Food security is a global challenge and is impacted by, rapidly compounding effects including climate change, supply chains, human labour shortages, driving the need for traceability, and technological innovation and automation to name a few. The latest important price increases of agricultural row products show the limitations of the available resources. Through this Joint Undertaking, the AGRARSENSE consortium of 57 partners (including 4 affiliates) plan to take agricultural technology and productivity to the next level, beyond the State-of-the-Art, by combining some of the most advanced organisational capabilities from across European industrial 16 Large Enterprises, 25 SMEs and 16 Research & Technology Organisations (RTOs), from 15 countries. The development of the most advanced sensory and autonomous agricultural capabilities requires a sophisticated governance structure, ensuring that all partners are aligned across Use Cases and Work Package deliveries. The AGRARSENSE consortium has one of the world’s leaders in Forestry automation, Komatsu, as Project Coordinator. The AGRARSENSE project goal of creating a holistic ecosystem of sensory and automated capabilities will further extend Europe’s lead in optimizing and securing agricultural value chains. To drive such an ambitious impact agenda, we have selected seven Use Cases which will, collectively, contribute to solving the challenges outlined. These Use Cases are Greenhouses (UC1), Vertical Farming (UC2), Precision Viticulture (UC3), Agri robotics (UC4), Autoforest (UC5), Organic Soils & Fertilizers (UC6) and Water (UC7). These Use Cases are fused together by the most advanced hardware, software and system integration technologies, which will drive new solutions for partners and the collective AGRARSENSE impacts at scale.

Art (SoA) detection equipment used for screening of people and their baggage include (1) X-ray screening; (2) X-ray based explosive detection systems (EDS); (3) explosive and chemical trace detection systems (EDT); (4) technologies based on neutron beams; (5) metal detectors and (6) millimeter wave body scanners. None of the current SoA methods is able to offer real-time or even rapid enough safe screening of large numbers of people moving simultaneously towards the entrances of buildings, public transportation or public places and rely on a relatively slow person-by-person screening. We would like to propose a novel approach to high-throughput millimeter wave screening which should allow such real-time screening. HOLOSCAN has the following ambitions in consecutive Phase 1 and Phase 2 SME Instrument projects: • To provide the first commercial HOLOSCAN security scanning system that will allow true real-time scanning of multiple moving persons and their bags which novelty has been verified; • To adapt this HOLOSCAN system to client’s needs by varying diode panel size and image resolution at a price below current commercial SoA solutions that can run up to €250,000 per stationary unit; • To offer the clients constant improvement and upgrade of customized image recognition software; • To generate sales in excess of €160Mn in first 5 years post-launch, utilizing a network of distributers and licencees; • To bring ROI for Europe to at least 10,800% given the estimated investment of €1.5Mn in Phase 2 project.

The vision of i-RASE is to pioneer a new class of radiation sensor system-in-package (SIP) chips at the intersection of computer science- and neuroscience-oriented approaches to artificial intelligence (AI) development. The i-RASE project aims to design, build, test, and implement the first on-the-fly photon-by-photon radiation detector with transformational potential for various radiation applications, such as medical imaging, industrial inspection, scientific space instrumentation, environmental monitoring, and more. The i-RASE project will develop physics-inspired artificial neural networks (ANNs) for comprehensive sensor signal processing (SP) and real-time (RT) measurement of radiation interactions. It will compact this technology into an ultimate vision for SP embedded in hardware (HW) as an "all-in-one" SIP, enabling cost- and energy-efficient detection and intelligent radiation data output with unparalleled accuracy and speed. This approach enhances measurement precision and speed by utilizing complex SP, event characterization, and on-the-fly processing of incident radiation-induced signals in near real-time. As a result, it facilitates the retrieval of comprehensive information on incident radiation, ultimately improving measurement accuracy and speed while reducing digital data output.

The IoT is composed of connected devices that are characterized by their interaction with the environment via a plethora of sensors and actuators. The trend goes to ever more complex interactions and thus an increase in the number of different sensors integrated in the same product, which in turn requires the processing capability to handle all of those sensors. At the same time those systems are expected to still perform on an ever lower power budget, preferably so low as to be able to operate purely on power scavenging. And of course the cost needs to be moderate too. The electronics at the heart of such a system needs to be mixed-signal electronics that interfaces to the analog sensors and actuators, but can also provide the necessary digital processing power. 3D-MUSE wants to spearhead the progression from what we shall refer to as 'systems-in-stack' to true 'systems-in-cube' that monolithic/sequential 3D integration will enable. We define the former as a 3D system that is characterized by locating functional blocks within a single plain in the (typically parallel/wafer-bonding) 3D integration stack, while the latter makes use of the full emancipation of the interconnect density in the third dimension of sequential 3D integration and rather implements functional blocks in a volume comprising multiple tiers. We shall demonstrate this concept by conceiving novel architectures for micro circuits in a volume in a two tier 3D sequential integration process. In particular, we have identified mixed-signal circuits as, on one hand, a major bottleneck for functional performance scaling of sensor nodes and smart sensors in the IoT and cyberphysical systems, and on the other hand, excellent candidates for beneficial trade-offs when implemented as circuits in a volume with using two specialize tiers, one for analog device options and another for optimal digital designs. We shall refer to such a technology as 'multi-process' sequential 3D integration.

The strong drive for more complex systems and more advanced packaging, including optics and photonics, creates a chance to retain the manufacturing and packaging value chain to Europe - or even start to bring it back. APPLAUSE supports this by building on the European expertise in advanced packaging and assembly to develop new tools, methods and processes for high volume mass manufacturing of electrical and optical components. The technologies will be piloted in 5 industrial Use Cases, related to 1. Substantially smaller 3D integrated ambient light sensor for mobile and wearable applications (AMS) 2. High performance, low cost, uncooled thermal IR sensor for automotive and surveillance applications (IDEAS) 3. High speed Datacom transceivers with reduced manufacturing costs (DustPhotonics) 4. Flexible cardiac monitoring patch and miniaturized cardiac implants with advanced monitoring capabilities (GE Healthcare and Cardiaccs). The APPLAUSE consortium is built of a number of leading experts from European electronics packaging companies representing different value chain levels related to advanced packaging and smart system integration. The parties have complementary expertise in conception, design, packaging, testing and manufacturing of electronic components, as well as a wide range of expertise from several different end use areas. The unique European ecosystem established within the consortium represents the competitive, leading edge of the technologies available.