Full profile interview
26 May 2020
Optomec
Optomec is a capital equipment manufacturer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They offer two products: Aerosol Jet and a laser based Direct Energy Deposition (DED) system for 3D printing metals named LENS. This profile focuses on the aerosol jet printer, and its applications in printed electronics.
26 May 2020
Graphene for Future Healthcare Applications
Graphene is hailed as the first two-dimensional material and was first isolated in 2004. Since then, initiatives like the EU-funded Graphene Flagship project have enabled the discovery of thousands of other two-dimensional and layered materials. Here, Kari Hjelt, the Graphene Flagship Head of Innovation, explains the potential of these materials in healthcare applications.
26 May 2020
New Wearable Tracks Vitamin C Levels in Sweat
A team has developed a wearable, non invasive Vitamin C sensor that could provide a new, highly personalized option for users to track their daily nutritional intake and dietary adherence.
26 May 2020
Breakthrough in Electronics 3D Printing
Utilizing a newly developed dielectric polymer ink and conductive ink from Nano Dimension, HENSOLDT succeeded in assembling the world-wide first 10-layer printed circuit board which carries high-performance electronic structures soldered to both outer sides. Until now, 3D printed boards could not bear the soldering process necessary for two sided population of components.
25 May 2020
Moisture Sucking Gels Give Solar Panels the Chills
A cooling system developed at KAUST has improved the efficiency of a prototype solar panel up to 20 percent and requires no external energy source to operate.
25 May 2020
A Spreadable Way to Stabilise Solid State Batteries
Solid state batteries are of great interest to the electric vehicle industry. Scientists now present a new way of taking this promising concept closer to large-scale application. An interlayer, made of a spreadable, 'butter-like' material helps improve the current density tenfold, while also increasing performance and safety.
25 May 2020
3D Printed System Speeds up Solar Cell Testing from Hours to Minutes
Tests on new designs for next-generation solar cells can now be done in hours instead of days thanks to a new system incorporating 3D-printed key components.
25 May 2020
New Wearables to Diagnose Preeclampsia, Epilepsy and Heart Attacks
Transforming how common health conditions are diagnosed using point-of-care and wearable bio diagnostic devices is the goal of a new project, which has just secured nearly $2.2 million from the National Health, Medical and Research Council.
Topic overview
25 May 2020
The impact of COVID-19 on wearables
This article is a summary of the latest considerations for the wearable technology industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including background on the pandemic, case studies of it's impact, and a discussion around changes to quantitative forecasts across IDTechEx's wearable portfolio as a result.
25 May 2020
Tiny Drug Delivery Robots Travel Through the Blood Stream
Scientists took a leukocyte as the blueprint and developed a microrobot that has the size, shape and moving capabilities of a white blood cell. They covered the ball-shaped microroller with a magnetic nanofilm on one side and with anti-cancer drugs on the other. Simulating a blood vessel in a laboratory setting, they succeeded in magnetically navigating the microroller through this dynamic and dense environment.
25 May 2020
World's First Urban Air Mobility Theme Hotel
EHang has entered a strategic partnership with LN Holdings to further commercialize its AAVs by integrating Urban Air Mobility solutions into the latter's hotel/tourism businesses. This collaboration will not only broaden the use cases for AAVs, but will also expand the partnerships in the existing ecosystem.
25 May 2020
Marshaling AI in the Fight Against Covid-19
Artificial intelligence could play a decisive role in stopping the Covid-19 pandemic. To give the technology a push, the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is funding 10 projects at MIT aimed at advancing AI's transformative potential for society.
25 May 2020
Riddled With Holes: Making Flexible Thin-Film Electronics More Durable
The prospect of the widespread commercialization and application of flexible electronics has kept researchers worldwide searching for ingenious ways to enhance their performance and durability. From wearable smart devices to solar cells and health sensors, flexible electronics holds much promise in many engineering fields. Unfortunately, flexible devices are usually as fragile as they look; mechanical deformations, such as bending, can induce the formation and propagation of microscopic cracks that ultimately cause devices to fail.
Full profile interview
22 May 2020
Pulse Electronics
This profile outlines Pulse Electronics' FluidANT printing technology, which uses viscous conductive inks with micron-sized particles to print conductive traces onto 3D objects. It is an alternative to laser direct structuring (LDS) and is primarily used for printing antennae.
22 May 2020
How Flexible Integrated Circuits Unlock Their Potential
Flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) promises to combine the functionality of conventional rigid electronics with the flexibility of printed electronics. A prototypical FHE circuit, in which an integrated circuit is combined with multiple other elements, includes (for example) printed sensors, an antenna, a thin film battery and even thin film PV. Not all components need to be included, or even printed, for a circuit to count as FHE, but it must include as a minimum both printed and placed functionality.
22 May 2020
50 MWh of Energy Delivered Wirelessly to Electric Bus Fleet
Link Transit has this month achieved 50 megawatt-hours of energy delivered wirelessly to its electric bus fleet. Link Transit is the first electric bus operator in the Americas to reach this technology milestone, and the first in the world to do so in under two years.
22 May 2020
Innovative Energy Storage System for Wind Farm Site
Plans for an innovative new energy storage system which would be located on the site of a South Yorkshire wind farm have been submitted for consideration.
22 May 2020
Researchers Tap CRISPR Technology to Connect Biology, Electronics
In an effort to create first-of-kind microelectronic devices that connect with biological systems, researchers are utilizing CRISPR technology in a novel way to electronically turn "on" and "off" several genes simultaneously. Their technique has the potential to further bridge the gap between the electronic and biological worlds, paving the way for new wearable and "smart" devices.
22 May 2020
Webinar - Autonomous Driving: Peak Car to Arrive as Early as 2031?
In this webinar, Dr Na Jiao provides an overview of the autonomous car and robotaxi market. Dr Jiao is a technology analyst at IDTechEx focusing on autonomous mobility, electric vehicles and energy storage related areas.
22 May 2020
Join Our Webinar 29 May - Water: The Next Digital Revolution?
Water and wastewater industries and networks are everywhere. They supply homes, businesses and industries. They are one of the most important infrastructures in many countries. Yet they are not monitored as closely as other utilities industries. However, change is coming. There are many new sensors and products available which can provide a greater insight into this large and wide-ranging industry.