Sensors

Tess Skyrme interviewed Dr Bezugly about the company's carbon nanotube-based detector chips for smell recognition, and plans for scale-up using their recently acquired Series A funding.

Sorex is a gas sensor company spun out of the University of Cambridge, seeking to commercialise acoustic wave sensor research for air quality and medical markets, including mobiles and wearables.

Raymor Industries is a small but longstanding company that specialises in the plasma torch process for the production of various nanomaterials. IDTechEx caught up with Dr Norma Mendoza and Jefford Humes.

The unique properties of the atom-thick sheet of carbon, known as graphene, enabled a new penny-sized, multiplexed bio-sensor that's the first to detect opioid byproducts in wastewater. The novel device is the first to use graphene-based field effect transistors to detect four different synthetic and natural opioids at once, while shielding them from wastewater's harsh elements.

The thumb-shaped sensor is made of a soft shell built around a lightweight stiff skeleton. This skeleton holds up the structure much like bones stabilize the soft finger tissue. The shell is made from an elastomer mixed with dark but reflective aluminum flakes, resulting in an opaque greyish color which prevents any external light finding its way in. Hidden inside this finger-sized cap is a tiny 160-degree fish-eye camera which records colorful images illuminated by a ring of LEDs.

The researchers expect that people will use this device to monitor sun exposure, but the sensor also could be used in other situations where there's utility to measuring light exposure. For example, UV radiation is often used to sterilize environments. These stickers could be used to indicate when a surface has been exposed to UV radiation for long enough to be fully sterilized.

Leading edge electronics and electrical engineering includes: Terahertz electronics - microwave to far infrared optics Photovoltaics Electric vehicle and microgrid power electronics.

Work on hydrogel membranes, like work on hydrogels generally, is mainly medically oriented. In this premium article, we mainly concentrate on hydrogel membranes beyond medical ones, as this is the later-emerging market opportunity.

In February 2022, the White House issued an updated list of critical and emerging technologies that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and National Security Council (NSC) have identified as being important for US national security. Numerous technology areas have been featured, including advanced manufacturing, hypersonics, biotechnologies, and artificial intelligence. Of these, IDTechEx has highlighted which areas to watch and why exactly the White House has shortlisted them as critical technologies.

Bosch has been researching quantum technology for seven years and are now establishing a startup for the commercialisation of quantum sensor products. This new business unit will be located on the premises of its grow platform GmbH subsidiary in Ludwigsburg, and is initially assigned to the Bosch Automotive Electronics division, based in Reutlingen.

Researchers have developed self-healing, biodegradable, 3D-printed materials that could be used in the development of realistic artificial hands and other soft robotics applications.

New research from physicists will 'significantly advance' the new technology area of liquid electronics, enhancing the functionality and sustainability of potential applications in printed electronics, wearable health monitors and even batteries.

CSM provides testing equipment for automotive tier 1s and OEMs. IDTechEx interviewed them to discuss their high voltage, temperature sensing portfolio for EV battery development.

Scentroid develop and sell air pollution and air monitoring equipment, including fixed devices and drone mounted solutions, for environmental and industrial applications.

Jaguar Land Rover has formed a multi-year strategic partnership with NVIDIA to jointly develop and deliver next-generation automated driving systems plus AI-enabled services and experiences for its customers.

Engineers have developed a new technique for making wearable sensors that enables medical researchers to prototype test new designs much faster and at a far lower cost than existing methods.

The human body responds to stress, from the everyday to the extreme, by producing a hormone called cortisol. To date, it has been impractical to measure cortisol as a way to potentially identify conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress, in which levels of the hormone are elevated. Cortisol levels traditionally have been evaluated through blood samples by professional labs, and while those measurements can be useful for diagnosing certain diseases, they fail to capture changes in cortisol levels over time.

Oizom provide environmental and industrial gas monitoring products to create air quality or safety networks in cities, factories, campuses, and communities globally. They are primarily in India where the company is based but have a presence in 47 countries.

Researchers have developed a 46-inch woven display with smart sensors, energy harvesting and storage integrated directly into the fabric.

Wearable electronic devices, particularly sensors designed to recover bioinformation - body temperature, blood pressure, respiratory patterns, etc. - have become an increasingly important research subject. No matter the intended use of a portable health monitoring system, one key challenge is the delivery of the wearable sensor itself; a hard, inflexible, uncomfortable sensor is less effective simply because the user may not be willing or able wear it for extended periods of time.