IDTechEx

Chameleon-inspired soft robot can interact with environment

A novel structural color soft robot with both color-changing and locomotion capabilities has been developed by a research team.

Neural networks will help manufacture carbon nanotubes

Thin films made of carbon nanotubes hold a lot of promise for advanced optoelectronics, energy and medicine, however with their manufacturing process subject to close supervision and stringent standardization requirements, they are unlikely to become ubiquitous anytime soon.

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields activate immune cells

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields produce strong electrical effects by focusing a high powered electrical pulse over a very short period of time. They are attracting attention as a method of physically stimulating matter in various fields, particularly in the life sciences.

Dominion Energy announces battery storage pilot projects

The four utility-scale battery storage pilot projects totaling 16 megawatts are the largest projects of their kind in Virginia. The projects were filed with the State Corporation Commission for approval Friday and are enabled by the Grid Transformation & Security Act of 2018, which allows Dominion Energy to invest in up to 30 megawatts of battery storage pilot projects.

'Sniff-cam' to detect disease

Having bad breath can mean someone ate a smelly lunch, but it could indicate that the person is sick. Various scent compounds have been linked to illnesses such as diabetes, lung cancer and Parkinson's disease, leading scientists to develop technology that measures these substances. However, the challenge is creating instrumentation that can detect low, diagnostic levels of these disease biomarkers.

Smartlife

Early in 2019, investors at Smartlife took the company into administration at short notice. IDTechEx reports on the news since this time.

End User Presentations at World's Largest Event on Printed Electronics

On November 20th and 21st, the 16th annual Printed Electronics USA event will take place in Santa Clara, California - the heart of silicon valley. Record bookings to date include 178 exhibiting companies, hailing from 25 countries, and a total of 250 speakers. The event is expected to exceed 3,500 attendees. Attendees registering by August 16, 2019 can save 30%.

Magic Leap - Health and Fitness Business Unit

IDTechEx interviewed Jennifer Esposito, Vice President and General Manager of the Health and Fitness Business Unit at Magic Leap. We discussed their efforts and objectives in the healthcare space.

SAFI-Tech's No-Heat SAC305 Receives Investment

The electronics manufacturing world has long been searching for a low-heat or no-heat solder solution. Advanced electronics designs with lightweight flexible substrates or sensitive miniaturized components require a dramatic reduction in processing heat while still meeting high operating temperature requirements.

30 Solaris Urbino electric buses for Italy

The Solaris Bus & Coach company has won another zero-emission order for Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses in Italy. Following the agreement recently signed with ATM Milan, in line with which up to 250 vehicles of this type will be delivered in Milan, the Polish manufacturer has received an order from the transport operator ACTV SPA Venezia for 30 urban electric 12 electric buses and infrastructure for battery charging. The total value of the contract acquired exceeds 20 million euros.

Used car batteries could power farms in the developing world

As part of a Circular Economy for electric vehicle battery systems, as the number of such vehicles increases rapidly, the need to find the best way to reuse and recycle vehicle batteries becomes just as intense.

Centimeter-long snail robot is powered with light

Researchers used liquid crystal elastomer technology to demonstrate a bio-inspired microrobot capable of mimicking the adhesive locomotion of snails and slugs in natural scale. The 10-millimeter long soft robot harvests energy from a laser beam and can crawl on horizontal surfaces, climb vertical walls and an upside-down glass ceiling.

Wearable motion sensors could save unborn babies

The thump, thump of a baby's heartbeat is a milestone in any pregnancy. Now, researchers have developed a technique that could allow expectant parents to hear their baby's heartbeat continuously at home with a non-invasive and safe device that is potentially more accurate than any fetal heartrate monitor currently available in the market.

Noninvasive neuromodulation to treat obesity

Novel approaches that have been tested to treat obesity include noninvasive neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation. Studies performed to date have suggested that this method does in fact help reduce appetite, food intake and body weight, but only in some subjects.

Torqeedo (2019)

Torqeedo is the market leader for electric propulsion in leisure boating and is now diversifying to small commercial vessels.

New perovskite material shows promise alternative silicon

Silicon dominates solar energy products -- it is stable, cheap, and efficient at turning sunlight into electricity. Any new material taking on silicon must compete, and win, on those grounds. As a result of an international research collaboration have found a stable material that efficiently creates electricity - which could challenge silicon hegemony.

Clothing lets users turn on electronics while turning away bacteria

A new addition to your wardrobe may soon help you turn on the lights and music - while also keeping you fresh, dry, fashionable, clean and safe from the latest virus that's going around.

Soft robots controlled with lights and magnets

Newly published research shows the possibility of controlling soft robots with light and magnetic fields, with the new technique to likely be applied to the biomedical and aerospace fields.

Largest solar generation plus storage project in the Caribbean

The largest solar generation plus energy storage project ever to be built in the Caribbean has been announced by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. The 35.6 MW solar energy plant and 44.2 MWh battery storage facility will be built on government provided land in the Basseterre Valley, adjacent to the City of Basseterre and the current SKELEC PowerStation on the island of St. Kitts.

Personal digital devices identify mild cognitive impairment

Initial results from a feasibility study conducted by Eli Lilly and Company, Evidation Health and Apple Inc showed that an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and the Beddit sleep monitoring device, in combination with digital apps may be able to differentiate people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease dementia.