IDTechEx

Reducing the weight of military manpacks with energy harvesting

The US Army has presented at IDTechEx conferences, pointing out that a US warfighter often has to carry more than the ancient Roman soldier. This is despite the fact that the ancient Roman soldier carried prefabricated fort parts and food, with no support staff. A major problem today is the batteries.

Printing large batteries

170 years ago, Faraday appreciated the different electrical properties of nano gold over bulk metal in electrical devices, so applying nanotechnology to these things is scarcely new. However, the huge sums now being applied to improvement of lithium traction batteries in particular are now leading to work on a much larger scale and thin film technology, nanotechnology and printing are in increasingly important part of this.

Flexible PV with storage - basic hardware platform

There is a new energy harvesting project that IDTechEx believes could lead to a basic hardware platform for the new printed flexible electronics, incorporated in many products in most applicational sectors from military to consumer packaged goods.

CNTs & graphene and the situation in Germany

The demands placed on new, high-tech materials are continually increasing, and existing material systems are reaching their limits. Due to their exceptional electrical and mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and their composite materials offer high potential for use in diverse applications such as photovoltaics, sensors, semiconductor devices, displays, conductors, smart textiles and energy conversion devices (e.g., fuel cells, harvesters and batteries).

Lithium vehicle traction batteries and harvesting

The conference of about 40 people "Lithium Battery Technology and System Development" in London 9 March 2010 was concerned with "breaking barriers for electric vehicles".

Electrolux, Kimberly Clark and the Printed Electronics uptake

Interest in Printed Electronics from major consumer brands worldwide is constantly increasing. A testimony to that is the ever-growing number of end-users presenting at the latest IDTechEx Printed Electronics conference this coming April, as well as the variety of industries they represent.

The glamorous world of energy harvesting

Energy harvesting is the use of ambient energy to create electricity for small or mobile equipment and it started with such things as the bicycle dynamo and the piezoelectric gas lighter.

Electric Vehicles - China vs Japan

The Western media debate at length the transformation of the Western automotive industry. However, the real battle of the titans is taking place in East Asia. It concerns electric vehicles, both hybrid and pure electric, and a much bigger picture, because these manufacturers ...

Summary from Virginia Tech's Annual Energy Harvesting Workshop

About 90 people from seven countries attended this fifth annual energy harvesting workshop in Roanoke, VA, USA, which serves as an excellent platform to air the latest technical progress with energy harvesters.

Wireless sensor networks - the next ten years

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) - self organising, self healing networks of small "nodes" - have huge potential across industrial, military and other many other sectors. While appreciable sales have now been established, major progress depends on standards and achieving twenty year life.

Wireless sensor networks - the next ten years

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) - self organising, self healing networks of small "nodes" - have huge potential across industrial, military and other many other sectors. While appreciable sales have now been established, major progress depends on standards and achieving twenty year life.

World first from Arveni

Arveni, based in France, claim to have developed the world's first batteryless device powering a bidirectional radio. This has been developed to power an infrared remote control. The device uses a powerful piezoelectric microgenerator, which delivers up to 90mW (for the first transmission in infrared).

Printed electronics technology - back to basics

Find out the most exciting advances and applications in the new world of stretchable, invisible, morphable, tightly rollable, edible and other previously impossible electronics.

An interview with EnOcean

IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das recently interviewed Graham Martin, the Chairman and CEO of EnOcean Alliance.

OLEDs and the competition

One of the biggest obstacles for large OLED panels is the rapid improvement in the performance of competing LCD panels. So what now for OLED displays?

Two wheel electric vehicles - a bright future

With electric cars increasingly employing energy harvesting in shock absorbers, regenerative braking, thermoelectrics on hybrid engine and exhaust and photovoltaics on the roof, attention is turning to two wheel electric vehicles, starting with regenerative braking in electric motorcycles.

Two wheel electric vehicles - a bright future

Two wheel electric vehicles (EV) have a bright future with sales already a magnitude higher than the numbers for any other type of EV. IDTechEx forecasts for 2010 and 2014 are as follows.

Highlights from the 2010 Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference

A very interesting array of talks spread over 3 days brought together approximately 400 people interested in printed electronics and related technologies. On the opening day of the conference, Marc Bernstein from the Palo A lot research Center focused his presentation on the lessons learnt from the move from laboratory scale research to real world applications whereas John Pellegrino from the US Army research Labs, although primarily focused on "meeting the technology challenges for the soldier", highlighted efforts to accelerate the adoption of flexible electronics in the intersection of the military and commercial sectors.

The future of electronic paper: Fast-switching full-colour e-readers.

The success of e-reader technology so far has only wetted the appetite for new devices with more functionality. The Kindle, for all its success, has its limitations and the technology companies behind it are fully aware of that. That is why E Ink, and its parent company PVI, are working intensely on the next generation of e-readers. Requirements include flexibility, the transition from black and white to full colour displays, and switching speeds able to support video playback.

Electric Vehicles - Second Time Lucky

From 1880 to 1920 there was a boom in electric cars before a shakeout all but eliminated them until they crept back as golf cars seventy years later, a modest niche of the automotive market. Now we see ...