The FEIM National Competence Center closely links academic research and development with the current needs of industry. It takes advantage of the fact that new knowledge arises from the collaboration of various disciplines (materials engineering, IT, software, electronics and microelectronics, biomedicine, etc.) in close cooperation between academic research and the implementation technologies of companies with a direct impact on the development, efficiency, and sustainability of many areas of modern society," says Prof. Miroslav Husák from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU, who manages the FEIM project. The center brings together 24 partners, including four universities – in addition to CTU, the University of Pardubice, Brno University of Technology, and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
The aim of the workshop is to present new directions in research that respond to the challenges of today's industry and society – from medical applications and smart textiles to the future of 6G communication technologies. Participants can look forward to three main areas of research covering the latest trends in electronics for industry and healthcare. The following three chapters will present their specific content and main speakers.
The future of communication technologies: new sensors and communication networks will connect industry and infrastructure
One of the main topics of this year's edition is trends in communication technologies, such as 6G networks, satellite communications, and mesh networks. As part of this block, Prof. Stanislav Zvánovec from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague will present new sensor networks and communication protocols for industrial applications, which he is developing as part of a research group at the Department of Electromagnetic Fields.
"Our research is based on cooperation with industrial partners, such as Argotech, with whom the team is developing microwave-photonic systems combining laser and microwave technology. These technologies are used in modern robotics, autonomous systems, non-invasive diagnostics, and measurements in demanding industrial conditions," says Prof. Zvánovec.
Another part of the block will be devoted to new-generation wireless sensor networks, such as IQRF technology from Microrisc and BUT, which enables the connection of a large number of sensors in short-range mesh networks with lower energy consumption than standard Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Satellite communication developed at BUT for sensor networks will also be presented. In combination with optical and photonic elements, this creates systems that overcome the current limits of real-time communication and monitoring.
Healthcare & Homecare: How smart textiles and wearable technologies are changing health monitoring
The team led by Prof. Aleš Hamáček from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is basing its development on European-available, recyclable materials and technologically simple processes with low energy costs. Doc. Radek Soukup will showcase new trends in wearable electronics. Smart textiles are key, with electronic components and sensors integrated directly into the textile matrix to make them as comfortable as possible while accurately monitoring bodily functions. An example is an ECG recording "breastplate" with textile electrodes, which sends recordings at regular intervals via a mobile app—for example, during periods when patients are affected by changes in weather.
The team is also working on materials for high-quality contact with the skin (the challenge is dehydration in seniors) and has successfully integrated non-metallic elements directly into textiles, which is still rather unusual in the world. The application is aimed at home care and telemedicine, emergency services—e.g., monitoring firefighters for overheating during operations—and everyday care (e.g., incontinence sensors in bed sheets or early detection of bedsores). In addition to the hardware, there is software that can reliably process the data. The projects are currently in the functional prototype and utility model phase; companies are already showing concrete interest, and verification in real operating conditions is expected within approximately two years. Market launch will follow after the necessary certification.
Printed and flexible electronics for Industry 4.0: Advanced sensors and technologies for smart lines and materials
A presentation by Tomáš Syrový from the Faculty of Chemical Technology at the University of Pardubice will show how printed and flexible electronics bring non-metallic heating structures to thermoplastics, capacitive touch buttons printed with conductive (carbon) inks, and sensors on ceramic substrates (close to implementation). The advantages include independence from hard-to-find components, lower cost, greater flexibility in the shapes and dimensions of control panels, and improved functionality. These technologies scale well to small custom series and shorten the time from prototype to production deployment.
In practice, this means new concepts for local heating in electromobility (instead of heating the entire interior, only the areas where people actually need heat are heated) or transparent heating layers for rapid demisting and defrosting of surfaces – more reliable than conventional anti-fog coatings. Touch panels made of printed electronics will find application wherever there is pressure for fast, intuitive machine control and a shortage of workers. The direction has a direct overlap with automation, HMI, and predictive maintenance – in other words, the heart of Industry 4.0.
Where and when
The workshop "New Directions in Electronics for Industry 4.0 and Electronics 4.0 (FEIM 2025)" will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025, starting at 10 a.m. at the CTU campus, Jugoslávských partyzánů 1580/3, Prague 6. In addition to a series of lectures and presentations of successful case studies, participants can look forward to a demonstration zone with technologies and a space for networking with experts from academia and industry.
"In addition to a whole range of unique outputs from the collaboration of FEIM teams, we will also present sensors based on fiber gratings developed in collaboration with Network Group, which can detect even slight structural changes—such as microcracks in bridges, tunnels, or critical infrastructure," explains Prof. Zvánovec. "These sensors are also being tested for use in hazardous/explosive environments where electronic sensors cannot be used," he adds.
Registration: FEIM workshop
More information about the FEIM National Competence Center: feim.cvut.cz
