Successful SMINT participation: SIGHTWISE secures EXIST research transfer to revolutionize industrial quality assurance using AI

© hannoverimpuls GmbH

No more rejects in production, no warranty costs and a significantly smaller CO2 footprint: the Hanover-based start-up SIGHTWISE wants to take quality management in industry to a new level with its innovation. With SIGHTWISE technology, there are no longer any typical obstacles when using artificial intelligence for quality control. You no longer have to spend weeks collecting data or outsourcing tasks abroad, which often involves data protection issues. SIGHTWISE aims to shorten the process of developing AI to just one day. That is unique!

"We want to use new quality standards to ensure that Germany remains an important production location," says mechanical engineer Dr.Nils Melchert,outliningtherightly high ambitions.Philipp Middendorf, Kolja Hedrich and Nils Graf-Gutschezarepartof thefounding team - they have known each other for years and complement each other perfectly with their respective expertise. Nils Melchert and Philipp Middendorf even went to elementary school together. They are all deeply grateful for the funding they received and the opportunity that came with it: "Without the EXIST research transfer, we wouldn't be able to make the investment and bring this innovation to market," explains co-founder Philipp Middendorf. The core of the Hanover-based start-up's innovation is the automation of AI training. To do this, a single real component is first measured in a self-developed device. Process-dependent damage is then reproduced virtually using complex simulation techniques. After a single day, the AI model could then be used for quality assurance purposes. For seamless integration into the production line, SIGHTWISE is developing corresponding systems consisting of a camera, lighting technology and a computing unit.

Two companies are already so enthusiastic about the idea that they are working with SIGHTWISE on pilot projects to develop a prototype. This should be available by the end of this year: "As a company, we really have the very best starting conditions with a good tailwind from the university and all the supporters and companions. We are still at the beginning, but we have the right drive," says Dr. Nils Melchert.

"We are proud to have supported SIGHTWISE from the very first minute. Their innovative approach to solving a pervasive problem in industry reflects exactly the kind of forward-thinking companies we want to support. The approval for the EXIST research transfer is proof of SIGHTWISE's extraordinary potential, and we look forward to accompanying them on their path to market maturity in quality assurance through AI," says DorisPetersen, Managing Director of hannoverimpuls, who is also delighted with the SIGHTWISE team about the funding approval from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. Most of the budding entrepreneurs - the limited liability company is to be founded by the beginning of April - did their research at the Institute for Measurement and Control Technology at Leibniz University and completed their doctorates under Prof. Dr.-Ing. Their entrepreneurial idea also originated here. From day one, the team has been supported bystartingbusiness, the joint start-up service of Leibniz University Hannover and hannoverimpuls. Until December 2023, SIGHTWISE was a scholarship holder of theSMINT@hannover high-tech incubator funded by the state of Lower Saxony, which is jointly implemented by Leibniz Universität Hannover, hannoverimpuls GmbH, Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Venture Villa and Laserzentrum Hannover. The EXIST funding approval now secures follow-up financing for the SIGHTWISE team: "The promotion of spin-offs is an essential element of Leibniz University Hannover. Examples such as SIGHTWISE show how great top-level research can be in Germany. We just have to work together to ensure that it is put into practice," says Prof.Dr.-Ing. Holger Blume, Vice President for Research and Transferat Leibniz Universität Hannover, underlining the promising success story. The SIGHTWISE team will continue to have its offices at Leibniz University and will also continue to use the laboratories at the Mechanical Engineering Campus in Garbsen. The SIGHTWISE innovation offers the potential for significant technological progress in intelligent quality assurance and will provide companies with a high-quality and cost-effective alternative to conventional methods in the near future.

Further information:

SIGHTWISE SIGHTWISE is a startup specializing in the development of AI solutions for industrial quality assurance. With the aim of revolutionizing the process of AI development, SIGHTWISE develops solutions that enable companies to raise their quality standards, reduce costs and reduce the need for manual effort.

Contact Nils Graf-Gutsche, Co-FounderSIGHTWISE,gutsche@SIGHTWISE.ai, Tel.: 0176-816 524 62

About the EXIST Transfer of Research
EXIST Transfer of Research is a funding program of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWi) that supports innovative research projects that show great potential for a successful business start-up. The funding is aimed at accelerating the conversion of research results into marketable products and services and thus strengthening technology transfer in Germany.

About starting business

starting business is the joint start-up service of Leibniz Universität Hannover and hannoverimpuls. The aim is to support students, university staff, researchers, academics and alumni in setting up companies. The support covers the entire start-up process from concept development to market launch with professional advice and the integration of projects into the regional start-up ecosystem. The aim is to promote awareness of self-employment as an alternative to salaried employment and to mobilize start-up ideas.

About SMINT
The high-tech incubator SMINT@Hannover is an initiative that aims to support talented people from universities, colleges and research institutions in turning their innovative ideas in the field of information technologies into viable business models. This project was initiated by various institutions such as Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Laser Zentrum Hannover, VentureVilla and hannoverimpuls under the leadership of Leibniz Universität Hannover and is part of a larger programme supported by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization with around 25 million euros.

Participating teams in the SMINT@Hannover program benefit from a comprehensive range of support that includes workshops, mentoring, individual coaching and access to rooms, machines and financial resources at Leibniz Universität Hannover. They also receive important contacts to technology, venture and business capital. The aim of the program is to lead science-related start-up projects to EXIST funding and to prepare start-ups that have already been founded for follow-up financing in order to quickly bring research findings to the market as high-tech developments.