Continental invests in Israeli Industrial Sensing Start-up Feelit 

July 13, 2021 5:00 pm

Continental is expanding its Industry 4.0 expertise in predictive maintenance and remote condition monitoring for automotive, industrial and manufacturing applications.

Continental has acquired a minority stake in the Industry 4.0 start-up Feelit, headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Feelit provides cutting-edge predictive maintenance solutions for various industrial equipment and machinery based on proprietary hardware sensors and dedicated algorithms. The start-up has developed a structural sensing technology that is up to 50 times more sensitive than current standard market applications. Feelit uses printed, nanomaterial-based, fully integrated sensors and cloud analytics to enable live, remote feedback on structural and performance changes in equipment. The sensors can be integrated, for example, into battery cooling systems for electric vehicles to optimise battery life and range. Continental sees additional potential for remote condition monitoring and predictive maintenance applications for its industrial hoses for the food and beverage industry, for hydraulic and energy solutions complying with safety requirements, and for avoiding unplanned and costly downtimes in manufacturing.

Philip Nelles, member of Continental’s Executive Board and responsible for the industry focused business area ContiTech explained, “The investment further paves our way toward digitalisation and brings with it multiple strategic benefits. Sensor integration into both new and existing product lines supports our ongoing transformation toward smart and sustainable solutions beyond rubber. Products such as hoses will be turned into sensitive detectors and provide real-time information about their condition.” This technology helps to extend the range and life of batteries in electric vehicles, predicts maintenance and increases safety in manufacturing environments.

Founded in 2017, Feelit has developed a highly sensitive, flexible, printed nanomaterial sensor that can be attached to static and rotating machinery parts, including flat and rounded surfaces. This sensor measures strain in ultra-high resolution, as well as other parameters such as temperature, vibration and pressure.

For more info, visit: www.continental.com