Sensors

The creation of high-resolution extrusion printing—think 3D printing but with ink that conducts electricity—has enabled researchers to explore the potential of wearable human motion devices.

Solar panels and wind turbines, now projected to produce 44% of America's electricity by 2050, present cybersecurity challenges. They have sensors, controllers, actuators or inverters that are directly or indirectly connected to the internet. They're distributed far and wide across the country and the countryside. Many have insecure connectivity to legacy electric grid systems. They have complex physics. They're subject to advanced persistent threats. And there will be more and more of them going online.

Imagine a more sustainable future, where cellphones, smartwatches, and other wearable devices don't have to be shelved or discarded for a newer model. Instead, they could be upgraded with the latest sensors and processors that would snap onto a device's internal chip — like LEGO bricks incorporated into an existing build. Such reconfigurable chipware could keep devices up to date while reducing our electronic waste.

Following two years of design, construction and AI model training, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship was officially launched in September 2020. With no human captain or onboard crew, this is the first self-directed autonomous ship with technology that is scalable and extendible to traverse the Atlantic Ocean.

Researchers have developed a tiny sensor for detecting pesticides on fruit in just a few minutes. The technique uses flame-sprayed nanoparticles made from silver to increase the signal of chemicals. While still at an early stage, the researchers hope these nano-sensors could help uncover food pesticides before consumption.

Wearable sensors — an important tool for health monitoring and for training artificial intelligence — can be waterproof or can measure more than one stimuli, but combining these factors while maintaining a high level of precision in the measurements is difficult.

Thursday 23 June 2022 - Mass-digitization trend is predicted to cause the gas sensor market to surpass $8 billion by 2032. The gas sensor market is a complex combination of multiple technologies and applications - and understanding where true opportunities for commercial success exist is challenging.

This premium article introduces blood pressure and explores the technology trends and market outlook in wearable blood pressure, in particular focusing on the incumbent technology, the key players, and the role of wearable blood pressure in disrupting big-brand dominance.

Tess Skyrme, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, interviewed Joe Holdsworth, Founder of Metis Engineering, about its latest sensor for electric vehicle battery monitoring.

As paint thinner, ink and adhesives dry, they can release volatile organic compounds, which can negatively impact health. Typically, one of those VOCs is xylene, which exists as three isomers with the same elements but slightly different arrangements. Because the isomers are so similar, they're hard to monitor separately. Now, researchers have developed an electric nose with porous metal-organic framework films that can accurately distinguish xylene isomer mixtures.

Air quality concerns are on the rise globally, with urban pollution the dominant cause. However, radon accumulation and unpleasant aromas are often bigger problems in rural locations, creating opportunities for gas sensors that offer continuous monitoring and even odor categorization.

IDTechEx outlines two of the most exciting applications in the service robotics world and analyzes the key technological highlights.

Smooth & Sharp manufactures smart cards (typically contactless versions) and RFID products.

Studies have linked chronic lack of sleep to physical ailments, such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as mental health issues. Those interested in getting a better handle on what's happening to them at night have two primary options. They can take a sleep test conducted in a medical facility, or they can use an app through a smartphone or smart watch — a much more convenient, but less accurate choice. Recognizing the need, many groups have begun developing new sleep monitoring systems using triboelectric nanogenerators.

Bruker Alicona is an optical solution provider with its featured technology called Focus-Variation.

IDTechEx has recently released "Vertical Farming: 2022-2032", a market research report exploring the technology and market factors of the vertical farming industry, which has attracted much attention from investors over recent years. The vertical farming industry raised over $1 billion in funding in 2021, a record high that exceeded the combined funding generated in 2018 and 2019.

Tess Skyrme, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, interviewed the President and General Manager of Biosency, Marie Pirotais and Yann Le Guillou. Biosency is a company developing wearable solutions and a remote patient monitoring platform.

A new laser-welding 'robotic snake' developed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority has demonstrated its capability to operate inside of fusion energy powerplant pipework and is now patented technology.

AIRSKIN is an Austria-based company specializing in pressure-sensor-based skin pads for collision detection.

Last summer, Northwestern University researchers introduced the first-ever transient pacemaker — a fully implantable, wireless device that harmlessly dissolves in the body after it's no longer needed. Now, they unveil a new, smart version that is integrated into a coordinated network of soft, flexible, wireless, wearable sensors and control units placed around the upper body.