Measurement technology for the forests of the future
How do trees respond to heat, drought and other environmental changes? This is the question being investigated by the Collaborative Research Centre ECOSENSE at the University of Freiburg. Yasmina Frey, a doctoral researcher at the Chair of Microactuators at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), Faculty of Engineering, is making an important technical contribution to this research. She has developed the ECOvette, a compact measurement chamber that can be attached directly to individual tree leaves to measure the exchange of gases between the leaf and its environment.
The ECOvette measures, among other things, the uptake and release of carbon dioxide (CO₂), water vapour and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These measurements provide insights into how trees respond to environmental stress. Unlike conventional methods, which often enclose entire branches with several leaves, Frey's device enables precise measurements at the level of individual leaves.
From early prototypes to a patented innovation
Developing the device required considerable initiative and creativity. Frey made her first prototypes using plastic Christmas baubles designed to be filled with decorations. Step by step, she turned these initial prototypes into a minimally invasive measurement system in which mechanical components, sensors and electronics work together within a very small space. The first successful field trial took place in 2024, when measurement data were transmitted from the forest to the laboratory in real time.
A European patent application has since been filed for the ECOvette. Frey received support from Campus Technologies Freiburg (CTF), the University of Freiburg's innovation agency. She is already working on a further development of the device's opening and closing mechanism.
The project demonstrates how engineering expertise at the Faculty of Engineering, combined with interdisciplinary collaboration, can lead to innovative technological solutions to pressing challenges in environmental and climate research.
Read the full press release: https://uni-freiburg.de/en/from-christmas-tree-ornaments-to-a-patent-measurement-technology-for-the-forest-of-the-future/
Contact:
Kerstin Steiger-Merx
Representative PR/Marketing
Faculty of Enbgineering
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-8056
E-Mail: steiger-merx@tf.uni-freiburg.de
Yasmina Frey
University of Freiburg
IMTEK – Department of Microsystems Engineering
Laboratory for Microactuators
E-Mail: yasmina.frey@imtek.uni-freiburg.de