IDTechEx

Carbon nanotubes for flexible, fingertip-wearable terahertz imagers

Researchers have developed flexible terahertz imagers based on chemically "tunable" carbon nanotube materials. The findings expand the scope of terahertz applications to include wrap-around, wearable technologies as well as large-area photonic devices.

Plans to 3D print cars

WE Solutions Ltd in Hong Kong has announced plans to 3D print electric vehicles in Shanghai for taxi and ride-hailing services in China.

Supercapacitors Exceed the Energy Density of Batteries

Some supercapacitors will become smart materials and be sold as feedstock by value added material companies such as Dow DuPont and Nitto Denko. Which companies and when is as yet uncertain. This is part of the emerging big picture for supercapacitors that will make even their materials a multi- billion dollar business.

Vartega

Company Description Vartega is a recycler of high-value composite material. COO Alice Havill spoke with IDTechEx technology analyst Dr Richard Collins.

Automatica 2018 Update

IDTechEx recently visited Automatica 2018 in Munich. This is the largest biannual automation event in Europe. At this show IDTechEx focused on three trends: collaborative robotic arms, mobile robots, and various associated sensors. In this article, we provide a review of various company highlights.

3D Bioprinting - An Update from Q2 2018

The past 3 months has been busy for 3D bioprinting companies, with numerous publications emerging from academia and announcements from industry. This article will highlight the advancements made in 3D bioprinting in the last 3 months since the publication of the 2018 update of IDTechEx's market research report on the topic: 3D Bioprinting 2018 - 2028: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts.

Uber urges drivers to go electric

Studies have found that when shared and electric mobility are properly combined, along with automation, we can shrink the number of vehicles on the road and reduce transportation's climate footprint. That's why Uber has launched the EV Champions Initiative, a pilot program for driver-partners to deliver at least 5 million EV rides over the next year.

Batwind - the world's first battery for offshore wind

With Batwind in operation, it will for the first time be possible to store energy produced from an offshore wind farm. Electricity produced at the world's first floating offshore wind farm Hywind Scotland, located 25 kilometers off the coast of Peterhead, will be transported via cables to an onshore substation where the 1 MW batteries are placed and connected to the grid.

The future of grocery shopping

A new partnership to redefine the grocery customer experience for Americans by piloting an on-road, fully autonomous delivery experience.

Magnetic 3-D-printed structures crawl, roll, jump, and play catch

New printing technique could be used to develop remotely controlled biomedical devices.

Green Running

Green Running are a London based SME working on data analytics and management software for domestic energy consumption. They have created a home energy monitoring system that uses non-intrusive load monitoring to disaggregate energy consumption at an appliance level. With this capability, they have developed a blockchain platform to enable peer-to-peer energy trading for residential microgrids. IDTechEx spoke with Bill Goldie, Green Running's Business Development Manager in June 2018.

Autonomous vehicles in mining - IDTechEx separates hype from reality

Autonomous haul trucks in mining are here to stay with companies ramping up the roll out of retrofit fleets around the world, but what does this mean in the wider context of next generation mining equipment, with many projects from digital twin IoT solutions to predictive maintenance of equipment showing promise in the adoption of emerging technology. Separating the hype from reality is key in mining, an industry often risk averse to standalone investments and where standards and interoperability challenges typically need be addressed ahead of technology adoption.

Flexible blue vertical micro LEDs

Researchers have developed a low cost production technology for thin-film blue flexible vertical micro LEDs.

Energy harvesting in low to moderate sea states

Real time sensor data and proprietary, predictive algorithms are used by the PowerBuoy's control system to maximize the net power generated in low to moderate sea states. The control technique is fast enough to be applied to the timescale of a single passing wave.

CRISPR reduces autism symptoms in mice

Scientists have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to lessen some autism symptoms in mice with a form of fragile X syndrome, the most common known single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorder.

Strategic development agreement for transparent solar glass

AGC and Ubiquitous Energy announce strategic development agreement for transparent solar glass. AGC the world's largest producer of flat glass, has entered into a strategic development agreement with Ubiquitous Energy, the leader in transparent solar technology. The collaboration will focus on the development of Ubiquitous Energy's transparent and color neutral solar coating to create windows that produce electricity.

Zero Genset: $100 Billion Opportunity

As society and equipment become more mobile and remote from grids, diesel and gas gensets will be bought in larger numbers for a few years yet - possibly peaking at around $30 billion global market size when over 600GW will be deployed. The Zero Genset market will rise to at least $100 billion if it replaces significant grid power.

Siemens and Solarkiosk join forces to power Africa

Both companies agree to join forces to enhance local businesses powered by SOLARKIOSK's clean energy in non-electrified parts of rural Africa.

Humanoid robots help out at HSBC

HSBC Bank and SoftBank Robotics America have partnered to bring Pepper, the engaging, social humanoid robot, to HSBC's bank branches.

Organic crystals twist, bend, and heal

Crystals are brittle and inelastic? A novel class of smart, bendable crystalline organic materials has challenged this view. Now, scientists have engineered a molecular soft cocrystalline structure that bends and twists reversibly and without disintegration when stimulated by high temperature, mechanical force, or under UV light.