Sensors

Fujitsu have developed lidar technology.

Analog Photonics are developing a lidar module, and are a spin out from MIT (USA).

Over the past decade, a major trend in electronics has been the development of sensors, displays and smart devices which are seamlessly integrated onto the human body. Most of these wearable devices are singularly connected to a user's smart phone and transmit all data via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals. But as consumers wear increasing numbers of wearable devices, and as the data they transmit increases in sophistication, more innovative connection methods are being sought after.

This article provides an analysis of lidar and 3D sensor technologies for applications in machine autonomy, which includes advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Insights from interviews IDTechEx recently conducted with lidar players are also included.

On the 11th of June 2019 IDTechEx attended the Startup Exhibition at the 7th EcoMotion Main Event in Tel Aviv Israel. There is increasing global recognition of the huge potential of Israeli mobility-tech startups, with Tel Aviv now recognised as one of the world's top tech hubs. The following deck contains a brief profile for each of the exciting companies we spoke to at the event. Companies interviewed include: Arbe, AdaSky, Foresight, OPSYS, Newsight Imaging, VAYAVISION, Cartica, Ottopia, Phantom Auto, AutoTalks, Tactile Mobility, Argus Cyber Security, Regulus, and Cognata.

IDTechEx visited Toppan Forms at their headquarters in Tokyo. They described their recent development of a temperature sensing skin patch for monitoring temperature changes during ovulation in women, supporting women's health management.

Fukuda Denshi are a $1.2bn medical devices company based in Japan. They have developed a skin patch for cardiac monitoring, focusing on the detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the period after a heart failure event. IDTechEx interviewed Shoei Kimoto, Hiroma Kobayashi and Tsukasa Toma at their site in Tokyo.

Healthcare Sensor Innovations 2019 is a conference and exhibition focusing on the technologies and applications of medical wearables and sensors. Curated by IDTechEx analysts, the two-day conference will consist of over 30 speakers from companies developing or utilising wearables and sensors in healthcare.

IDTechEx interviewed Cédrick Chappaz, CEO of hap2U. IDTechEx previously interviewed Cédrick at CES 2017. Two and a half years later, the company has 23 people and recently secured a €4m investment from Daimler. This profile describes their latest technology development and commercial progress.

Today microcontrollers can be found in almost any technical device, from washing machines to blood pressure meters and wearables. Researchers have developed AIfES, an artificial intelligence concept for microcontrollers and sensors that contains a completely configurable artificial neural network.

IDTechEx interviewed Antti Backman, CEO of Delektre. The company is involved in the printed and flexible electronics market, including a ring product using flexible, organic electronics to create a non-invasive optical sensing technique for a variety of physiological parameters. They are also involved in custom cabling solutions via sister company, New Cable Corporation.

Created with BeBop Sensors SmartFabric Sensors, the K-Board Pro 4 is a four-octave MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) MIDI keyboard controller based on the traditional keyboard layout, but with multiple dimensions of touch sensitivity in each key.

Wearing a sensor-packed glove while handling a variety of objects, researchers have compiled a massive dataset that enables an AI system to recognize objects through touch alone. The information could be leveraged to help robots identify and manipulate objects, and may aid in prosthetics design.

NuWave Sensors develops a range of smart contamination and air quality sensors designed to continuously monitor airborne contaminants where the stability of air quality is essential and rapid diagnosis of contamination events are crucial.

Ultrahaptics announced the acquisition of Leap Motion on May 30th 2019, for a reported $30m. This brings Leap Motion's prominent and popular hand tracking technique alongside Ultrahaptics' contactless haptic feedback technique. The two technologies have inherent synergy, with the haptic feedback systems capable of being configured based on hand tracking for the user.

Lunative, the multi award-winning German forerunner in "Smart Light Wear Technology" for textile and fashion products provides OEMs and B2B partners in textile, functional wear and fashion industry ready-made and customized solutions - suitable for a huge range of smart clothes, e-textiles and new textile-based smart applications.

The MedTech Forum 2019 took place on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th May 2019 in Paris, France. It was preceded on Tuesday 14th May 2019 by the fifth annual Start-Up Innovantes du Dispositif Medical event, which enables French MedTech start-ups to showcase their technology. This report was compiled by IDTechEx analysts Ivan De Backer and James Hayward who both attended the events.

BeBop Sensors has won Red Herring's Top 100 North America 2019 Award. BeBop Sensors uses smart fabrics to create elegant sensor solutions for OEMs. BeBop's sensors comprehend force, location, size, weight, bend, twist, and presence across any size, resolution, and geometry.

Sony manufacture a variety of semiconductor devices including laser diodes and CMOS image sensors

Ultrasound sensors are commonly used in obstacle avoidance in robots and drones. In this article, IDTechEx provide a brief introduction to this sensing technology.