IDTechEx

Testing the potential of solar batteries

Sharp Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation to commence public road trials from late July 2019. The trials aim to assess the effectiveness of improvements in cruising range and fuel efficiency of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries.

Soft robots for all

Each year, soft robots gain new abilities. They've learned to jump, squirm, and grip. And, unlike hard robots, they can handle tomatoes without bruising the fruit, resurface unscathed after being run over by a car, and journey through radiation, disaster zones, and outer-space with few scars. For people and animals, they have a "cooperative function": a soft touch.

Electric vehicle patent analysis - June 2019

Detailed analysis of the patent landscape related to electric vehicles; summary of 2018 regional sales.

Toppan Forms - Temperature sensing skin patch

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

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.

First truly autonomous aircraft landing

Researchers have now demonstrated a completely automatic landing with vision assisted navigation that functions properly without the need for ground-based systems.

Low-cost method to create thin film electrodes for supercapacitors

Researchers have developed a new and inexpensive method to fabricate thin film electrode materials for supercapacitors that produce higher power at a lower cost.

3D printing with a wood-based ink

Researchers have succeeded in 3D printing with a wood-based ink in a way that mimics the unique 'ultrastructure' of wood. Their research could revolutionise the manufacturing of green products.

Applying pressure generates more electricity from waste heat

Researchers have been able to enhance the power factor of a promising thermoelectric material by more than 100% by varying the pressure, paving the way for new materials with improved thermoelectric properties.

Neurotechnology holds promise for chronic stroke patients

Personalized neurotechnology-aided rehabilitation of the arm could improve recovery in severe chronic stroke patients.

Mobile motor could lead robots to assembling other robots

A set of five tiny fundamental parts can be assembled into a wide variety of functional devices, including a tiny "walking" motor that can move back and forth across a surface or turn the gears of a machine.

Garment that communicates via vibrations

Imagine not seeing anything nor hearing anything. Such communication obstacles affect all aspects of life. Many people with deafblindness communicate via tactile signing and also haptic signals (touch and movement) on the body. Now, researchers are working to digitise and integrate this into a garment.

IDTechEx Launches New Healthcare Sensor Innovations Conference

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.

Branching out: Making graphene from gum trees

Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to humans. It's also flexible, transparent and conducts heat and electricity 10 times better than copper, making it ideal for anything from flexible nanoelectronics to better fuel cells.

Solar mini-grid distribution in Nigeria

Arnergy's distributed renewable energy systems harness the combination of solar power, superior storage solutions and proprietary remote management technologies to deliver scalable, reliable and affordable energy solutions that are tailored to tackle issues related to intermittency and grid unreliability.

Six "firsts" in electroceutical approvals of 2019

IDTechEx has been following the field of bioelectronic medicine over the past year and have identified several fast-growing areas, including peripheral nerve stimulation, which is forecast to grow at 35% CARG for 2019 - 2029. Several firsts in regulatory approvals and clearances of bioelectronic medicine devices over the first half of 2019 mark important initial steps in growing the market and increasing the number of patients being treated by these technologies. Please refer to the IDTechEx market research report "Bioelectronic Medicine 2019-2029" for more information.

Steel powder developed for additive manufacturing

A steel powder has been developed for additive manufacturing which decisively simplifies the production of complex components. In a spin-off funding programme, work is now being done on market maturity.

Volkswagen takes over leading position for electro-mobility in China

Volkswagen is striving for the lead in transforming the auto industry towards electric mobility in China. Volkswagen intends to offer 14 electrified models to Chinese customers this year. By 2028, more than half of the Group's planned 22 million electric cars will be produced in China.

People with mobility issues set to benefit from wearable devices

The lives of thousands of people with mobility issues could be transformed thanks to ground-breaking research by scientists. The FREEHAB project will develop soft, wearable rehabilitative devices with a view to helping elderly and disabled people walk and move from sitting to a standing position in comfort and safety.

Robot arm tastes with engineered bacteria

A robotic gripping arm that uses engineered bacteria to "taste" for a specific chemical has been developed by engineers. The gripper is a proof-of-concept for biologically-based soft robotics.