Dutch sensor chip wins at Hannover Messe

Eindhoven-based Mantispectra has won the Hermes Startup Award for its spectral sensor chip based on integrated-photonics technology. The award, presented by Germany’s Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger at the Hannover Messe, recognizes the young company’s “breakthrough product.”

Mantispectra has developed a fully integrated near-infrared sensor that enables affordable and compact spectrometers, used for chemical analysis in a wide variety of industries. Its Chipsense solution is already used by three of the top ten beverage companies in the world and several Fortune 500 companies and has entered trials with the Dutch National Police.

“Winning one of the EU’s most prestigious industrial prizes confirms the huge potential of Chipsense. People may not realize it, but being able to analyze materials is a fundamental part of nearly every industry. Making this process cheaper and the devices much more portable imparts substantial efficiency gains and opens the door to a lot more automation and innovation,” says Maurangelo Petruzzella, managing director at Mantispectra.