IDTechEx

A Focus on Chemistry, Not Electronics, for Future Solar Panels

A material that has been heralded as the key to producing more efficient next-generation solar panels could soon be ready for mass production, thanks to a new method developed by researchers.

Wearables and AI Might Pick up Presymptomatic COVID-19

Wearable activity trackers that monitor changes in skin temperature and heart and breathing rates, combined with artificial intelligence, might be used to pick up COVID-19 infection days before symptoms start, suggests preliminary research.

Blood Pressure E-Tattoo Promises Continuous, Mobile Monitoring

Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators of heart health, but it's tough to frequently and reliably measure outside of a clinical setting. For decades, cuff-based devices that constrict around the arm to give a reading have been the gold standard. But now, researchers have developed an electronic tattoo that can be worn comfortably on the wrist for hours and deliver continuous blood pressure measurements at an accuracy level exceeding nearly all available options on the market today.

FEV and Prologium in Joint Solid State Battery Development

Both parties are leveraging their expertise to jointly develop energy storage systems based on ProLogium's unique solid-state batteries technology which are a suitable energy storage alternative with particularly high energy density for a wide range of applications, such as the transportation sector.

Plantfellow

Plantfellow is a Dutch software provider, with a proprietary artificial intelligence platform developed for farm monitoring. IDTechEx analyst Brendan Beh spoke with Plantfellow at the GreenTech 2022 event.

Elcoflex

Elcoflex is an established manufacturer of patterned flexible printed circuits, primarily by etching copper laminate — these are used primarily for LED lighting and RFID antennas. This update is based on a presentation at the PRINSE'22 conference and a subsequent visit to Elcoflex.

MITO Material Solutions

MITO Material Solutions is a start-up specializing in functionalizing graphene oxide. IDTechEx spoke with Haley Marie Keith (Founder and CEO).

DAF: Electric Trucks

Dutch OEM DAF, subsidiary of American truck OEM PACCAR Group, currently offer two electric heavy-duty trucks: DAF CF Electric, which they began testing in 2018, and the 19-tonne DAF LF Electric, which went into production in May 2021.

Volvo Trucks: Electric Trucks

Volvo are leading truck electrification in Europe, offering a full range of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks.

Analyzing Meta's VR Optics Future

Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are edging toward becoming commonplace. However, social acceptability is still some way off and the user experience is not entirely comfortable. Essential to solving these problems are the lenses that magnify and focus headsets' displays.

Rocsys

Rocsys develop solutions to fully automate professional charging sites. With their solutions, EV infrastructure operators can increase their asset utilisation. This allows fleet operators to run business-critical operations with EVs and additionally prepare for the self-parking and self-driving era. Rocsys' solutions are based on proprietary patented soft-robotics and computer vision technologies. IDTechEx spoke to their CEO and Co-founder, Crijn Bouman at EVS35.

Sniffing Out Your Identity with Breath Biometrics

Researchers have developed a new potential odorous option for the biometric security toolkit: your breath, an olfactory sensor capable of identifying individuals by analyzing the compounds in their breath.

Heliatek

Heliatek is a Germany company founded in 2006. It is developing thin flexible organic photovoltaic films for building integration. Its first commercial product, HeliaSol, was produced in 2021.

Underground Battery Electric Vehicles for BHP Potash Project in Canada

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has secured an order of Battery Electric Vehicles from BHP for the Jansen Potash Project, located in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Jansen Stage 1 is being designed with a focus on sustainability and technology and the battery-electric loaders will be used in the most advanced potash-mine in the world.

New Ultrathin Capacitor Could enable Energy Efficient Microchips

The silicon-based computer chips that power our modern devices require vast amounts of energy to operate. Despite ever-improving computing efficiency, information technology is projected to consume around 25% of all primary energy produced by 2030. Researchers in the microelectronics and materials sciences communities are seeking ways to sustainably manage the global need for computing power.

VoltServer

Voltserver is a US-based electronics manufacturer, providing a proprietary power distribution module to deliver high voltage electricity safely over long distances. IDTechEx analyst Brendan Beh spoke with VoltServer at the GreenTech 2022 event.

XPeng (2022)

XPeng is a publicly listed Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that targets the mid- to high-end passenger vehicle segment. It offers SUVs and sedans with autonomous driving capabilities. IDTechEx spoke to its European business development and product specialist team at EVS35 as they now expand overseas.

Toyota to Collaborate on Closed-Loop EV Battery Ecosystem

Toyota has embarked on a mission to create a sustainable, closed-loop battery ecosystem for its electrified powertrains. This mission focuses not only on the collection, testing and recycling of batteries into raw materials to create a sustainable supply chain, but also aims to develop second-life opportunities for remanufactured and repurposed Toyota hybrid electric vehicle batteries by leveraging battery health screening tools and empowering data from its vehicles.

Uncrewed Survey and Inspection Vehicle for Offshore Wind Market

Uncrewed survey and inspection vehicle takes on the booming offshore wind market. The vehicle will exploit the strong demand for accurate ocean mapping, especially within the booming offshore wind market.

Biomensio

Biomensio is an early stage Finnish company that has developed an innovative mobile biosensing technology, based on an array of quartz-crystal microbalances functionalized with bio-receptors. IDTechEx caught up with Biomensio at the PRINSE'22 conference.