US Army

$39.6 million contract for Black Hornet drones

FLIR Systems Inc has been awarded a $39.6 Million order to deliver FLIR Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems in support of the United States Army. The highly capable nano-unmanned aerial vehicle systems delivered under this contract will support platoon and small unit level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as part of the Soldier Borne Sensor Program.

Converting Wi-Fi signals to electricity with new 2-D materials

Imagine a world where smartphones, laptops, wearables, and other electronics are powered without batteries. Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have taken a step in that direction, with the first fully flexible device that can convert energy from Wi-Fi signals into electricity that could power electronics.

Out of Academia, Into Industry: Printed Electronics Business

Printed, Flexible and Organic Electronics is a market worth $31.6 Billion in 2018, according to IDTechEx Research. The majority of that is for OLED displays, with glass-based versions now entering their golden age and foldable OLEDs and printed OLEDs now entering a phase of commercial growth. Then there is the near $2 Billion market for conductive ink used in many diverse applications and the $3.6 Billion market for sensors, mainly comprising of biosensors so far.

IDTechEx Show! Agenda Live: Connecting Brands & Emerging Technologies

The IDTechEx Show! on April 10-11 in Berlin brings together eight key disruptive technologies and their customers at one venue.

Wearable tech for pilot fatigue

Air Georgian has been working closely with pilots and Fatigue Science to collect de-identified sleep data. This data has been collected over the past year and is establishing a sleep hygiene baseline for a fatigue program.

Small flying robots haul heavy loads

A closed door is just one of many obstacles that poses no barrier to a new type of flying, micro, tugging robot called a FlyCroTug. Outfitted with advanced gripping technologies and the ability to move and pull on objects around it, two FlyCroTugs can jointly lasso the door handle and heave the door open.

World's first 3D volumetric circuit

Research on the 3D/volumetric circuit technology was borne out of the notion that a three-dimensional circuit offers more freedom to make circuits smaller, lighter and more efficient. 3D printing allows them to be manufactured into arbitrary form factors that can be integrated into any object or surface.

US Marines 3D printed concrete barracks

The Additive Manufacturing Team at Marine Corps Systems Command teamed up with Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force to operate the world's largest concrete 3D printer at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Champaign, Illinois.

If military robot falls, it can get itself up

Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed software to ensure that if a robot falls, it can get itself back up, meaning future military robots will be less reliant on their Soldier handlers.

Water bottles and other recycled 3D printing materials

Soldiers on the battlefield or at remote bases often have to wait weeks for vital replacement parts. Now scientists report they have found a way to fabricate many of these parts within hours under combat conditions using water bottles, cardboard and other recyclable materials.

Agenda Announced - Biggest Brands - Most Innovative Technology

The agenda for the world's largest event on printed, flexible and organic electronics, Printed Electronics USA has just been announced. The speaker programme has been designed by IDTechEx analysts, embedded in the industry, who have selected the biggest brands and most exciting technology developments from across the globe.

Introducing the latest in textiles: Soft hardware

The latest development in textiles and fibers is a kind of soft hardware that you can wear: cloth that has electronic devices built right into it.

Robots to be more reliable teammates for soldiers

Researchers have developed a new technique to quickly teach robots novel traversal behaviors with minimal human oversight. The technique allows mobile robot platforms to navigate autonomously in environments while carrying out actions a human would expect of the robot in a given situation.

A higher-energy, safer and longer-lasting zinc battery

A team of researchers has created a water-based zinc battery that is simultaneously powerful, rechargeable, and intrinsically safe.

Minnesota Wire Corporation

IDTechEx spoke to Paul Wagner CEO & Chairman of Minnesota Wire Corporation. They are a leading company in the production of advanced wiring, including stretchability and washability for wearable electronics applications.

Invertebrates inspire first fully 3-D printed active materials

To overcome the material rigidity and actuation limitations in current robotic systems, a joint U.S. Army Research Laboratory and University of Minnesota research project sought inspiration from invertebrates.