter zu machen.

  • GRK 2495: Project A – Electronic Circuits for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting and Sensor Array Systems

    (Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)

    Overall project: GRK 2495: Energy Conversion Systems - from materials to devices
    Term: 1. July 2020 - 30. June 2024
    Funding source: DFG / Graduiertenkolleg (GRK)
    URL: https://www.igk2495.fau.de/projects/project-a-electronic-circuits-for-piezoelectric-arrays/

    Multiport and multimodal energy harvesting array systems require further circuit advancements. Wearables for health monitoring are an excellent energy harvesting example at raising interest. Further applications: smart city, building/bridge structure and environmental monitoring

    • Should be energy autonomous for easy handling, no charger, always ready to go for 24/7 use
    • SoA: Only single port harvesters! Require multiport harvesters for multiple asynchronous energy sources!
    • Multimodal harvesting (pressure, solar, thermal,…) and arrays increase availability of energy
    • Energy harvesting at high conversion efficiency needed
    • Provision of energy for: (i) local sensor acquisition, (ii) local data processing, and (iii) Wireless connectivity, WAN needs more energy than BAN
    • Wireless connectivity BAN (Body Area Network, e.g. Bluetooth) replaced by WAN (Wide Area Network, cellular IoT)

    The primary research goal is the development of improved circuit design for multiport harvesters dealing with asynchronous energy sources in a piezo array

    • Can the piezo elements be simultaneously used as sensors and energy providers?
    • How to deal with asynchronous energy sources?
    • How to ensure high availability and stability of energy?
    • How to increase conversion efficiency?

Recent publications

2023

2022

2021

2020

Related Research Fields

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