2022
17 Mar 2022
Supply Chain Provenance, Emissions Traceability for Lithium Refinery
Circulor announces a comprehensive partnership with Rock Tech Lithium and Fraunhofer UMSICHT to ensure the production of German-made lithium hydroxide with the lowest possible environmental impact.16 Mar 2022
OQmented
OQmented are a fabless developer of laser beam scanning (LBS) systems, focusing on displays for augmented reality (AR) devices and 3D sensing for consumer electronics. The Fraunhofer ISIT spinout use hermetically sealed MEMS mirror systems and Lissajous scanning to increase device performance. The company, based in Itzehoe, Germany, are in the process of spinning out their automotive LIDAR operations.9 Mar 2022
Tactotek
Sustainability is a challenge for in-mold electronics (IME) due to the integrated nature of the components. This profile reviews a recent Tactotek webinar discussing sustainability for IME, which included a new life cycle analysis.8 Mar 2022
World Record Solar Cell Goes From Lab to Industry
While the solar research community has witnessed even higher perovskite-tandem cell efficiencies, these records have been achieved using lab technology that is not directly transferrable into mass production. The achievement of Q CELLS and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is noteworthy principally because the 28.7% efficiency was reached using an industry feasible and cost-efficient bottom cell structure.1 Mar 2022
In the Future Your Entire Car Could Be a Radar Antenna, Says IDTechEx
Radar miniaturization is one of the key trends that IDTechEx has identified in "Automotive Radar 2022-2042". There are several factors that are contributing towards this, such as moving from 24GHz to 77GHz which shrinks the antenna size. Or, transitioning from SiGe-BiCMOS based transceivers to Si-CMOS ones, which reduces the number of discrete computational components and shrinks the circuit board. So, with the size continuing to come down, IDTechEx asks, how small can it get?23 Feb 2022
Flexible OLED for Homogeneous Light in the Operating Room
The glare-free, homogeneous light of large-area organic light-emitting diodes is perceived as very pleasant and offers many advantages for product design. In the recently completed LAOLA project, OLEDs were therefore developed as planar lighting for a wide range of applications on flexible substrates.
7 Feb 2022
Traffic Flow Assisted with AI Controlled Traffic Lights
Researchers are using artificial intelligence for smart traffic light control. In the future, self-learning algorithms combined with new sensors should ensure better traffic flow and shorter waiting times, while providing improved safety for pedestrians at crossings.6 Jan 2022
Modular Facade Supplies Buildings with Renewable Energy
The rate of renovation in the building sector is still too low to achieve the energy transition by the target date set by the German federal government. However, increased use of prefabricated components can help accelerate this process. Researchers are developing a facade module that integrates the technical building equipment and supplies it with renewable energy to heat, cool and ventilate the adjoining rooms.
5 Jan 2022
Mercedes-Benz Taking Electric Range and Efficiency to a New Level
Range and efficiency are set to define the electric era. Exceptional range will make electric cars suitable for every journey and help to increase overall adoption. Reduced battery size and weight will improve efficiency and Mercedes-Benz engineers are working to take range and efficiency to a new level.2021
7 Dec 2021
3D Printing of Prosthetic Eyes
Not only is a 3D-printed prosthetic eye produced in a fraction of the time taken by the conventional process, but the resulting prosthesis also looks more realistic. This is made possible by the algorithms of Cuttlefish:Eye, a software solution from the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD.
24 Nov 2021
Fighting Blood Diseases with Artificial Intelligence
Every day, cytologists around the world use optical microscopes to analyze and classify samples of bone marrow cells thousands of times. This method to diagnose blood diseases was established more than 150 years ago, but it suffers from being very complex. Looking for rare but diagnostically important cells is both a laborious and time-consuming task. Artificial intelligence has the potential to boost this method - however it needs a large amount of high-quality data to train an AI algorithm.19 Oct 2021
Fraunhofer IAP
IDTechEx spoke to Dr Yohan Kim, a Research Engineer at Fraunhofer IAP, at the TechBlick virtual conference on printed/flexible electronics in October 2021. The discussion centred around Dr Kim's research area, quantum dots.
8 Oct 2021
AlixLabs
8 Sep 2021
21.4% Record Efficiency for Flexible Solar Cells
A new efficiency record of 21.4% for flexible CIGS solar cell on polymer film has been achieved. Solar cells of this type are especially suited for applications on roofs, transport vehicles or mobile devices.7 Sep 2021
6G Communications Curious Progress
6G Communications promises between ten to one hundred times the download speed for operating unpowered devices, remote holographic surgery and much more, but it will depend on how high a frequency is chosen and how much infrastructure investment is made.6 Sep 2021
Artificial Intelligence Detects What The Driver is Doing
Is the driver tired or even asleep? Cameras in the vehicle's interior can already monitor this. Especially in the case of automated driving, interior cameras are important and prescribed by law. A new system developed is the world's first to be able to use image data to draw conclusions about the driver's activity and analyze how quickly they would be able to take control of the vehicle.
3 Sep 2021
Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics Deliver 30 Percent More Power
A flexible standard solar module for vehicle integration. SolFlex is based on crystalline solar cells and achieves around 30% more power per square meter than current flexible modules that use thin-film technology.27 Aug 2021
Customised Wound Dressings Made From Tropoelastin
Customized, biomedically applicable materials based on tropoelastin are being developed in a joint project. The material combines biocompatibility, durability, biodegradability and favorable mechanical properties similar to those of skin. Preclinical tests have confirmed that it is suitable for use as a wound dressing material used in the treatment of chronic and complex wounds.
12 Aug 2021
Fraunhofer IEM
Fraunhofer IEM are a government funded research center. At a webinar organized by the 3D-MID research association it discussed developments in 3D printed molded interconnect devices to make machine-specific Industry 4.0 sensors.6 Aug 2021
Ambiotex
IDTechEx interviewed Maximilian Weitzel, Data Scientist at Ambiotex. We discussed their latest progress commercialising their smart clothing platform with related software and apps within various market verticals, including recent moves towards approval as a medical device.