Picture a flexible circuit board (FPCB) and you will almost inevitably visualise a sheet of orange/brown plastic, probably with a few copper traces and maybe some soldered components on it. This plastic is PI (polyimide/Kapton), and its ubiquity is primarily due to its temperature resistance and general durability.

A recent article by IDTechEx Principal Analyst, James Hayward, written on the need to update e-textiles' traditional mantra which implies that "technology + comfort = success".

5G is considered as one of the largest market opportunities in the coming years, with large scale roll-out of infrastructures and rapid adoption of 5G devices and services. 5G will not only accelerate the growth and expansion of telecom; it will also redefine and accelerate industries such as automotive, entertainment, computing, and manufacturing.

Asked to picture a printed sensor, you might well imagine a paper test strip for measuring blood glucose concentration. After all, such test strips comprise the majority of the printed sensor market, with billions used each year by diabetics around the world. However, this ubiquitous application masks a highly complex, fragmented and in some cases rapidly growing market that spans applications ranging from image sensing to wearable electrodes.

Materials Informatics is the key to enabling a paradigm shift in our approach to materials science R&D. Significant investment, notable adoption from key end-users, and technology leaps make it evident that it's time has come. Through primary-interview based analysis, IDTechEx has introduced the most comprehensive market report on the topic: "Materials Informatics 2020-2030".

IDTechEx, host of the world's largest event series on Printed & Flexible Electronics, broadcast this virtual event last week featuring Coca-Cola, Swarovski, Electrolux, Neotech AMT, Ynvisible, Roartis and IDTechEx. Watch on-demand.

In this webinar, presented by IDTechEx Principal Analyst Dr Xiaoxi He, will give an introduction of micro-LED displays and things you should know about them. We will talk about 2-3 technologies involved in micro-LED fabrication with more details.

Flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) promises to combine the functionality of conventional rigid electronics with the flexibility of printed electronics. A prototypical FHE circuit, in which an integrated circuit is combined with multiple other elements, includes (for example) printed sensors, an antenna, a thin film battery and even thin film PV. Not all components need to be included, or even printed, for a circuit to count as FHE, but it must include as a minimum both printed and placed functionality.

An important new trend is buying electrics and electronics you customise to function not just shape. See the new IDTechEx report, "Complete Electronics as Smart Material, User-Customized 2020-2040". Builders, textile manufacturers, those doing home improvement and others are starting to buy electrically-smart materials direct from materials companies, bypassing the electronics industry.

Join the free virtual conference from IDTechEx covering opportunities with printed electronics on 27 May. Additional speakers include Neotech AMT, Roartis and Ynvisible. Join over 1,000 registered attendees.

MicroLED, believed by many as the next generation display technology, has been pursued by players from LED, display, OEM, materials and so on.

Expect more healthcare wearables that power themselves, many even managing with no battery. The IDTechEx report, "Energy Harvesting for Electronic Devices 2020-2040" covers this and more.

Market and technology insights covering Radar and LIDAR. Progress, capabilities and outlook are discussed in this Q and A session.

Hear from Coca-Cola, Swarovski, Electrolux, Roartis and Neotech AMT at this new free-to-attend online conference from IDTechEx, hosts of the world's largest event series on Printed & Flexible Electronics.

This webinar shares some of the research for the new IDTechEx report, "Energy Harvesting for Electronic Devices 2020-2040". It comes at just the right time. The world's first self-powered smart watches have just arrived. They are not full-function but we are getting there. That billion a year harvester potential will be followed by similar numbers of Internet of Things nodes. Learn other big prizes making several of the world's largest companies research energy harvesting.

When some full-function, always-on smartwatches are able to self-charge, the others will look like the horse-drawn cart. When Internet of Things nodes are self-charging at the right size and price, the market for them will increase one thousand times.

Digital water technologies will innovate and drive forward new solutions in the water and wastewater industries. The new IDTechEx report, "Digital Water Networks 2020-2030", discusses the players, technologies, and market opportunities for this exciting new technology area.

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) is a novel approach to electronic circuit manufacturing that aims to combine the best of printed and conventional electronics.

While traditional electronic systems have an inherently rigid form factor, developments in manufacturing processes and materials are enabling a new world of flexible electronics. IDTechEx forecasts the market for healthcare products containing flexible electronics to be worth over $8.3 billion by the year 2030.

From mobile phones, TVs, to cars and public screens, displays have become an important component in our daily life to convey information. There is an emerging display type — micro-LED display, that has the potential to become the next-generation mainstream, with its ability to be fabricated from tiny to huge sizes.