A new joint laboratory to face and overcome current and future technological challenges. Politecnico di Milano, Fluid-o-Tech and STMicroelectronics join forces in the field of digital sensors for intelligent fluidics. The goal of the partnership, they explain, is to pool the best scientific, engineering, industrial and market skills to develop innovative technological solutions in the field of contactless sensors that combine mechanics, electronics, optics and artificial intelligence. The agreement was signed at the Mechanics Department of the Politecnico di Milano, in the presence of Rector Ferruccio Resta, Ernesto Lasalandra, General Manager R&D of Analog, Mems and Sensors, STMicroelectronics and Diego Andreis, managing Director of Fluid-o- Tech. The three partners ensure that they will collaborate to develop know-how, technologies and devices in the field of digital fluidics for industrial applications, food & beverage and medical devices. The logic will be that of the “supply chain”: in particular Fluid-o-Tech will deal with the design, production and marketing of fluidic devices, ST will deal with the development and relative supply of the technological components while the Politecnico di Milano will host the laboratory where to validate and develop projects and applications. The strengths and skills that each partner will bring to the laboratory concern, for the Politecnico di Milano, the design, development and testing of mechatronic and fluid dynamics applications that integrate sensors, smart actuation and artificial intelligence; for Fluid-o-Tech: definition of markets and applications, definition of specifications for applications and products, design, development and testing of fluid dynamic components, integration into final products, production and marketing of final products; for STMicroelectronics: the objective of the collaboration with the partners is to exploit their skills together with those of leaders in Mems sensors and actuators to design Mems sensors capable of measuring different quantities related to fluidics without coming into contact with them. The laboratory will also aim to train specialized personnel for companies through the development of specific theses and / or doctorates. “The Politecnico di Milano confirms itself as a reference point for companies and a link between different skills both in the technical field and in terms of reference markets” comments Ferruccio Resta, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano. “Reasoning according to a supply chain process and not only in the dual relationship between university and company – underlines Resta – constitutes an important step forward in giving life to shared processes in areas of experimentation towards intelligent products and processes”. The Rector also adds that “the ongoing collaborations with STMicroelectronics and Fluid-o-Tech continue to grow in a relationship of mutual exchange and interaction that finds cutting-edge spaces, equipment and knowledge in our laboratories”. Diego Andreis, managing director of Fluid-o-Tech., The company strongly believes in open innovation achieved through the establishment of an ecosystem built on shared visions, strong and long-term partnerships. The Politecnico di Milano and ST constitute for we two actors of absolute excellence in this ecosystem. This innovation laboratory will also be an excellent opportunity for contamination and work on skills “. “In the transition from components to integrated and intelligent solutions, as in other sectors, sensing becomes a fundamental building block in fluidics. With this partnership, once again, we want to place ourselves at the frontier of this trend, guiding it” adds finally the manager. “Our position as the world leader in Mems sensors includes ongoing research in the field of sensors, as is the case with flow sensors today,” said Ernesto Lasalandra, General Manager R&D of Analog, Mems and Sensors at STMicroelectronics. “At the same time – he continues – through this collaboration we offer a further contribution to the consolidation of that reservoir of specialist knowledge that we want to grow and develop on a par with that within the company, in order to attract the attention of researchers and students towards a sector in which we can claim indisputable technological and market leadership “. Finally Lasalandra indicates that “the 15 billion Mems built and sold around the world are only the tip of the iceberg of an activity that often sees us at the forefront in the launch of new products, new production technologies, etc. for this reason we have started with the Politecnico di Milano ambitious programs recently announced “.