💡 Li-Fi in Industrial Automation: Wireless Real-Time Communication with Light! 🚀

[Mucitler Elektrik]

The Future of Industrial Automation: Li-Fi Technology​

In today's networked manufacturing environments, robots, sensors, controllers, and machines continuously exchange data. This creates increasing demands for speed, accessibility, and response times. While traditional wired systems offer high reliability, they restrict the flexibility of mobile systems. Radio communication, though providing mobility, can be affected by electromagnetic interference, metal-dense environments, or high device density.

What is Li-Fi and Why is it Important?​

At SPS 2026, Fraunhofer IPMS introduced Li-Fi (Light Fidelity), an optical wireless communication technology, as an alternative to radio frequency for reliable and time-critical applications in industrial automation. Li-Fi uses light as a data transmission medium and enables wireless data communication without traditional radio transmission. A suitable optical link between the transmitter and receiver is required.

Fraunhofer IPMS's Li-Fi Solutions​

Fraunhofer IPMS has been developing optical wireless communication solutions for over 15 years. Depending on their design, these solutions offer:

• Gbit/s Data Rates: High-speed communication for data-intensive applications.
  
• Compact and Energy-Efficient Connections: Ideal for applications with limited space and power budgets.
  
• Real-Time Capability: Supports industrial protocols such as EtherCAT and PROFINET.
  

Integration occurs via interfaces such as Ethernet or UART/SPI, depending on the solution. Since transmission follows a defined line-of-sight connection, it can be spatially limited and is unaffected by radio interference or electromagnetic effects.

Dr. René Kirrbach, Fraunhofer IPMS Li-Fi group manager, stated, "In industrial applications, it's not just wireless data transmission that matters, but above all, its availability, speed, and predictability. These requirements determine whether flexible production concepts operate reliably."

Solutions Exhibited at SPS 2026​

The institute showcased selected solutions from its Li-Fi portfolio:

• Li-Fi Grathus®: Provides Gbit/s optical data transmission over distances up to 10 meters and supports time-critical applications.
  
• Li-Fi TinySpot: An energy and space-saving solution for short-range optical data transmission at data rates up to 20 Mbit/s.
  
• Li-Fi Power over Light (PoL): Enables simultaneous data and power transmission for autonomous sensor nodes.
  
• Li-Fi GigaCoupler: A light-based optocoupler that provides Gbit/s data transmission with galvanic isolation, for example, on printed circuit boards.
  

These demonstrations highlight the institute's development expertise, ranging from optical components to integrated circuits, communication design, and custom system development. With different transmission distances, form factors, and data rates, these solutions address communication scenarios in machine and plant engineering, robotics, and sensor applications.