Sensors

Researchers have taken a major step forward in the development of sensitive electronic skin with integrated artificial hairs. E-skins are flexible electronic systems that try to mimic the sensitivity of their natural human skin counterparts. Applications range from skin replacement and medical sensors on the body to artificial skin for humanoid robots and androids.

The general public in Beijing, China, will be able to experience driverless robotaxis for the first time. Two robotaxi operators have been awarded a permit by Beijing city authorities to offer driverless services in southeastern Beijing. To ensure safety during this pilot program, a safety supervisor will sit in the front passenger seat.

Tess Skyrme, Analyst at IDTechEx, interviewed Dr Richard Lee, CCO, and Tom Barlow, Business Development Manager, to get an update from early-stage company, Advanced Material Development, specifically on their innovations in 2D nano-materials, with applications including gas sensing, electronics, composites, photonics, and anti-counterfeiting.

IEE is a major manufacturer of printed pressure sensors. At LOPEC 2022, the company demonstrated its smart footwear sensing solutions, which enable athletes or rehab patients to monitor their gait.

As electronics being increasingly ubiquitous, there is a clear trend toward greater integration. Rather than simply making space for a rigid 2D circuit board (PCB) within the product, electronic functionality will be either mounted conformally onto surfaces or incorporated within the structural materials.

Semiconducting nanomaterials with 3D network structures have high surface areas and lots of pores that make them excellent for applications involving adsorbing, separating, and sensing. However, simultaneously controlling the electrical properties and creating useful micro- and macro-scale structures, while achieving excellent functionality and end-use versatility, remains challenging.

Tess Skyrme, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, interviewed John Saffell, Chairman of the Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring (COGDEM). This profile outlines members within COGDEM alongside some of John's personal insights.

Advanced Realtime Tracking (ART) offers image identification and object tracking software and devices to facilitate manufacturing processes, including via augmented reality. IDTechEx discussed a demonstration of the latest capabilities at the Laval Virtual 2022 Conference.

The service robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and maybe set to help alleviate some of the labor issues across multiple industries.

This premium article looks into ADAS Sensors 2022, held virtually from 12th-14th April 2022. The event this year was heavily focused on radar and LiDAR, two key sensors for ADAS technologies and both with lots of recent innovation and progress. This premium article will cover presentations from a selection of both radar and LiDAR start-ups, with key points from additional keynote speeches and presentations.

Researchers have successfully designed a new type of artificial vision device that incorporates a novel vertical stacking architecture and allows for greater depth of color recognition and scalability on a micro-level.

Inkron is a Nagase Group company which develops and manufactures siloxane resins and formulations, primarily for optical devices and packaging. It also produces materials for printed electronics and provides a growing range of OEM services. Inkron has considerable expertise in materials for wafer-level optics, such as the nanoimprint lithography resin required for many optical waveguides. Inkron provides wafer-level optics process development, process optimization, and piloting services. The company is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.

Natufia is a Saudi Arabia-based company providing customers with turnkey solutions to smart indoor gardening, having been founded in 2014 by Gregory Lu. IDTechEx analyst Brendan Beh spoke with Natufia's Marketing Director, Anastassia Taylor, on 14th April 2022.

Visometry develop and offer object tracking and image identification software, primarily for industrial quality control applications. IDTechEx caught up with the company at the Laval Virtual 2022 Conference.

Never before has point-of-care testing been so crucial to healthcare systems. In the last 2 years, COVID-19 has caused the point-of-care biosensors industry to expand by almost 300%. A recent IDTechEx report explains the drivers causing the shift from conventional laboratory-based diagnostics toward point-of-care diagnostics performed directly at hospitals, clinics, offices, and at home.

As the population ages and with the advancements in medical technology, the number of patients using implanted electronic devices, such as artificial pacemakers and defibrillators, is increasing worldwide. Currently, the batteries of body-implanted devices are replaced by an incision surgery, which may lead to health complications. Accordingly, a new charging technique by wireless energy transfer is emerging that can also be used to charge the batteries of underwater devices, such as sensors, that are used for monitoring the conditions of submarine cables.

SenseGlove produces gloves for AR/VR applications that enable both motion capture and haptic feedback. IDTechEx caught up with the company at the Laval Virtual 2022 conference to see the product in action.

4Dviews is an early-stage company that designs and sells physical studios for generating 3D video footage, enabling the typical avatar in virtual 3D space to be replaced with an accurate 3D image. IDTechEx caught up with 4D views at the Laval Virtual conference in 2022.

Xsens is a well established company that offers motion capture capabilities by placing inertial measurement units (IMUs) at multiple locations across the body. Applications include animation, ergonomics testing, and AR/VR. IDTechEx caught up with Xsens at the Laval Virtual 2022 conference.

An estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely every year, posing a significant risk to both maternal and neonatal health. The EU funded WISH project promotes a novel tool for monitoring the risk of preterm labour at home.