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2023

Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2023-2033: Technology, Forecasts, Players

IDTechEx Report: Dr Xiaoxi He

2022

Materials Informatics 2023-2033

IDTechEx Report: Sam Dale and Dr Richard Collins

Newly Developed Smart Polymers Have Life-Like Properties

Although just cute little creatures at first glance, the microscopic geckos and octopuses fabricated by 3D laser printing could open up new opportunities in fields such as microrobotics or biomedicine. The printed microstructures are made from novel materials - known as smart polymers - whose size and mechanical properties can be tuned on demand and with high precision.

Robot Dog Learns to Walk in One Hour

Researchers have conducted a research study to find out how animals learn to walk and learn from stumbling. They built a four-legged, dog-sized robot, that helped them figure out the details.

First Image of the Black Hole at the Heart of our Galaxy

Today astronomers have unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. This result provides overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed a black hole and yields valuable clues about the workings of such giants, which are thought to reside at the centre of most galaxies.

Fingertip Sensitivity for Robots

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.

2021

Exaddon

Exaddon is a metal microscale additive manufacturing company based in Switzerland. IDTechEx spoke to Edward White, Marketing Manager at Exaddon.

Scientists use 'Fitbit' Technology on a Troop of Baboons

Using accelerometers -- the equivalent of pedometers, or Fitbits -- a team of scientists studied the detailed movement behavior and related energetic costs in a troop of 25 baboons. The study is the first to gain ultra-high resolution data on movement and energetics of a group of wild primates.

E-Textiles & Smart Clothing 2021-2031: Technologies, Markets and Players

IDTechEx Report:

2020

3D Printer Enables Variable Gloss

New system enables realistic variations in glossiness across a 3D-printed surface. The advance could aid fine art reproduction and the design of prosthetics.

Biostimulants and Biopesticides 2021-2031: Technologies, Markets and Forecasts

IDTechEx Report:

Skin-Like Electronics and Computer Vision Recognise Hand Gestures

Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that recognises hand gestures by combining skin-like electronics with computer vision.

Soft Robot Actuators Heal Themselves

Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machines' moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ring teeth, that is self-healing and biodegradable, creating a material not only good for actuators, but also for hazmat suits and other applications where tiny holes could cause a danger.

Genetic Engineering in Agriculture 2021-2031

IDTechEx Report:

Tiny Drug Delivery Robots Travel Through the Blood Stream

Scientists took a leukocyte as the blueprint and developed a microrobot that has the size, shape and moving capabilities of a white blood cell. They covered the ball-shaped microroller with a magnetic nanofilm on one side and with anti-cancer drugs on the other. Simulating a blood vessel in a laboratory setting, they succeeded in magnetically navigating the microroller through this dynamic and dense environment.

Fraunhofer FEP

Fraunhofer FEP is one of many Fraunhofer institutes across Germany. This profile examines their recent work on image sensors that combine a silicon backplane with an organic light absorbing layer to extend the wavelength detection range into the SWIR region.

Tests Measure Solar Panel Performance Beyond Established Standards

Photovoltaics used in solar panels are sensitive to environmental factors and often suffer degradation over time. International Electrotechnical Commission standards for accelerated degradation do not include field tests. While some testing facilities have made data available, much of the data needed to make business decisions for PV is not available publicly.

2019

Artificial Intelligence as Behavioral Analyst

What is the common ground between making a cup of tea and putting on your shoes? Both actions consist of several movements in a row.

Chiton Mollusk Provides Model for New Armor Design

The motivations for using biology as inspiration to engineering vary based on the project, but the combination of flexibility and protection seen in the chiton mollusk was all the motivation necessary.

Promising Discovery Could Lead to a Better, Cheaper Solar Cell

Researchers have gained tantalizing new insights into the properties of perovskites, one of the world's most promising materials in the quest to produce a more efficient, robust and cheaper solar cell.