Applied Materials

A Self-Healing Sweat Sensor

Wearable sensors that track heart rate or steps are popular fitness products. But in the future, working up a good sweat could provide useful information about a person's health. Now, researchers reporting have developed a headband that measures electrolyte levels in sweat. And unlike many previous sweat sensors, the device can heal itself when cut or scratched during exercise.

Next-gen solar cells mimic photosynthesis with biological material

Next-generation solar cells that mimic photosynthesis with biological material may give new meaning to the term "green technology."

Fuel cells developed using nanomaterials are cost effective, efficient

A fuel cell can be built from cheaper, more widely available metals using an atomic-level design that also gives the material long-term stability.

Organic solar cells will last 10 years in space

Over the past two decades, organic solar cells have garnered much attention thanks to their light weight, flexibility and unprecedented energy-to-weight ratios of 10 to 20 W/g, which make them a promising candidate for space applications, although their radiation stability is still poorly

A Solid Future: New Opportunities enabled by Solid State Batteries

Solid state batteries have been considered as the avenue to the next generation energy storage solutions. According to IDTechEx's research "Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2019-2029: Technology, Patents, Forecasts, Players" www.idtechex.com/solid.

Octopus-inspired wearable sensor

Wearable electronics that adhere to skin are an emerging trend in health sensor technology for their ability to monitor a variety of human activities, from heart rate to step count. But finding the best way to stick a device to the body has been a challenge.

Flexible electronic skin aids human-machine interactions

Human skin contains sensitive nerve cells that detect pressure, temperature and other sensations that allow tactile interactions with the environment. To help robots and prosthetic devices attain these abilities, scientists are trying to develop electronic skins.

Breakthroughs in 3D printing Kapton, the ultimate polymer

Researchers have developed a new process to 3D print one of the most-desired materials in the electronics and aerospace industries.

Fabric alternative to batteries

A major factor holding back development of wearable biosensors for health monitoring is the lack of a lightweight, long-lasting power supply. Now scientists report that they have developed a method for making a charge-storing system that is easily integrated into clothing for "embroidering a charge-storing pattern onto any garment."

Color-changing contact lens to monitor disease

For all the good they do, eye drops and ointments have one major drawback: It's hard to tell how much of the medication is actually getting to the eye. Now scientists report that they have developed a contact lens that changes color as drugs are released. This visual indicator could help eye doctors and patients readily determine whether these medications are where they should be.

VDL FLOW

VDL provides contract manufacturing - from cars and electric buses to manufacturing machines for flexible electronics. This profile focuses on their work with flexible/printed electronics.

Stretchy wires for the future

Scientists have teamed up to create stretchable, flexible wires that conduct current and change colors to indicate they're about to reach the breaking point. Future uses could be wearable electronics, biomedical devices and soft robots.

Paving the way to highly stretchable and transparent electronics

Scientists have proposed a novel method for the fabrication of highly transparent, electrically conductive, stretchable tough hydrogels modified by single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Compact and flexible supercapacitor developed

A lightweight, compact and efficient supercapacitor printed on a flexible plastic sheet has been developed by researchers.

Newport Corporation

Newport are a manufacturer of photonics products. The company have a laser business division and manufacture a variety of laser types. Many of the fiber lasers sold by Newport are produced by its subsidiary, Spectra-Physics (USA). The fiber lasers are suitable for material processing, sensing (LiDAR) and healthcare applications. Newport largely operate as an independent company but is a subsidiary of MKS Instruments (USA) since 2016.