Emergence

First commercial robotic charging for self-driving and electric fleets

Electrify America announced an agreement with Stable Auto to deploy robotic charging solutions for self-driving vehicles in a pilot demonstration site in San Francisco, as both companies develop infrastructure solutions needed to deploy self-driving and electric vehicle fleets.

AI detects signs of schizophrenia

A machine-learning method discovered a hidden clue in people's language predictive of the later emergence of psychosis -- the frequent use of words associated with sound.

Highly Flexible High-energy Textile Lithium Battery

Researchers have developed a highly flexible, high-energy textile lithium battery that offers more stable, durable and safe energy supply for wearable electronics with a myriad of applications, such as in healthcare monitoring, intelligent textiles, smartphones, Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and Internet of Things.

Low-cost, high-tech synthetic biology for the classroom

How can high school students learn about a technology as complex and abstract as CRISPR? It's simple: just add water.

Stand-alone contact lens with a flexible micro battery

Scientists are currently working together to design an oculometer embedded in a scleral contact lens. They have recently created the first autonomous contact lens incorporating a flexible micro-battery.

New material to revolutionise electronics, fast-charging battery tech

Tiny, individual, flexible ribbons of crystalline phosphorus have been made in a world first, and they could revolutionise electronics and fast-charging battery technology.

Transparent Conductive Films and Materials: Transition from old to new

The market composition of transparent conductive films and materials has not dramatically shifted for some years. It is heavily reliant upon select markets such as flat consumer small/medium sized electronic touch screens. Indeed, the IDTechEx Research report Transparent Conductive Films and Materials 2018-2028: Forecasts, Technologies, Players puts this reliance around 85-90% today. The emergence of new applications has also been slower than many had predicted and hoped. This report finds that so-called 'old' applications are still the vast majority of the market.

Precision pest control

By recognising locusts through the smartphone's camera, the app will be able to identify the stage of the insect's growth and record its location through the phone's IP address. This information can then be accessed by the farmer so that they can use pesticides more accurately and to target the insects in the early stages of their lifespan, significantly reducing the amount of crop damage.

The Graphene Industry Gathers As The Market Reaches Tipping Point

Graphene and other 2D materials have spent a long period in R&D since the discovery back in the early 21st century. However, through many positive signs from the industry, 2019 is set to become the year that the hype turns to commercial reality.

New York to dramatically increase energy storage

New York State Public Service Commission approved two initiatives to dramatically increase New York's energy efficiency and energy storage targets to combat climate change. The new energy efficiency target for investor-owned utilities will more than double utility energy efficiency progress by 2025, reducing the state's energy consumption by the equivalent of fueling and powering 1.8 million homes. The energy storage initiative sets New York on a trajectory to achieve 1,500 megawatts of storage by 2025, enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes, and up to 3,000 megawatts by 2030.

The state of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure

The global electric vehicle population reached 3 million units at the end of 2017, which represents approximately 0.23% of the global vehicle population. Electric vehicle producers have responded to consumer's range anxiety by increasing the available range per charge in their vehicles to more than 200 miles. However ultimately the deployment of electric vehicles will depend on the deployment of ubiquitous chargers.

Multifunctionality is the future for polymer composites

The key next iteration for fiber reinforced polymer products will be the concept of multifunctionality. This is the idea of making a structural part carry out additional role(s) beyond their current primary mechanical task - the market for smart composite material is forecast to exceed 5 kilotons by 2029.

Avery Biomedical Devices

Avery Biomedical Devices is a medical device company that has been offering the diaphragm pacemaker since 1971. IDTechEx analyst Nadia Tsao interviewed Avery Biomedical Devices CSO Dr Dilys Gore on 15 Aug 2018.

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.

Collaboration to develop CETO wave energy technology

Carnegie Clean Energy has entered into a A$1.6 million collaboration agreement with global renewables player Enel Green Power to further its CETO wave energy technology.

Smart bandages monitor and tailor treatment for chronic wounds

A team of engineers has developed a prototype bandage designed to actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds and deliver appropriate drug treatments to improve the chances of healing. While the lab-tested bandages remain to be assessed in a clinical context, the research is aimed at transforming bandaging from a traditionally passive treatment into a more active paradigm to address a persistent and difficult medical challenge.

Peer to peer energy trading

The growth of distributed renewable energy generation has seen the emergence of many new concepts and business models. One such example is peer to peer energy trading. In this article IDTechEx looks at this new field in more detail, including a review of the technical and regulatory challenges and analysis of a number of key case studies.

Crop-counting robot earns top recognition

Today's crop breeders are trying to boost yields while also preparing crops to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in crop plants' DNA.

Autonomous robot weeder challenges traditional methods

The robot works without being controlled by a human operator. It covers the ground just by getting its bearings and positioning itself with the help of its camera, GPS RTK and sensors. Its system of vision enables it to follow crop rows, and to detect the presence and position of weeds in and between the rows. Two robotic arms then apply a microdose of herbicide, systematically targeting the weeds that have been detected.

Taking telecoms towers off the grid

By embracing renewable and hybrid solutions for off-grid tower locations, the mobile telecoms industry can increase network coverage whilst helping to stimulate the growth of the wider renewables industry.