15 Dec 2021

Wall Climbing Robot can Reduce Workplace Accidents
A wall climbing robot can reduce workplace accidents, as it can be used for inspection and maintenance tasks such as building and infrastructure inspection and surveying or even painting.
15 Dec 2021

Batteries of the Future Could be Paper-Thin and Biodegradable
Scientists have developed paper-thin biodegradable zinc batteries that could one day become an environmentally sustainable option for powering flexible and wearable electronic systems.
The zinc batteries are made up of electrodes screen-printed on to both sides of a piece of cellulose paper that has been reinforced with hydrogel.
Full profile interview
14 Dec 2021

CEA-LITEN
CEA-LITEN is part of the French research center CEA, based in Grenoble. It focuses on energy related technologies - this includes printed/flexible electronics and 3D printing. This profile is based on a visit by IDTechEx on 1 December 2021.
Full profile interview
14 Dec 2021

CEA-LETI
CEA-LETI is the main department of the French research center CEA. Based primarily in Grenoble, it covers many aspects of semiconductor manufacturing, and has recently extended its scope to cover hybrid electronics. IDTechEx visited CEA-LETI on 1 December 2021
14 Dec 2021

Battery Technology Primed for Diversification
To date, Li-ion batteries have been the go-to technology for vehicle electrification and new stationary energy storage systems. However, the supply chain for Li-ion production is coming under increasing scrutiny with bottlenecks feasible during the second half of the 2020s, creating a potential opportunity for alternative battery chemistries not reliant on lithium, cobalt, or nickel.
14 Dec 2021

Smart AI Powered Exoskeleton
Adding new dimensions for human augmentation in manual handling environments with active walking assistance and other pioneering technologies.
14 Dec 2021

Rwanda Launches a Retrofit Electric Motorcycles Project
The Government of Rwanda in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme launched a project to put more electric motorcycles on Rwanda's roads. The project aims to gradually phase out the use of traditional petrol-powered internal combustion engine motorcycles by converting them to electric bikes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

Stratasys Adds Origin One Dental 3D Printer to Portfolio
The new printer is the second 3D printer resulting from Stratasys' acquisition of Origin in December 2020, which was a key milestone in the company's strategy to be the leader in polymer 3D printing for manufacturing. The Stratasys Origin One Dental and the recently introduced Stratasys J5 DentaJet 3D printer provide dental labs with comprehensive additive manufacturing solutions to meet the needs of the growing dental customer base.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

Candela Secures €24M Investment for Foiling Vessels
The shift to zero emission boats and ships has been hampered by the enormous energy consumption and correspondingly low range of conventional electric boats. Flying on computer-guided underwater wings -- known as hydrofoils -- that reduce energy consumption by 80% compared to conventional planing craft, Candela's vessels soar above the waves in silence with 2-3 times longer endurance than the best conventional electric powerboats.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

Graphene for Solar Power
By 2050, the European Union aims to be climate neutral. In pursuit of this goal, the first half of 2020 saw renewables — including solar, hydro, wind and bioenergy — produce more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

New Deal to Deliver Smart Charging for Thousands of EV Owners
As the electric vehicle revolution gathers momentum, there is an urgent need for the installed charging infrastructure to be smarter. Electric Miles and Project EV have agreed a deal which will address this growing problem while saving drivers money and helping the Government's ambition to make every chargepoint smart.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

TRUMPF Lasers Make Battery Production More Efficient
Industrial laser technology and smart solutions from TRUMPF are making battery production more efficient for the electromobility sector.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

Additive Manufacturing Enables Mass Customisation of Cycling Saddles
German design company DQBD GmbH is leveraging the Stratasys H350 3D printer to produce fully personalized cycling saddles that offer a higher level of comfort and performance efficiency compared to regular versions. DQBD is additively manufacturing several of the saddle's load-bearing parts at scale, saving thousands of euros in costs and cutting lead times from months to just several days compared to traditional molding methods.
External press release
14 Dec 2021

Rosti Advances 3D Printing with Ultimaker
Rosti Group, a global plastic injection molding manufacturer and leading contract manufacturer, is utilizing the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle to accelerate product development cycles for clients, helping them get their products to market faster.
Update interview
13 Dec 2021

Agora: Enabling Real-Time Connections in XR
Agora, with dual HQs in Santa Clara and Shanghai, describes itself as providing "real-time engagement as a service" - in a nutshell, it enables low-latency communication across a range of platforms through video, voice, and other modes. IDTechEx spoke to Hermes Frangoudis, Developer Relations and Education Manager at Agora, around the company's operations in the extended reality (XR) space.
13 Dec 2021

Self-Healing Materials can now Create Billion-Dollar Businesses
Self-healing materials are a new megatrend. The need is massive, from saving trillions of dollars lost yearly by collapsing buildings and bridges to bionic man and woman living better and longer. In saving the planet and preserving resources, long life from self-healing beats recycling any day.
13 Dec 2021

Police in Wales are the First in the UK to use Facial Recognition
Police officers in South Wales and Gwent are to become the first in the UK to develop and use technology to identify wanted individuals in real time through a new facial recognition app on their mobile phones.
13 Dec 2021

Novel Brain Stimulation Approach Treats Severe Depression
Patients are awake during surgery as electrical leads are implanted in their brain. This procedure uses a first-of-its-kind approach that incorporates intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) recordings and stimulation to personalize the understanding of network behavior in the brain during a depressive state and its response to the DBS device.
13 Dec 2021

Stretchy, Washable Battery Brings Wearable Devices Closer to Reality
Researchers have created what could be the first battery that is both flexible and washable. It works even when twisted or stretched to twice its normal length, or after being tossed in the laundry.
13 Dec 2021

Smart Bikes to Improve Cycling Safety, Efficiency
Manufacturers haven't yet incorporated the advanced technologies of smart cars into bicycles on a level widespread enough to make smart bikes affordable. But the industry recognizes that as the challenge of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions grows, the need to encourage more people to use bicycles instead of cars is becoming more urgent—and a critical component of this imperative is making cycling safer and easier for cyclists to share road conditions and other factors with other cyclists and with municipal managers.