Research Articles

With an increasing demand for automation in the 21st century, robots have had rapid and unprecedented growth across many industries, including logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, and food delivery.

The most common method of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) used today is accomplished via low to high-frequency (30 kHz to 30 MHz) time-varying magnetic fields. This may also be referred to as 'inductive WPT' or 'magnetic field WPT'.

Essential to understanding the evolution of the polymer 3D printing industry is exploring the change from low-cost printing technologies and materials to the slow growth and adoption of innovative polymer printing technologies and materials, from viscous thermosets to carbon fiber composites to foams.

This IDTechEx Complimentary Whitepaper explores the semiconductor trends in two key applications: data centers and automotive.

Thursday 23 February 2023 - Opportunities for Integrated Functionality. In this webinar Dr Matthew Dyson, a Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, will discuss the following topics: - The status of IME and competing approaches for creating functional and decorative interfaces across multiple application sectors. - The challenges and benefits associated with functionality integration, and how the value proposition of IME is likely to grow over time. - IME specific material requirements, especially for conductive inks. - A roadmap for IME adoption, segmented by industry.

IDTechEx forecast that the water electrolyzer market will grow to over US$120B by 2033. There has been renewed interest in the development of clean and green hydrogen industries.

Thursday 16 February 2023 - During the webinar, Dr. Isabel Al-Dhahir will discuss: The motivation and applications for emerging image sensors, which span autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial quality control, and more; The current technological and commercial status of the emerging SWIR imaging technologies competing to replace InGaAs; Discussion of event-based vision and hyperspectral imaging; and Identification of market challenges

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle market has driven the development, manufacture and sales of batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, which are dominating the battery industry for a decade.

Membrane materials are of fundamental importance for fuel cells. So significant, in fact, that they typically give their name to the fuel cell, as is the case for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, with IDTechEx forecasting the market for ion-exchange membranes in PEM fuel cells to be worth over USD$1.1 billion by 2033.

Enhancing 'sustainability' is a widely held aspiration within the electronics industry - realizing this transition is considerably more difficult. To this day, toxic chemicals, material waste, and energy-intensive processing are commonplace.

Friday 10 February 2023 - Status and prospects of competing analogue and digital manufacturing methods for printed electronics; Technical discussion of emerging digital manufacturing methodologies; Evaluation of the benefits and challenges of adopting high throughput R2R manufacturing; and Innovations in component placement and attachment that will facilitate manufacturing of FHE.

Given the rapid increase in forecast demand for Li-ion batteries, there has been significant growth in the number of gigafactories being planned and announced over the past 2-3 years. IDTechEx analysis shows that current plans and announcements for new cell production capacity will reach 3 TWh by 2030.

Thursday 9 February 2023 - Shaking Up Urban Transport Worldwide. The following aspects will be discussed in greater depth: Drivers behind uptake of Micro EVs; Electric two-wheelers: major markets, players, and benchmarking; Electric three-wheelers: major markets, players, and benchmarking; Microcar characteristics; and Battery chemistry trends

The maritime sector, which accounts for approximately 2.9% of global carbon emissions, is seeking to meet broader climate goals such as the Paris Agreement and 'Fit for 55' in Europe. Since it is the largest vessels, such as sea-going cargo vessels, which tend to contribute the most to maritime emissions, this presents a huge challenge.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 - Technological Developments and Applications. Contents that will be covered in this webinar include: An overview of PIC technology; Drivers of increased data demands from data centres; PIC trends in the communications industry; and PIC adoption in other markets

The energy crisis and decarbonization requirements speed up the process of finding alternative solutions, and energy storage plays an important role in applications such as electric vehicle applications and renewable energy.

The EV market continues to develop, not just in sales but in technology. A critical technology aspect for EVs is the thermal management of the various components to keep everything operating at the optimal temperature.

As we enter 2023, we celebrate a decade of progress in the cultured meat industry. Ten years ago, the world was introduced to the first lab-grown burger, and this year, it's possible that American consumers will have the opportunity to taste this revolutionary food for themselves.

The new IDTechEx report, "Emerging Image Sensor Technologies 2023-2033: Applications and Markets", explores a diverse range of image sensing technologies capable of resolutions and wavelength detection far beyond what is currently attainable.

Quantum Computers: What Are They and When Will They Create Commercial Value? In the last decade, the number of companies actively developing quantum computer hardware has quadrupled. In 2022 multiple funding rounds surpassing US$100 million have been closed, and the transition from lab-based toys to commercial products has begun.

The materials industry is sometimes described as conservative, but digital transformation is well underway in the sector. Materials informatics - the application of data-centric approaches, including machine learning, to materials R&D - has the potential to be the most impactful arm of this process.

A complimentary magazine by IDTechEx covering technology trends from 2022 and looking ahead to 2023.

Though 5G mmWave is still in its early stages, the 6G research race has already begun. The sub-THz band (100 - 300 GHz) is the major focus of the first wave of 6G. Several technological breakthroughs are necessary to fully realize the benefits of such a high frequency band in 6G.

Mirroring the broader social trend of increasing awareness around inclusivity, exhibitors at CES 2023 highlighted the capabilities of consumer electronics to deliver assistive technology. IDTechEx attended the event, held January 5 - 8 in Las Vegas, and report on this key trend across interviews with exhibitors over the four days.

Ten years ago, the world was introduced to the first lab-grown burger, and this year, it is possible that American consumers will have the opportunity to taste this revolutionary food for themselves. The end of 2022 saw a major milestone for the industry, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving a cultured meat product for the first time, a significant step towards commercialization.

The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Market: Will It Finally Take-off? Recognized as one of the key technologies essential to achieving net-zero emissions targets, the momentum behind carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) deployment is building up. This webinar highlights the findings of the new IDTechEx report, "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2023-2043", a comprehensive market report on the CCUS industry.

Can electronics manufacturing be reconfigured for our digital, environmentally-conscious age? IDTechEx's new report, "Manufacturing Printed Electronics 2023-2033", explores a wide range of manufacturing innovations that will enable additive, digital, and higher throughput electronics production across many length scales.

Breaking Down the Drivers and Barriers Impacting Low-Loss Materials for 5G. Each year, the global deployment of 5G-enabled devices and infrastructure expands, bringing new and exciting applications to market, like smart devices, autonomous vehicles, and remote medical monitoring. However, the expansion of the 5G network, particularly the higher frequency mmWave bands, is restricted by several challenges.

The Road to More Intelligent Robots? Sensors are crucial for the value proposition behind many intelligent robotic systems. With the increasing demand for robots to handle complicated tasks, the growing adoption of robots, and the decreasing costs of sensors, the market for sensors in robotics is rapidly growing. It is expected to exceed US$80 billion by 2043. This fast growth and the substantial market size are partially driven by the growth of robots in the next two decades as a whole, but also expects sensors to capture an increasing proportion of the total value in robotic systems.

As high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, and even consumers become increasingly data-hungry, hardware struggles to keep pace. In addition, the need for real-time assessments of moving data points - such as for the accurate velocity-mapping of other objects in autonomous systems and facial recognition for security systems - is crucial to an increasingly hands-free society.

Chemical recycling end-of-life plastic has its champions and its critics. IDTechEx does not believe these advanced recycling solutions are the much-promised silver bullet, but nor do they think they have no role to play in a circular economy.

While there is no standardized definition of micro EVs, it is generally used to describe small vehicles that can seamlessly navigate highly populated urban areas. Micro EVs are designed for short trips of only a few kilometers and travel at low speeds, typically under 80 kilometers per hour (with various regional exceptions). These vehicles do not rely on internal combustion engines, and many are powered by electric motors.

Is this the year of rapid graphene sales? Are we slipping deeper into a disillusionment phase? Who will emerge as the market leaders? Is consolidation inevitable? 2023 will be a telling year for the industry.

Friday 20 January 2023 - This webinar is based on IDTechEx's broader mobility research portfolio, tracking the adoption of electric vehicles, battery trends, autonomy, and demand across land, sea, and air. Helping you navigate whatever may be ahead.

IDTechEx have released a brand new report, "Quantum Computers 2023-2043". This report covers the hardware that promises a revolutionary approach to solving the world's unmet challenges.

Thursday 19 January 2023 - What's Beyond 2022? This webinar is based on content from IDTechEx's new report on "Thermal Management for Electric Vehicles 2023-2033". The webinar will cover various market drivers and trends in thermal management for batteries, motors, and power electronics. Focusing on recent developments in the market over the last 1-2 years.