A screw is a screw – until it isn't anymore. In wind turbines, bridges, and industrial plants, bolted connections hold critical loads together, but they are hardly monitored digitally. Altosens from Osnabrück is changing that: with an intelligent sensor washer that measures directly at the critical point where conventional systems are blind.

From Research to Practice

Uwe Steinkamp, Jan Hansmann, and Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Rieß bring decades of experience from mechanical engineering, industrial sensor technology, and application-oriented research. Jan and Sebastian co-developed the underlying DELTA-C® technology during their time at Fraunhofer LBF – as specialists in technology transfer and vibration technology. Uwe has many years of experience in the development of chassis systems and has been responsible for the technological development of the product since its founding in 2022.

What unites the team: deep roots in mechanical engineering and the clear determination to turn research results into a marketable product.

The Screw Knows More Than We Think

Safety-critical bolted connections are practically everywhere in industrial plants – and yet hardly monitored digitally. However, high mechanical loads, material fatigue, and potential failure risks arise precisely there, which can only be detected by regular manual inspections so far. Maintenance is done by calendar, not by condition.

Altosens' idea: to make the bolted connection itself an intelligent data point. Their product, the altosens.disc, is a washer in standard dimensions with integrated sensor technology that measures preload, accelerations, and temperature directly at the mechanical interface – in real-time, retrofittable, without modification. The data is transmitted via CAN communication, pre-processed by Edge AI, and evaluated in a cloud software platform.

Already in Use in Wind Turbines

Shortly after its founding, the team achieved an early practical proof: the first test systems were successfully installed in wind turbines. In parallel, a patented sensor washer was developed as a marketable solution – two milestones that the team is particularly proud of.

Altosens is currently transitioning from the prototype phase to market entry and is already active in the market with prototype systems. The target group includes operators of wind turbines and wind farms, service and maintenance companies, appraisers, and operators of critical infrastructure. In addition, outside of wind energy, there are already customers from various industries evaluating the washers for the digitalization of bolted connections.

WindEnergy Hamburg as the Next Milestone

By WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, the software platform for sensor management and data analysis should be available in addition to the hardware. In parallel, Altosens is working to further expand its positioning in wind energy, infrastructure, and industrial applications.

For scaling, the team is looking for investors in 2027 – and above all, customers who help further develop the product through direct feedback.

Further information is available from Altosens: https://www.altosens.tech/

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