IDTechEx

EHang to Build Eco-Sustainable Vertiport in Italy

EHang Holdings Limited and Giancarlo Zema Design Group have designed and will build an eco-sustainable vertiport in Italy. The vertiport will use green design and construction materials, and can generate energy to recharge the EH216 passenger-grade AAVs. Vertiports will play a significant role in the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market and the new era of flight. When integrated into the existing transportation infrastructure, vertiports can serve as aerial hubs for tourists.

Efficient Ocean Wave Energy Harvesting for "Blue Energy"

A research team has recently developed a water-tube-based triboelectric nanogenerator that can efficiently convert various irregular and low-frequency mechanical energies, including ocean wave energy, into electricity, providing a new avenue for the development of "blue energy".

Using Hydrogen Power to Decarbonise Construction Sites

Globally, the construction sector accounts for 38% of energy related emissions, and in London 14.5% of the most harmful emissions such as PM2.5 are from stationary diesel generators on construction sites.

Wearable Electronic Textiles for the Smart Dresser

An electronic textile with a large-area display that could have applications in communications, navigation and healthcare is described in Nature. The textile is flexible, breathable and durable, making it an ideal material for practical uses.

6G Communication Myths

6G Communications will become one of the largest technology investments. It is currently in the healthy first stage of promising everything to widely deploy some in 2030. Even at this early stage, some myths are emerging.

Inexpensive Tin Packs a Punch for Future Supercapacitors

A sustainable, powerful micro-supercapacitor may be on the horizon. Until now, the high-capacity, fast-charging energy storage devices have been limited by the composition of their electrodes — the connections responsible for managing the flow of electrons during charging and dispensing energy. Now, researchers have developed a better material to improve connectivity while maintaining recyclability and low cost.

New Bioink Brings 3D Printing of Human Organs Closer to Reality

Researchers have designed a new bioink which allows small human-sized airways to be 3D-bioprinted with the help of patient cells for the first time. The 3D-printed constructs are biocompatible and support new blood vessel growth into the transplanted material. This is an important first step towards 3D-printing organs.

Joby Aviation

Joby Aviation, headquartered in Santa Cruz, California are developing a tiltrotor electric vertical take-off and landing air taxi. They are one of the leading players in this emerging market and have attracted over $820 million in funding, with investors including Toyota, Uber and Baillie Gifford.

Companies Investing in eVTOL

Innovation roadmap for the report 'Air Taxis: Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft 2021-2041'.

Pressure Sensors Ensure a Proper Helmet Fit to Protect the Brain

Many athletes, from football players to equestrians, rely on helmets to protect their heads from impacts or falls. However, a loose or improperly fitted helmet could leave them vulnerable to traumatic brain injuries. Now, researchers have developed a highly sensitive pressure sensor cap that, when worn under a helmet, could help reveal whether the headgear is a perfect fit.

Lab-Created Heart Valves Can Grow With The Recipient

A groundbreaking new study shows for the first time that lab-created heart valves implanted in young lambs for a year were capable of growth within the recipient. The valves also showed reduced calcification and improved blood flow function compared to animal-derived valves currently used when tested in the same growing lamb model.

800V Electric Vehicles Revisited

IDTechEx explores the trend towards high voltage vehicles from premium carmakers, and how this compares with Tesla's strategy.

Create Your Own Materials Market Forecast for Electric Vehicles

IDTechEx has released a new spreadsheet-based tool that lists our assumptions for several material intensities at a cell- and pack-level for battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) batteries in the car market.

Audi

As part of the VW Group, Audi is also making a strong push towards electrification. Their first battery electric vehicles have been successful and many more models are expected by 2025.

Highlights from Edge Computing World: tinyML & Edge AI

IDTechEx attended "Edge Computing World Europe", an online event which took place from March 9th - 11th 2021. This article covers some of the key trends from the event, including application examples of how edge computing is being deployed, specific technology developments needed and case studies of players and markets.

Solar cells: Losses Made Visible on the Nanoscale

For the first time, a team has experimentally measured on an atomic level how leakage currents form and how they influence the solar cell performance.

Ultrasound Has Potential to Damage Coronaviruses

Simulations show ultrasound waves at medical imaging frequencies can cause the virus' shell and spikes to collapse and rupture.

Robots Use Eye Contact to Draw Out Reluctant Participants in Groups

Eye contact is a key to establishing a connection, and teachers use it often to encourage participation. But can a robot do this too? Can it draw a response simply by making "eye" contact, even with people who are less inclined to speak up. A recent study suggests that it can.

High-Volume Orders Finally Arrive for the Graphene Industry

For a long time, graphene has been cited as the wonder material that will change the world. The reality has been very different; disillusionment has started to grow as the hype has not translated into revenue. Is the "tipping point" finally approaching?

Event Summary: Photonics Plus 2021

On 17-18th of February 2021 IDTechEx attended the virtual Photonics Plus virtual exhibition and conference. This premium article covers a selection of talks and commercial exhibitors, focusing on those deemed most interesting and commercially relevant (some of the exhibitors targeted purely scientific applications).