Topic overview
26 Nov 2020

Could Starlink replace 5G? (Part 1)
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation that is being constructed by SpaceX. Part one of a series of articles by IDTechEx analyst Xiaoxi He.
External press release
24 Nov 2020

Relativity Space Raises $500M Towards 3D Printed Rockets
Relativity Space, the first company to 3D print an entire rocket and build the largest metal 3D printers in the world, has closed a $500 million Series D equity funding round. The funding will enable Relativity to accelerate its planned initiatives, including its factory of the future, launch vehicle development, and 3D printing technologies.
External press release
17 Nov 2020

Palarum: US Veterans Affairs to Evaluate Use of 'Smart Patient Sock'
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and Palarum, LLC, announced that they have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement Program (CRADA) to evaluate Palarum's innovative e-wearable technology which is designed to reduce inpatient falls.
External press release
13 Nov 2020

Elementum 3D Gold Medal, US Air Force Advanced Manufacturing Olympics
Elementum 3D earned first place at the inaugural US. Air Force Advanced Manufacturing Olympics. The company won the event's "Material Hurdles" technical challenge with its A7050-RAM2 high-strength aluminum alloy, beating eight other finalists.
16 Oct 2020

Self-Driving Laboratories: A Reality Waiting to Happen
Imagine a situation where, given a request, a lab automatically chooses what experiments to do, robotically carries this out, tracks the reaction with integrated sensors, acquires and analyzes the results, and then decides what experiment to do next. This seems like science-fiction, but certain truths may be closer than you think.
External press release
8 Sep 2020

Optomec Receives Air Force Contract for Metal Additive System
The US Air Force has awarded Optomec a $1 million contract to deliver a high volume production machine for refurbishing turbine engine components, including titanium parts.
Background
4 Sep 2020

Lux Semiconductors
Lux Semiconductors are an early stage company that have developed a patent pending system-on-foil platform that enables flexible silicon ICs to be directly produced on flexible substrates.
7 Jul 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.
Full profile interview
24 Jun 2020

FormAlloy
FormAlloy use a blown-powder DED process for metal additive manufacturing. IDTechEx spoke with Kevin Luo (Business Development Manager).
10 Jun 2020

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.
Full profile interview
28 May 2020

Integrated Deposition Solutions
Integrated Deposition Solutions produce aerosol print systems (termed 'nanojet'), offering both complete printers and print systems for integration into larger installations.
24 Apr 2020

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.
27 Mar 2020

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.