Flex

Intertronics Introduces Industry First Adhesives for Wearables

To help manufacturers of wearable devices adapt to industry trends and customer requirements, Intertronics has introduced the Dymax 2000-MW series of medical wearables adhesives and encapsulants. The series is the first dedicated, light-curable adhesive product line to be specifically formulated without common skin irritants and materials of concern for medical wearable and electronics applications.

3D Prints so Real You'll Have to Look Twice

Stratasys today introduced three new color resin materials for the Stratasys J7 and J8 Series of PolyJet 3D printers. The three new materials - Agilus30 Cyan, Agilus30 Magenta and Agilus30 Yellow - allow users to achieve a level of design realism beyond what was previously possible.

Ultrathin Films for Stretchable and Sturdy Bioelectronic Membranes

Researchers have developed a unique design of ultrathin films for highly flexible yet mechanically robust bioelectronic membranes that could pave the way for diagnostic on-skin sensors that fit precisely over the body's contours and conform to its movements.

Hydro REIN and KrakenFlex Partner on Energy Flexibility Rollout

Renewable energy solutions provider Hydro REIN and KrakenFlex, the energy flexibility arm of Octopus Energy Group, have agreed to partner in several projects across Europe and North America to help cut emissions and costs of energy-intensive manufacturers.

A New Technique for Making Wearable Sensors

Engineers have developed a new technique for making wearable sensors that enables medical researchers to prototype test new designs much faster and at a far lower cost than existing methods.

Soft Robot Morphs From a Ground to Air Vehicle Using Liquid Metal

Imagine a small autonomous vehicle that could drive over land, stop, and flatten itself into a quadcopter. The rotors start spinning, and the vehicle flies away. Looking at it more closely, what do you think you would see? What mechanisms have caused it to morph from a land vehicle into a flying quadcopter?

Ynvisible Announces Appointment of Ramin Heydarpour as Interim CEO

Ynvisible Interactive Inc announces that effective December 31, 2021, Michael Robinson has resigned as Chief Executive Officer of the Company in order to pursue an opportunity outside the Internet of Things industry. Ramin Heydarpour, Ynvisible's Executive Chairman, will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer to focus on the commercialization of Ynvisible's products.

Soft Semiconductors that Stretch Like Human Skin

Semiconductors are moving away from rigid substrates, which are cut or formed into thin discs or wafers, to more flexible plastic material and even paper thanks to new material and fabrication discoveries. The trend toward more flexible substrates has led to fabrication of numerous devices, from light-emitting diodes to solar cells and transistors.

3D Printing Leads to Light Weight Knee Brace for the Elderly

A lighter, yet more robust knee brace for the elderly who suffer from knee problems has been developed in a collaboration with 3D printing specialists.

CEA-LETI

CEA-LETI is the main department of the French research center CEA. Based primarily in Grenoble, it covers many aspects of semiconductor manufacturing, and has recently extended its scope to cover hybrid electronics. IDTechEx visited CEA-LETI on 1 December 2021

Additive Manufacturing Enables Mass Customisation of Cycling Saddles

German design company DQBD GmbH is leveraging the Stratasys H350 3D printer to produce fully personalized cycling saddles that offer a higher level of comfort and performance efficiency compared to regular versions. DQBD is additively manufacturing several of the saddle's load-bearing parts at scale, saving thousands of euros in costs and cutting lead times from months to just several days compared to traditional molding methods.

ForwardX Robotics

ForwardX Robotics was founded in 2016 in Beijing, China as a mobile robot company. At the end of 2018, their AMR products were offered to the public for sales. Prior to that, ForwardX had done some pilot projects with large multi-national corporations. For example, they worked closely with DHL to develop their trial products, and DHL was also one of the first adopters of their products. Since 2019, ForwardX has pushed forward the development in order to launch various product ranges. Starting from Flex, they now also have Max series (pallet lift AMRs) available globally and Apex series (forklift AMRs) available in China.

Optomec

At the Formnext 2021 conference Optomec unveiled its aerosol jet HD2 electronics printer, capable of 10 nm linewidths & HC-TBR metal printer.

Bringing Flexibility to Additive Manufacturing

To provide engineers with more flexibility when using additive manufacturing systems, Renishaw has launched a new range of 3D printing machinery.

Octopus Energy, Elia Group To Build Cutting Edge Smart Grid

Octopus Energy Group's Kraken Technologies and Belgian energy innovator Elia Group have signed a deal to help Belgium and Germany transition to a smart green grid.

Brewer Science

Brewer Science is best known for production of advanced materials, primarily for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. It also produces a wide range of printed sensors, which this profile focuses on. These are capable of detecting a variety of parameters such as temperature, degree of flex and soluble ion concentration. IDTechEx caught up with R&D Director Dr Adam Scott to find out more.

Elephantech

Elephantech have developed an alternative method of manufacturing both rigid and flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs). This is termed 'print-then-plate', and involves printing a thin layer of conductive ink followed by electroless plating.

Continental

Technology company and automotive supplier Continental has invested around €2.5 million in a functional printing center based in Freiberg, Germany.

Tidal Turbine Rotors pass '20-Year Test'

Sustainable Marine's new turbine rotors have proven they can survive for two decades in the field, following rigorous tests at a leading European marine energy centre.

'Soft' Graphene-Containing Electrodes That Adapt to Living Tissue

Researchers have collaborated on a pioneering project in bioengineering, producing metal-free, hydrogel electrodes that flex to fit the complex shapes inside the human body.