Start-up: Mechanics trump electronics

mechIC GmbH is a spin-off from Ruhr University Bochum. How did that come about?

The idea for our strain sensors is actually not new – it has been with us for years. It originated from projects at Ilmenau Technical University, and we later developed it further at Ruhr University Bochum. The key foundations were laid in the BMBF project “ForMikro UpFuse”. For this project, we not only built energy-autonomous acceleration sensors, but also developed innovative micromechanical components that are at the heart of our sensors today. And: that’s exactly where our founding team came together.

And then, all of a sudden, the research was to become a product?

Exactly. We wanted to turn a scientific proof of concept into a marketable product – and that’s easier said than done. The technical complexity is high, and it’s a long way from the laboratory to series production. Our sensors are mechanical, microsystem-based and completely rethought. That’s why it took a little longer than originally planned – it simply takes time, patience and resources. We’re still in the development phase today. But, since April 2024, we have been receiving EXIST funding from the BMWK (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), which is helping us enormously as we work to bring the sensor towards product maturity. Our team consists of Steffen Wittemeier, Lisa Schmitt, Henning Mays and myself. Together, we are now taking a structured approach.

What has been the biggest hurdle so far?

The real challenge was not the laboratory set-up, but the transfer. A sensor that measures well in a clean room is not necessarily marketable. Robustness, manufacturing tolerances, scalability – all of this has to be right. Our first chip was technically impressive, but simply too complex. We have therefore deliberately simplified it and concentrated on the most important aspect – robust functionality. As a scientist, you tend to squeeze in everything that is technically exciting – but what use is a feature that nobody needs on the market?

And now the first prototype is ready?

Yes, we've had a demonstrator since the beginning of the year, which we presented at the Hanover Messe trade fair. When it then became clear that the first proof-of-concept projects with industrial partners were possible, the time had come for the company to be officially founded.

Startups in Germany often struggle with a lack of support. What’s your view on this?

I cannot confirm that. Germany is very much a country of startups – especially for deep tech. Without programs like EXIST or Transfer.NRW, we would never have been able to take our research this far. Our funding from the BMWK amounts to around 1.37 million euros. That’s certainly not peanuts! And we benefit greatly from the connection to the Chair of Microsystems Technology in Bochum: clean room, laboratories, infrastructure – everything is there. In addition, the university’s transfer office, the WorldFactory, is constantly helping us to progress through coaching, training and a strong network.

What distinguishes your sensors from others?

Our strain sensors are compact silicon chips, approximately 4x4 millimeters in size – and they do not require any conventional evaluation electronics. The chip supplies a digital strain signal directly via SPI or I2C. For users, this means no complex measuring electronics are required. What’s more, our sensors measure purely by mechanical means. Instead of microelectronics, we rely on micromechanics. The signal is mechanically amplified and processed – entirely at chip level. Hence our name: mechIC – mechanical integrated circuits.

Mechanics instead of electronics – what’s the benefit?

Quite simply, it’s not sensitive to interference such as temperature or electromagnetic fields. In addition, the sensor doesn’t require an external power source. The energy for measuring comes directly from the measured variable – the strain itself. And what’s more, our sensor can permanently monitor overloads – completely without electricity. The maximum strain value is stored mechanically and can be read later either visually or electronically. Decades of monitoring without a battery? That is precisely our approach.

And, of course, we also offer suitable interfaces – such as Bluetooth or NFC – at the same time.

Nevertheless, there were also delays. What slowed you down?

“Slowed down” is relative. We've had two working prototypes since the beginning of the year: a high-resolution real-time strain sensor with a resolution of around 0.2 ppm, which simultaneously measures and compensates for temperature; and a passive overload sensor that stores the maximum strain – completely energy-autonomously.

For a year of development, that’s pretty good going. Our team has a broad range of expertise, with each member contributing their own specialization. But, of course, chip development is never a sprint. MEMS strain sensors are a completely new field – in such cases, you often encounter problems for which there simply aren’t any off-the-shelf solutions yet.

And yet you made progress?

Yes, precisely because we can manufacture our prototypes in our own clean room. That not only saves time, but also allows us to react flexibly to problems – which would hardly be possible in the classic foundry process.

What are the next plans?

Now it’s time to get down to business: packaging, qualification, series production. At the same time, we’re transferring our technology to an external fab so that subsequent production can be scaled up. We want to test our prototypes in initial applications – in proof-of-concept projects with partners from industry. The aim is to show that our sensors can do both: high-resolution real-time measurement and energy-autonomous overload monitoring. Small, precise, robust – that’s our promise.