Printed, Flexible and Organic Electronics

Are you fed up with Zoom? Do you want online interactions to feel more... interactive? The metaverse promises a step-change in how society communicates but, without the hardware technology, will ultimately remain a pipe dream.

Engineers have achieved a new benchmark in the design of atomically thin solar cells made of semiconducting perovskites, boosting their efficiency while retaining their ability to stand up to the environment.

Recent advances in medical technology, along with the expansion of 5G technology, have established a new standard for wearable medical devices. Medical professionals and patients alike expect the devices to be both highly effective and able to withstand daily usage. Meeting these criteria is critical to ensuring that a product is safe, usable and practical—and requires thoughtful design and highly reliable components.

Over the past several decades, researchers have moved from using electric currents to manipulating light waves in the near-infrared range for telecommunications applications such as high-speed 5G networks, biosensors on a chip, and driverless cars.

TactoTek, the Finland-based company that develops and licenses Injection Molded Structural Electronics technology, announced that the company has received up to €15 million in financing from the European Guarantee Fund. TactoTek is the first company to receive an EGF investment. TactoTek engaged the Grannenfelt Finance to support investment application and processing.

Imagine your car starting the moment you get in because it recognizes the jacket you're wearing. Consider the value of a hospital gown that continuously measures and transmits a patient's vital signs. These are just two applications made possible by a new "body area network"-enabling fabric invented by engineers.

2021 has been an exciting year for printed electronics, with multiple applications reaching commercial adoption and significant funds flowing into the sector. Even where technologies are not yet commercialized, companies are increasingly transitioning from developing their technology and producing speculative demonstration prototypes to development and qualification projects for specific customers.

Researchers have engineered a portable electronic nose that's almost as sharp as a human nose at sniffing out the stink of wastewater treatment plants. Coupled with a drone, the lightweight e-nose can measure the concentration of different smells, predict odor intensity, and produce a real-time odor map of the plant for management.

The triboelectric effect is a phenomenon where a charge is generated on two dissimilar materials when the materials are moved apart after being in contact with each other. Triboelectric nanogenerators use this effect to convert mechanical motion into electrical energy. The compactness of TENGs allows them to be used as wearable devices that can harness the motion of the body to power electronics.