{"id":4258,"date":"2015-09-25T09:13:03","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T07:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=4258"},"modified":"2022-04-07T14:20:40","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T12:20:40","slug":"of-fish-and-bats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/4258\/of-fish-and-bats\/","title":{"rendered":"Portrait: Of Fish and Bats"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a coin-sized, energy-efficient 3D ultrasound scanner, the founders Alexander Rudoy, Aldo Persichini and Tobias Bahnemann of Toposens<\/a> Machines that enable trouble-free spatial orientation. Areas of application include indoor navigation, robotics, and home entertainment. In Munich, the team has not only found themselves, but also the optimal development environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many lucky coincidences have brought the founding trio of Toposens<\/a> in its current configuration in December 2014 on Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a> (SCE), explains Tobias Bahnemann, the company's business head. However, the story of the development of a 3D ultrasound scanner, which the startup now aims to bring to market, began more than two years earlier. With Willy. Or rather, without Willy. Because Willy is still just a vision.<\/p>\n

At that time, Alexander Rudoy, without his fellow student Aldo Persichini \u2013 now a member of the founding team \u2013 and without Bahnemann, was tinkering on a whim to develop a robotic fish that would swim independently in the aquarium: Willy. To spare Willy constant collisions with the glass wall, Rudoy searched in vain for a suitable 3D sensor that responded to ultrasound rather than light.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A 3D sensor is designed to convert ultrasonic waves into point clouds (\u00a9 Toposens)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ultrasonic sensors on the market were not suitable for three-dimensional space and a fish that loses its orientation in the dark was not enough for Rudoy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe start-up scene has always fascinated me\u201d<\/h3>\n

Together with Persichini, the mechatronics and precision engineering graduate is now working on developing a mechanical bat brain. The idea, simply put, is that a 3D sensor will convert ultrasonic waves into point clouds, thus enabling safe orientation and movement in space \u2013 just as bats can.<\/p>\n

\"Autonomous<\/a>
Autonomous driving and evasive maneuvering with Toposens (\u00a9 Toposens GbR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Areas of application include intelligent driving or drones<\/strong>who have a hard time finding their way around today in cloudy weather. \u201cWe are currently in the middle of the founding process\u201d<\/em>, says Bahnemann. \u201cBut we hope that we will have a product ready for series production in one and a half years, and in three years we might even be active internationally and in the radar sensor sector.\u201d<\/em> Willy should also finally be able to make his rounds by then.<\/p>\n

Bahnemann was looking for a job and, as a non-resident, had arranged to meet another founder at the pitch evening in the SCE's Innovation Caf\u00e9 when Rudoy and Persichini announced on stage that they needed business support. \u201cThe start-up scene has always fascinated me and at Toposens I have the chance to work with a real product, not just with software,\u201d<\/em> The 26-year-old explains his reasons for applying.<\/p>\n

Today, he handles financing and grants for Toposens; just at the beginning of September, the trio also won 30,000 euros in the "Start-up Competition \u2013 ICT Innovativ" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMunich is a high-tech location\u201d<\/h3>\n

The young founders also want to use the money to convince customers, investors and employees of the potential of their idea. \u201cIt\u2019s always a bit difficult when you don\u2019t have anything to show yet.\u201d<\/em>, says Bahnemann. But he is convinced that he has found the right environment for this in Munich. \u201cMunich is a high-tech location<\/strong> and not as web-app-heavy as Berlin. Munich is down-to-earth, There are countless highly trained teams here<\/strong>„<\/em>, praises the Rhineland native. The initial support of the SCE and the provision of office space at the startup center were particularly helpful for Toposens.<\/p>\n

The video illustrates the application area of Toposens:<\/p>\n

"Munich offers a lot: a lot of exchange, a good infrastructure, large companies and service providers right on your doorstep. This compensates for the somewhat higher wage and rent costs."<\/em>, believes Bahnemann. For those who, like him, have a passion for startups and want to get in touch with the startup scene, he recommends visiting the university startup centers or taking a look at meetup.com<\/a>. \u201cYou get to know like-minded people.\u201d <\/em>And, like the 26-year-old, with a bit of luck he might also find the perfect founding team.<\/p>\n