Tilman Sauerwald studied physics at the University of Giessen, where he presented his doctoral thesis in 2007 on temperature-dependent surface processes on selected semiconducting metal oxides for gas sensors. In 2019, he qualified as a university lecturer in systems engineering from the University of Saarbrücken. He worked in areas such as selective sensor systems using dynamically operated sensors, increasing detection sensitivity using differential surface reduction, and intelligent systems with automatic sensor aging and malfunction detection. He is an expert in gas measurement technology and has managed the Sensor Analytics and Technology department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV since 2020. His areas of research include the automation of chemical laboratory analytics and the application-specific development of miniaturized, automated and cost-effective analysis and sensor systems. In the »Campus of the Senses«, Sauerwald as Project Manager is currently focusing on areas including the deciphering of whiskey aromas

Sebastian Hettenkofer studied mathematics between 2009 and 2014, both at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg (OTH) and at Bilkent University in Ankara, focusing mainly on complex analysis. Since 2014, he has been a research fellow in the Intelligent Systems group at Fraunhofer IIS, where he works primarily on applications for machine learning and as a project manager on research and industrial projects. Since 2021, he has been head of the Digital Sensory Perception group and has been a project manager for the »Campus of the Senses«.

Fraunhofer IVV is the leading research institute for process engineering and packaging. The researchers at the sites in Freising and Dresden develop groundbreaking products, processes and technologies in the fields of food, packaging, product performance, processing machines, recycling and the environment. The work of the product performance team includes characterizing and optimizing the sensory effects of foodstuffs and everyday necessities. The aim is to develop products with a high level of consumer acceptance. The central focus of the research is the chemical senses: aroma and taste in food, and smell in everyday products and the day-to-day environment. Molecular structure, formulation and application define the overall impression. With this in mind, the Fraunhofer IVV team develops methods and technologies to predict and control sensory properties. It optimizes and miniaturizes measurement systems for quantities of sensory relevance, automates the analysis of product characteristics during a product’s life cycle and develops auxiliary tools for expert and consumer tests. Human beings are the absolute focus of this research: an understanding of human perception, learning and reaction processes and a targeted integration of the full gamut of sensory impressions form the basis in the Product Performance business unit for a comprehensive understanding of the effects of products in everyday situations.

Fraunhofer IIS has for many years been working on the perception-based encoding of audio signals, image-based emotion recognition, biosignal detection, sensor data fusion and context-sensitive biosignal processing. In the context of “cognitive sensors,” the institute researches technologies for sensors, data transfer technology, data analysis methods and the use of data in the field of data-driven services and corresponding business models. This adds a cognitive component to the functionality of a conventional “smart” sensor. The results of the research can be applied in network mobility, communication and application solutions for the Internet of Things, the digitalization of human sensing, product and material monitoring, and business analytics in supply chains.