The state-of-the-art research facility in Pinkafeld recently opened. The “Materials – Institute for Surface Technologies and Photonics of the Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft” is active in the city with around ten employees. Research is being carried out on networked systems in order to assign new functionalities to light. “In one of our current projects, we are dealing with the implementation of gesture recognition using reflective wristbands. With the gestures, for example, light can be controlled or the light color can be changed, ”explains telematics engineer Andreas Weiss.
Work is also being done to create lighting situations as precisely and stably as possible. “The right composition of light means, for example, that the dose of medication that animals are given can be reduced. In greenhouses it leads to larger and faster growth, ”says Weiss.
The next possible research laboratory is already being planned, as SP Mayor Kurt Maczek explains. “The Herz company wants to expand its operations in Pinkafeld and Kemeten, and a research laboratory is also under discussion.” Thanks to the well-trained FH and HTL graduates, many companies have also settled here. “We have traditional companies like the Nikitscher company, but also new settlements such as the Altotec company,” says the mayor. He is happy about the investments: “For a small town like Pinkafeld, it’s all very sustainable.”
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