IDTechEx

Adaptable Smart Window Coating Could Cool or Heat a Home, Save Energy

The thermal energy from the sun's infrared rays is absorbed by the glass and re-emitted as heat - either used to warm the room using transparent electrical heaters in the glass substrate or reflected away to cool the room.

Autonomous Black Hawk Helicopter Makes First Flight Without Crew

ALIAS is a flexible, extensible automation architecture for existing manned aircraft that enables safe reduced crew operations, which facilitates the addition of high levels of automation into existing aircraft. It also provides a platform for integrating additional automation or autonomy capabilities tailored for specific missions.

Silver Plus Chemicals Create Antimicrobial Textile Coating

For the first time, researchers have found a cost-effective and convenient way to apply a silver-based antimicrobial clear coating to new or existing textiles. Their method uses polyphenols, commonly found in food items notorious for staining clothes such as wine and chocolate. A range of textile types can be treated by the researchers' method, and items can be washed multiple times without losing the antimicrobial and therefore anti-odor property.

Vitality

IDTechEx interviewed Head of Vitality Programme Tom Davis in November 2021 to find out more about Vitality's adoption of wearables, and what future role the technology could have within the industry.

The 5G Materials Battle: Sub-6 GHz vs mmWave

5G deployment is in full swing with mid-band infrastructure installed by the end of 2021 representing nearly 6 times what it was in 2019. However, this doesn't mean that all of the challenges have been solved. Much of the 5G infrastructure is repurposed 4G equipment at lower frequency bands. The real transition to 5G comes from the adoption of higher frequencies which have largely been categorized into sub-6 GHz and mmWave (> 20 GHz) bands. One of the key challenges is thermal management.

Rivian: Electric Passenger Trucks

Rivian, the US electric passenger truck startup, has had a rollercoaster ride over the past several months, including a wild IPO that briefly saw Rivian become the fourth most valuable automaker in the world. Yet, the share price soon fell as Rivian missed delivery targets (delivering just 920 vehicles in 2021); investor Amazon turned to Stellantis. IDTechEx explores the company's strengths, weaknesses and future.

Making Metal-Halide Perovskites Useful

Two of the main drawbacks of using tin-based metal halide perovskites in thin-film transistors have been simultaneously solved by an innovative hybrid 2D/3D structure proposed by scientists. Their findings will help unlock the potential of environmentally benign Sn-based MHPs in CMOS technology, paving the way for flexible and printable electronic devices.

Avass Group to Manufacture EVs, Lithium Batteries in Saudi Arabia

Australia-based Avass Group recently announced that they have signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to jointly manufacture electric vehicles and lithium batteries.

A Bioelectronic Tongue "Tastes" Sweetness

Candy, cookies, juices. Just about everyone likes sweet treats, but what one person thinks tastes too sugary, another might think is just right. This variability makes it challenging to develop new foods and beverages, so companies have sought a more objective method. Now, researchers have developed an ultrasensitive bioelectronic tongue that measures sweetness by mimicking human taste buds.

Drones to Detect Marine Debris

Researchers are developing a drone-based, machine learning system to detect and identify marine debris along the coast. Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is a global problem that threatens the environment, navigation safety, coastal economies, and, potentially, human health. Detecting and identifying debris quickly and accurately is key to cleanup and response actions that can prevent these impacts. Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones, offer this capability.

Breakthrough in Cement Production with Solar Energy

Clinker is produced by fusing together limestone, clay, and other materials in a rotary kiln at temperatures nearing 1,500°C. Fossil fuels are typically used to heat the kiln and they are responsible for approximately 40% of direct CO2 emissions of the process. Replacing fossil fuels entirely with solar energy is a gamechanger in the industry's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Laminating Organic Photovoltaics onto Curved Surfaces

Heat-shrinkable technology could allow solar cells and touch sensors to be attached to objects whose shapes make them challenging to laminate.

Smart Watch Detects Heat Strain in Military Trainees

In 2020, more than 2,000 U.S. service members experienced heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Such injuries pose a "significant and persistent threat to both the health of US military members and the effectiveness of military operations," according to a recent military health report. Young or inexperienced recruits are especially vulnerable.

Northvolt and Volvo Cars Choose Gothenburg For New Battery Factory

Northvolt and Volvo Cars will place their first joint battery factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, next to Volvo Cars' assembly plant in Torslanda. The new facility will be operational in 2025.

Off-Grid Ammonia-to-Power Solution for Mobile Operators

The GenCell FOX delivers reliable, resilient and zero-emission primary power which can replace fossil fuel generators. The solution can also complement solar PV and wind power solutions at telecom sites around the globe. The FOX can be placed at a telecom base station in virtually any location where grid services are poor or non-existent to keep the tower running without any need for servicing or refueling for as long as half a year.

Milvus Robotics

Milvus Robotics was founded in 2011 in Turkey. It has mobile robots for disinfection and research, but the company is focused primarily on autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for intralogistics. Apart from robotic hardware, they also provide a proprietary software platform for fleet management, and a wide range of on-top attachments that can be installed on the mobile robot for different tasks. Milvus now is active in some countries in North America, EMEA and Asia, and has 20 solution partners in these regions. Now the company employs over 50 people.

CorPower to Begin 'Ironman Tests' Ahead of Ocean Deployment

CorPower Ocean's first commercial scale Wave Energy Converter is set to undergo an intensive 'Ironman Test' proving performance and reliable operation ahead of ocean deployment.

Wave Energy Developer INGINE Reveals Growth Plan for 2022

South Korean wave energy developer INGINE is revealing ambitious growth plans for 2022, plotting further global expansion and new projects to accelerate commercialisation.

Coval Energy

Coval Energy is a Dutch clean-tech startup using carbon dioxide as a feedstock to produce sustainable fuels, chemicals, and proteins through electrolysis and fermentation. In January 2022, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Hydra Rodrigues spoke with Frank Schreurs, co-founder and business development manager at Coval Energy.

First Subsidy-Free Floating-PV System in Germany Shows Potential

In the coming weeks, BayWa r.e. will implement what is currently one of the largest Floating-PV plants in Germany for the family-owned company Quarzwerke GmbH, specialists in the extraction, processing and refining of industrial minerals, at their site in the city of Haltern am See.