Sensors

The demands placed on new, high-tech materials are continually increasing, and existing material systems are reaching their limits. Due to their exceptional electrical and mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and their composite materials offer high potential for use in diverse applications such as photovoltaics, sensors, semiconductor devices, displays, conductors, smart textiles and energy conversion devices (e.g., fuel cells, harvesters and batteries).

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) - self organising, self healing networks of small "nodes" - have huge potential across industrial, military and other many other sectors. While appreciable sales have now been established, major progress depends on standards and achieving twenty year life.

SmartKem Ltd, the developer of novel materials and processes that create high resolution microelectronic components directly onto thin flexible materials, today announces the launch of its new website - www.smartkem.com. The easy-to-navigate website offers quick access to information about the innovative SmartKem technique, which is set to revolutionise the rapidly growing printed electronics industry and overcome challenges associated with other printed electronics techniques.

Scientists at Michigan University may soon be able to detect harmful toxins in drinking water, quickly and cheaply with the development of a new biosensor, using a strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes.

Trials have started on patients at St Mary's Hospital London on a wireless digital plaster that tracks vital signs without being hooked up to expensive bedside monitoring equipment.

Sensor Products Inc. announces Pressurex Extreme Low®, the newest addition to its tactile pressure-indicating sensor films.

Pressurex® film from Sensor Products Inc. is a quick, accurate and economical way to detect and correct pressure variations in the lamination of dry film resist to the board substrate.

Terepac Corporation and IMEC announced their collaboration on novel packaging technologies for flexible electronics.

Scientists have successfully developed a novel electronic sensor array for more rapid, accurate and cost-efficient testing of DNA for disease diagnosis and biological research.

A recently developed sensor that consists of carbon nanotubes coated with a luminescent compound incorporating europium, a reactive metal found in fluorescent bulbs, television/computer screens, and lasers, among other applications is able to gauge minute amounts of oxygen.

MacDermid Autotype, the leading European manufacturer of specialised hard coated films and chemicals, has launched Autotype PLUS GOLD, a photo-stencil emulsion specifically designed for high tolerance electronics screen printing

Consumer packaged goods companies would like to see more printed electronics providers offering final products rather than just components. Read more about brand enhancement using electronics in packaging.

IDTechEx presented at the well-attended FlexTech Alliance meeting at Binghamton, NY, last week. The session focussed on the use of printed and flexible electronics for medical applications.

Siemens has partnered with the Universities of Linz and Karlsruhe (TH) to produce organic photodiodes that are very sensitive to infrared radiation with wavelengths of more than one micrometer (µm).

The closure of several printed electronics operations has now resulted in phoenix operations rising from the ashes.

The New University of Lisbon presented a new Ion Jelly® material, which combines a biodegradable polymer (gelatin) with an ionic liquid (IL).

The subject of energy harvesting making small electronic and electric devices self-sufficient, usually for decades - is changing rapidly.

London researchers published details of new sensor structures, which they claim could be used in novel security devices to detect poisons and explosives or proteins in patients' blood.

Researchers at the Center for Printed Intelligence (CPI) of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed an electronic spoilage sensor concept for poultry.

A five year Smart Brigdge project will look at an infrastructure monitoring system that uses surface and penetrating sensors to detect cracks, corrosion and any other signs of weakness.

US university researchers have created a portable "sixth sense" device powered by commercial products that can seamlessly channel Internet information into daily routines.

There were many users and potential users at the Energy Harvesting Workshop and they were far from being hooked on any one technology - Read part II of Dr Peter's Harrop's report.

A Swedish research centre has been established for intelligent pharmaceutical packaging, smart foods packaging, hospital logistics and patient care.

IDTechEx is offering a multiclient study of the e-label of the future. It will lead participants to billion dollar businesses in the materials, the labels and the extra sales of consumer, healthcare, military and other products that will result.

K-state engineers working with peregrine semiconductor to develop energy-harvesting radios that could make monitoring safety of bridges easier.

A carbon nanotube-coated "smart yarn" that conducts electricity could be woven into soft fabrics that detect blood and monitor health, engineers at the University of Michigan have demonstrated.

Gentag are due to speed up the introduction of their advanced mobile RFID sensor technology with a distribution agreement with Brightcard, Inc.

Zephyr™ Technology Ltd and ADInstruments have announced the signing of a supply agreement, whereby Zephyr™ will provide ADInstruments with the Zephyr™ BioHarness™ wireless physiological monitoring device.

Vibration energy harvesting is receiving a considerable amount of interest as a means for powering wireless sensor nodes. It is the simple notion that mechanical vibration can be transformed into useful electrical power.

Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois have created electronics that can be twisted.

Researchers have developed a new type of small-scale electric power generator able to produce alternating current through the cyclical stretching and releasing of zinc oxide wires encapsulated in a flexible plastic substrate with two ends bonded.

Smart packaging company Stora Enso has joined forces with Medixine to market a new electronic compliance monitoring service.

IDTechEx finalises its report on the Intellipak conference held on 5 November in Sweden

Energy harvesting, otherwise known as energy scavenging is needed to boost and eventually replace the batteries in printed and other low cost and miniature electronics, particularly in order to extend their life in use.

IDTechEx has just issued a report called Wireless Sensor Networks and we summarise the subject also known as Ubiquitous Sensor Networks in part two.

IDTechEx has just issued a report on the hot topic of Wireless Sensor Networks WSN, also known as Ubiquitous Sensor Networks USN. The report is called Wireless Sensor Networks.

A European research team has developed groundbreaking medical-sensing smart fabrics, and its work could lead to pregnancy monitoring belts, sports clothing that provides training tips, a wearable physical game controller, and a vest that helps to prevent repetitive strain injury.

An electromagnetic cloak as seen in the Harry Potter movies may be only 5 years away believe scientists at Purdue University.

The new IDTechEx masterclass, called "Creating new products with printed electronics," will explore the needs by industry sector and appraise the technologies and timelines.

Researchers at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, have made electronic biosensors that identify bacteria in poultry plants.

some of the most compelling areas of future application involve the intimate, conformal integration of electronics with the human body in ways that are inconceivable using established technology.

Researchers have found a simple way to uniformly deposit between one and five layers of graphene to create transistors and proof-of concept electrodes for organic photovoltaics.

Printed electronics today is mainly a matter of inorganic rather than organic chemistry and the next ten years are unlikely to see the inorganic part drop below 50% of the high value materials required.

ESL acknowledges the plastic electronics revolution on flexible substrates is here to stay and will meet their customers' challenges with off-the-shelf products, and with the development of proprietary or custom formulations.

Georgetown University, Gentag, Inc., and Science Applications International Corporation, have combined forces to develop a non-invasive method for glucose measurement.

Gentag, Inc. and MacroArray Technologies have teamed to develop a new wireless test platform that will incorporate Gentag's cell phone-sensor technology with MacroArray's proteomics discovery technology to create a series of new disposable, wireless diagnostic tests.

Project demonstrates potential of biosensors with integrated printed detectors for point-of-use tests.

Analysts see printed electronics rising exponentially to around $300 billion in twenty years' time, with demand for conductive inks alone reaching several billion dollars yearly five years from now.

Thanks to the design of an innovative jacket by a Middlesex University student in the UK, cyclists will be seen in the dark when giving hand signals.