Biotechnology – The Key to Solve the Problems of our Time

What is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology follows the principle of using biological processes to develop products, processes, and systems that improve our lives. In this context, biotechnology is one of the key technologies that can help us overcome challenges of our time. This results in breakthrough products and technologies that fight diseases, minimize the ecological footprint, improve food production and create more efficient manufacturing processes.

That is why we at Rutronik define biotechnology as one of our Focus Markets, which is developing rapidly and has a high innovation potential. But how can you turn innovations into practical solutions? The enormous pace of development and complexity post great challenges for application engineers. Biotechnology includes broad application areas such as horticulture, bio-interfaces and wearables, biotechnological manipulation, UV technology, or smart farming. No matter the application, we know exactly which components are best suited. Thanks to our design experience, we can advise you on how to link the individual parts to create a coherent overall system for optimum results.


Biotechnology is Everywhere

The high degree of automatisation and optimization turned for example modern agriculture into a fast-growing market with widespread application areas with proximity to the healthcare sector. Its short term economical leverage is based on data acquisition and data processing.

Possible areas of use:

  • Agricultural Biotechnology
  • Horticulture
  • Bioinformatics and bioelectronics
  • Industrial-Biotechnology
  • Genomics and proteomics
  • Biomarkers
  • Food and nutraceutical Biotechnology
  • Environment protection
  • Animal protection

The ultimate target

Developments in computing, data analytics, machine learning, AI, and bioengineering are the driving force behind advancements in biological sciences. We see innovations in four specific areas: biomolecules, biosystems, bio-machine interfaces, and biocomputing.

Resistive, inductive, capacitive or MEMS sensors are important building blocks in biotechnology. Examples are VOC (Volatile Organic Components), CO2, temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors, which - in the context of sensor fusions - provide an overall picture of the environment to be analyzed.

The clear trend is towards edge intelligence to sense precisely and analyze relevant biomarkers explicitly. In the future, all these applications will rely on systems supported by AI and innovative algorithms. They will be cloud-based in the Big Data environment.

The key technology of our time

Biotechnology is a key technology of the 21st century with enormous innovation potential. At the same time, there are huge challenges to master. These are very specific, depending on the area of application.

Our value proposition:

  • Optimized time-to-market for initial adopters
  • Increased utility for customers and functionality for end-user
  • Supporting new business models of our customers in new areas of biotech applications
  • New offerings to reach the right audience in the value chain inside the go-to-market strategy
  • Worldwide support of operational scalability for initial adoption, including skills, infrastructure, processes, and supply chains
  • Cost reduction via optimized supply chain
  • Perfect match for key electronic components for biotech applications
  • One-stop-shopping
  • Proof of concepts already designed by our engineers
  • Solution provider for all components like semiconductors, passive components, E-mech, embedded systems, displays, batteries, etc.

Horticulture

Controlled plant cultivation

Many pieces of research show that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have great potential as lighting systems for plant growth, development and metabolic control. The use of LEDs has become an important component in controlled or contained plant cultivation. However, LED technology in defined wavelength ranges is only one component within the overall solution. Other elementary building blocks in the field of horticulture are special driver ICs, advanced power supplies, sensors, embedded systems and appropriate software algorithms.

Intelligent lighting systems

Optical radiation, including light, plays a crucial role in the structural development of plants through photomorphogenesis as well as in the response to environmental changes. Currently, light sources are still offered with pre-programmed settings to accelerate plant growth. But different plant species have individual needs in terms of spatial and spectral distribution, intensity and duration of light sources. So it is necessary to develop intelligent lighting systems for horticulture. These advanced real-time horticultural lighting systems consist of sensors that recognize the physiological markers of plants as well as the existing environmental factors. With the help of artificial intelligence algorithms, these systems also make needed adjustments to light intensity, frequency spectrum, light pulse sequences, and many other parameters. Rutronik helps to identify advantages and to make them usable with the help of our know-how on a system as well as on a product level.

Applications

  • LED grow light
  • Horticultural lighting
  • Energy use efficiency
  • Luminaire typology
  • Greenhouse supplemental lighting
  • Vertical farming
  • Indoor cultivation
  • Non-chemical sustainability farming
     

Advantages of LED-based horticulture systems

  • Stimulate biomass accumulation
  • Induce variations in plant architecture
  • Increases resistance to insects and pathogens
  • Improved efficiency of water use
  • Increased photosynthesis rates
  • Indicating growth improvement
  • Biotic and abiotic stimulation
  • Triggering production of various phytochemicals
  • Non-chemical way of slowing fruit quality
  • Depletion in the postharvest storage

Bio-Interfaces and Wearables

Creating the interface between living beings and technology

Research in the field of bio-interfaces is characterized by interdisciplinary cooperation between the disciplines of chemistry, physics, medicine as well as engineers and developers. Highly complex processes are analyzed on a nanoscale, functionally processed and used, for example, to optimize and improve the compatibility and easier handling of heart and brain pacemakers.

Nanotechnology with a big impact

Nanotechnology plays a significant role in the development of bio-interfaces. For example, gold or silver nanoparticles are used in cancer therapy. The implementation of these technologies requires reliable, durable and non-hazardous components that do not lose any of their performance despite the required small size. Sensors in particular are crucial at bio-interfaces. They must deliver reliable results in every situation because faulty evaluations can be life-threatening. Rutronik's product range offers a wide variety of reliable and high-performance components, such as sensors, which enable the use of nanotechnology. Our guiding principle "Committed to Excellence" also comes into play, right down to the smallest nano level.

Applications

  • Fitness trackers
  • Patient monitoring
  • Electronic Enabled Drug Delivery (EEDD)
     

Advantages

  • Detailed Vital sign monitoring
  • Exact drug dosage when needed (e.g. insulin)

Biotechnological Manipulation

The ability to alter biological aspects

Biotechnological manipulation is the ability to control and alter aspects of biological makeup. This technology is used in various fields to obtain more flexible food production or to combat diseases.

Fighting cancer and improving food production

Through the use of biotechnological manipulation, it has been possible to develop highly precise treatment methods that can be applied in a minimally invasive manner. As a result, the interventions are maximally efficient with minimal side effects.

Biotechnological manipulation allows modification of genetic growth requirements of cereals, vegetables and fruits. The plants become more resistant to external influences such as high heat, little water or poor soil quality. This makes a decisive contribution to ensuring that agriculture can be carried out under less favourable conditions and that the food supply can be secured.

To be able to utilize biotechnological manipulation effectively, the reliability, precision and durability of the equipment used in research are absolutely essential. For their manufacturers, Rutronik offers a selection of optimally suited components to actively improve the future with technology-based science.


Advantages

  • More flexible food production
  • Development of zero-waste products
  • Resource conservation
  • More advanced medical methods to fight disease

UV Technology

UV LEDs - a wide range of applications with many advantages

Thanks to their efficiency and precision, the application areas of UV LEDs are very broad. Examples of use cases are odor elimination, disinfection of water, air and surfaces or 3D printing. Depending on the final usage of the product, different factors need to be considered. This includes the optimal emitting wavelength, radiated heat, and energy requirements. The advantages of LEDs are their long service life with consistent quality and low power consumption and voltage. In addition, no environmentally harmful heavy metals are used and RoHS conformity is given. Rutronik has an extensive range of products from well-known LED manufacturers. Highly qualified product managers help to select the ideal product for the individual requirements. In addition, interested customers can also request product samples to test the use of the UV LED in the planned application. Rutronik's component portfolio also includes all further products needed for the successful integration of UV LED technologies, such as high-performance power supplies or customized thermal management solutions. It should be noted that there is no one-size-fits-all solution because numerous factors must be taken into account. Our product managers are available to provide advice.


Advantages and applications

Expertise combined in one product – the Odor Killer

What’s the best possible disinfection method? This is a topic that has become more important than ever in times of multi-resistant hospital germs, scarce water supplies and widespread diseases, such as COVID-19. The Rutronik odor eliminator is a mobile, handy, cuboid device with an integrated lithium-ion battery, that is designed to disinfect air in the most efficient way.

TiO-based photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly and effective way to neutralize bacteria, viruses, harmful gases or odors. Depending on the wavelength and drive current, LEDs vary in their effectiveness in neutralizing volatile organic compounds. The process results in sustained degradation of pollutants, purification of air and release of negative oxygen ions, deodorization and sterilization.

This process is extremely environmentally friendly. The photocatalytic filter does not need to be replaced and the UVA LEDs used have a service life of 50,000 hours with an efficiency increase of 50 per cent.

All components used in the odor killer are available at Rutronik.
 

Virus Killer – UV LEDs are the perfect solution

Bacteria, viruses, spores and germs absorb the light emitted by UVC LEDs from 265 to 280 nm. This breaks their DNA/RNA bonds so that reproduction is no longer possible. Especially when used against multi-resistant microorganisms, for example in hospitals, UVC LEDs are the perfect solution. This also applies to situations that require comprehensive surface or water disinfection as in drinking water treatment. Here, the need for chemicals or thermal disinfection can be avoided.

Rutronik offers a wide range of UV-guided components and modules, UV lenses, LED drivers, air fans, control sensors (UV, VOC, PIR, etc.), containing the optimum solution for almost any application.

Smart Farming

Weather and location-independent forms of cultivation

Population growth and climatic changes are altering the relationship between living space and usable land for agriculture. Efficient and sustainable solutions are needed which enable weather and location-independent forms of cultivation. Smart farming is about connecting equipment and machinery, automating and optimizing work processes, using AI and machine learning, and using renewable energy. Among other things, this is intended to create a database that leads to forecasts and decision-making aids and allows future-oriented agriculture.

Rutronik's experts offer customers optimal support. Regardless of whether they are still at the beginning of their smart farming project or have already taken steps. From the selection of the communication infrastructure to the individual components such as radio modules, energy supply, storage solutions, power electronics, customers can rely on Rutronik's expert knowledge. In this way, solutions are developed together that meet individual needs.

From horizontal to vertical - Farming newly thought

In vertical or urban farming, food is produced on a few square meters in the middle of cities. Abandoned subway tunnels, roofs or exterior walls of buildings are used for cultivation. LED lighting systems are increasingly being utilized as an alternative to sunlight to ensure plant growth.

For this, it is important to make an interlocking selection of LEDs, drivers and thermal management. Only in this way, an optimal result can be achieved. With the help of the experience and advice of Rutronik's experts and the wide range of components required, Rutronik is the ideal partner for implementing vertical or urban farming projects.
 

Applications

  • Radio modules
  • Energy supply
  • Storage solutions
  • Power electronics

Advantages

  • More efficiency and sustainability in the field of agriculture
  • Optimizing healthcare
  • Optimizing mobility

Any Questions? Get in Contact With Our Product Specialists

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