TyroMotion GmbH (AT)

Faster charging technique boosts battery's capacity

Researchers are the first to measure the optical and electrical transport properties of the individual nanoflakes that make up a battery's electrode while it is being charged.

Solution to lithium air batteries' premature death problem

Researchers have reduced the problem of sudden death in lithium air batteries through the addition of water, increasing their energy storage capacity by five times.

2015 Zero Motorcycles in production and arriving at dealerships

Zero Motorcycles has announced that it has entered full production of its 2015 model line.

UKM launches first malaysian-made fuel cell vehicle

Malaysia's first indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle was launched by Education Minister II Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh at The National University of Malaysia.

Quantum dot technology to join LG's 4K ultra HD TV line up

LG Electronics will unveil a new 4K ULTRA HD TV with quantum dot technology as a new component of its expanded TV lineup in early 2015.

New method of harvesting wave energy

The floating structure is flexible in all directions, and capable of capturing power from the ocean regardless of wave direction and array orientation.

Atom-thick CCD could capture images

An atomically thin material may lead to the thinnest-ever imaging platform.

Quantum world without queues could lead to better solar cells

Researchers have used new technology to study extremely fast processes in solar cells. The research results form a concrete step towards more efficient solar cells.

Vivalnk

Vivalnk started selling a new product in 2014. They make a wearable skin patch that use NFC pairing to unlock a smartphone. They call it the eSkin Tatoo. Vivalnk is now developing new functionalities for their eSkin Tatoo, including temperature sensing.

Review of 3D Printing in 2014 and the outlook for 2015

2014 has been a big year for 3D printing. Even established 3D printing companies have been posting huge growth. Both Stratasys and Arcam, with their vastly different technologies, are expected to report year-on-year growth of 57% this year. This steep upward trend in 3D printer sales is reflected in IDTechEx forecasts in 3D Printing 2015-2025: Technologies, Markets, Players. This article review all the major events and developments in 2014 and will give the IDTechEx view on the outlook for 2015.

Wearable Technology, IoT- Insights and Top-Level Trends

In 2014, attention was focussed almost entirely on wearable technology WT for humans rather than the market less than one tenth of the size for wearable technology for animals. There was very rapid growth in manufacturers but there were no major blockbusters and products, strongest focus being on internet connected devices. Wild enthusiasm was rarely matched by achievement but there is substance here for the future. Unlike wearable technology, it is quite difficult to find the genuinely major new business in the IoT firmament. Everyone is claiming to be central to it to jump on the bandwagon, including Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC and RFID proponents. The Internet of People which consists of web-connected tablets, laptops, phones and wearables has often been conflated with it though IoP has completely different maturity, technology, application and challenges.

Review of supercapacitors in 2014 and the outlook for 2015

Whilst the industry has reduced its growth in comparison to the previous years (from an estimated 30% in 2014 vs 2013 to 15% in 2014 vs 2013), IDTechEx believes that this is just a temporary stagnation. Indeed, the fact that other companies are investing in manufacturing capacity and challenging the leadership of Maxwell Technologies is a positive sign for the industry and a good signal for the supercapacitor market, which by definition needs more than one major player. We believe that more manufacturer options across the globe will provide the required alternative supply that end user industries are requiring in order to warranty market competition. This article gives an overview of the major events and developments in 2014 and gives the IDTechEx outlook for 2015.

Thin-film hybrid oxide-organic microprocessor

Holst Centre, imec and their partner Evonik have realized a general-purpose 8-bit microprocessor, manufactured using complementary thin-film transistors processed at temperatures compatible with plastic foil substrates (250°C).

Self charging biomimetic robots

Latest turtle robot capable of performing more complicated tasks such as surveillance and energy harvesting, and operates on a self-charge mode.

MotorBrain final review

Under the direction of Infineon, 30 partners from 9 European countries commenced the MotorBrain project, funded by the European Union, three years ago.

World's first BIOPV concrete façade installation

Heliatek has successfully delivered the first BIOPV - Building Integrated OPV - solar films to China.

Medtronic - Opinions of Wearables

Medtronic are one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world. Their operational headquarters is in Minnesota, with their corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland following a high profile merger with Covidien plc. This merger moved the company to be the second largest medical device manufacturer at the time, just behind Johnson & Johnson. They manufacture a very broad range of components and devices for medical use.

Thermoelectric harvesting: Great increase in interest in 2014

Thermoelectric harvesting will be on production hybrid electric on-road vehicles from 2018. It will be commonplace on hybrids in 2020 and almost entirely to charge the battery, or increasingly supercapacitor or supercabattery used for power.

OLED technology that enables superior image quality

The development of an attachable Single-Lens Display Module that can turn eyewear of varying designs into smart devices.

Possible avenue to better electrolyte for lithium ion batteries

Researchers looking for a better understanding of liquid electrolyte may have found a pathway forward.