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2020

Researchers Print, Tune Graphene Sensors to Monitor Food Freshness

Researchers dipped their new, printed sensors into tuna broth and watched the readings. It turned out the sensors - printed with high-resolution aerosol jet printers on a flexible polymer film and tuned to test for histamine, an allergen and indicator of spoiled fish and meat - can detect histamine down to 3.41 parts per million.

FormAlloy

FormAlloy use a blown-powder DED process for metal additive manufacturing. IDTechEx spoke with Kevin Luo (Business Development Manager).

New Material, Modeling Methods Promise Advances in Energy Storage

The explosion of mobile electronic devices, electric vehicles, drones and other technologies have driven demand for new lightweight materials that can provide the power to operate them. Researchers have reported a structural supercapacitor electrode made from reduced graphene oxide and aramid nanofiber that is stronger and more versatile than conventional carbon-based electrodes.

Integrated Deposition Solutions

Integrated Deposition Solutions produce aerosol print systems (termed 'nanojet'), offering both complete printers and print systems for integration into larger installations.

Remote Control of Soft Robots

Soft materials, such as rubber or polymers that can endure drastic changes to their shape, are promising for applications where flexibility and shapeshifting abilities are paramount. For example, these materials can be used to create soft robots suited for specialized tasks, ranging from medical devices that could navigate around inside the body to robots for search-and-rescue missions that can squeeze through small openings.

AI to Estimate Unexploded Bombs From Vietnam War

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to detect Vietnam War-era bomb craters in Cambodia from satellite images - with the hope that it can help find unexploded bombs.

NextFlex

NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments who collectively aim to advance U.S. manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics.

2019

Test Date for Rocket with Largest 3D Printed Combustion Chamber

Launcher Inc has scheduled the first full-scale test of its E-2 rocket engine for mid-2020 after securing a $1.5M award from the U.S. Air Force and taking delivery of the world's largest 3D printed combustion chamber.

Unique stretchable conductor

The Air Force Research Laboratory has developed liquid metal systems which autonomously change structure so that they become better conductors in response to strain.

Relativity Space raises $140M to launch 3D printed rocket.

Relativity Space, the company building the world's first autonomous rocket factory and launch services for satellites, has raised $140 million in funding.

BeBop Sensors wins US Air Force contract SIBR Award

BeBop Sensors announced today that it has won the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Award from the U.S. Air Force for BeBop Sensor's new award-winning Forte Data Glove Enterprise Edition, to be deployed by the U.S. Airforce MOTAR (Maintenance Operations and Training Augmented Reality) Unit for advanced airplane VR training simulations.

Relativity Space

Californian space startup Relativity Space was founded in 2015 to use 3D printing for commercial orbital launches. IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Bryony Core learns more.

Empathy for robots can have life-changing consequences for troops

It is increasingly common to use robots in war zones to examine and disarm hazards or recover objects with the understanding that the loss of a robot is a far more acceptable outcome than the death of a solider.

Impossible Objects Unveils Next-Generation 3D Printer, Partners

Impossible Objects announced two watershed advances in composite 3D printing for the factory floor. The company's latest 3D printing system, the CBAM-2, and a new partnership with BASF on PA6-carbon fiber composites extend Impossible Objects' patented composite based additive manufacturing process (CBAM) to an unprecedented range of industrial applications.

Air Force partnership advancing wearable sensor technology

Imagine being able to monitor your health quickly, simply, painlessly, and continuously, without complicated equipment or a doctor visit. For athletes or people with health conditions, an immediate physical "status update" would be a great convenience. For the warfighter in the field, it could be the crucial element of a successful mission.

Crystalline Mirror Solutions (CMS)

Crystalline Mirror Solutions (CMS) manufacture low-noise, reflective optical components based on a patented coating technology.

2018

World's first 3D volumetric circuit

Research on the 3D/volumetric circuit technology was borne out of the notion that a three-dimensional circuit offers more freedom to make circuits smaller, lighter and more efficient. 3D printing allows them to be manufactured into arbitrary form factors that can be integrated into any object or surface.

Route to flexible electronics made from exotic materials

Engineers have developed a technique to fabricate ultrathin semiconducting films made from a host of exotic materials other than silicon. To demonstrate their technique, the researchers fabricated flexible films made from gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and lithium fluoride — materials that exhibit better performance than silicon but until now have been prohibitively expensive to produce in functional devices.

Wearable for battlefield trauma

Known as Batdok, a wearable technology allows a medic to efficiently monitor multiple casualties in the field using a smartphone or tablet. Adaptation for civilian applications will advance telemedicine capabilities, the company said.

Clothing that can charge your cell phone, carbon is the new black

Engineers are leveraging a partnership to create clothing that can charge your cell phone. Move over, Iron Man.