In nearly every sector the progression away from "dumb" structural materials is evident. The added functionality can take numerous forms, but one of the most promising is embedding or conformally applying sensors to monitor the structural health of a part in situ. Transportation stands to be one of the key sectors adopting this and for the first time the IDTechEx Show! (Nov 14-15 2018 Santa Clara, USA) will be hosting a conference session dedicated to this topic.
There are numerous sensing technologies and analytical software being developed for inclusion on or in range of materials including fiber-optic sensors, piezoelectric sensors, printed sensors and more. The Sensors USA event (part of the IDTechEx Show!) will explore these technological advancements and a list of companies and institutes presenting are outlined below.
Acellent Technologies will present on their piezoelectric based SMART structural health monitoring as a pathway to industrial IoT.
Quest Integrated will explore how structural printed electronics can be utilised for this purpose in the aerospace sector.
Continuous Composites have developed a continuous fiber 3D printing (CF3D) process that can allow for fiber-optic sensors to be incorporated alongside structural or conductive polymer additives.
NextFlex will showcase their flexible hybrid electronics for both aircraft and infrastructure applications.
Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems will discuss their photonics-based solution for the commercialisation of space.
This session is part of an extended sensor conference that includes talks from: Bosch Sensortec, GE Global Research, Velodyne, Quanergy, Brewer Sciences, and many more. A full agenda can be seen on the conference website.
Source: IDTechEx Research (graph, Multifunctional Composites 2019-2029), Continuous Composites (top)
The IDTechEx Show! co-locates the key emerging technologies in one-place and attendees have access to all conference tracks including: Sensors, Printed Electronics, Internet of Things, Wearable Technology, 3D Printing, and more. In addition, there is an extensive and vibrant exhibition with over 270 exhibitors, start-up launchpad, and live demonstrations on display.